Unless you were a big fan of the Australian soap opera Home and Away, chances are your familiarity with Chris Hemsworth pre-Thor didn’t go much beyond his quick appearance in the 2009 Star Trek. But while the actor’s 2011 debut as the son of Odin proved to be a major career boost for the future Avenger, Hemsworth almost didn’t get the part after a less-than-brilliant first audition.
Unusually, the actor took to Quora last week where he offered his insider answers on a series of queries, including one question on how the star managed to land his most famous role.
“I had a very early audition early on in the process, didn’t go very well. My little brother [Liam Hemsworth] had an audition, he almost got the part. Then didn’t ‘cause they said he’s a bit young so they opened the casting back up. I was really angry that he almost got the part, so I came back in with a newfound fury. And actually had to call him and say ‘How was the audition? Give me some tips,’ and he did, thankfully, and I got the part. So it was a very collaborative family event, that one. Motivated by a little brotherly rivalry.”
Well, it wouldn’t be a Thor story without a little conflict between siblings, now would it? Ironically, the actor’s onscreen brother, Tom Hiddleston also auditioned for the role before being cast as Loki, a character who’s no stranger to feeling overlooked in lieu of Chris Hemsworth.
The first Thor came to us in a very different time for the MCU, of course, when many were doubtful that the franchise could pull off a crossover as ambitious as The Avengers. As an important building block in the lead-up to that eventual mega hit, a lot was invested in the God of Thunder’s debut doing well, but according to director Kenneth Branagh, Hemsworth’s lead turn helped make it work.
“No question that Kevin Feige used to say to me, ‘This is the single most difficult tonal challenge for us, to make this movie work in itself and fit into this large universe.’ In fact, I think Thor, and in Chris Hemsworth’s performance, becomes an absolutely integral part.”
While the era of Thor, Iron Man and the rest of Marvel’s Phase 1 leads may be nearing its end, Hemsworth will be stepping into the role at least once more for Avengers 4, which hits theaters on May 3rd, 2019.
