Chris Hemsworth may have stolen the show as Thor in the latest Avengers movie, but if you ask the actor, he almost didn’t get the role to begin with.
On Quora, people can ask the world questions and get answers from anyone on a variety of topics. For example, one curious user asked how Chris Hemsworth was cast as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — but they were in for a big surprise when the answers came through.
While there were two answers posted to the question by casual users, the most important answer came from the best expert on this topic: Christ Hemsworth himself. Not only did he explain what happened when he auditioned, but he even revealed who his competition was for the part.
According to Chris Hemsworth, early on in the Thor casting process, he had an audition that apparently didn’t really go well for him. In fact, his brother Liam Hemsworth auditioned for the role and almost got the part. On Quora, Hemsworth wrote:
"I had a very early audition early on in the process, didn’t go very well. My little brother 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."
Thanks to Liam’s brush with nearly getting the part, Chris went back and auditioned again. Only this time, it seems as if the actor was a little upset over almost losing out on what some might consider the role of a lifetime to his little brother. Hemsworth continued with his story, saying:
"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."
So it looks like (thanks to a healthy dose of sibling rivalry), Chris Hemsworth was motivated and angry enough to make sure he was able to secure the role of Thor. And the rest is Marvel Cinematic history.
Considering how big a role Thor played in Avengers: Infinity War, it makes sense why people would be interested in learning how he got the part to begin with. And while Chris Hemsworth may not have been the top choice for Thor at first, he has certainly proven to be a great addition to the MCU.
Whether he is inspiring humor and loyalty in Thor: Ragnarok, or screaming for people to bring him Thanos as he holds a weapon that should have stopped the Mad Titan, Chris Hemsworth is Thor. No other actor could have done what he has done and honestly, we can’t imagine anyone else in the role. (Okay, we’re still kind of curious to know what the movie would have been like with Loki as Thor.)
Although we don’t know what comes next for Thor as we wait for Avengers 4 and the end of the MCU’s third phase, we can only hope to see more of Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder in the future.