Chris Hemsworth: The Best of Three

Hemsworth. One of the few names in the acting world that can apply to two – even three – famous individuals. Chris Hemsworth, primarily known for his role as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is also known as the most famous brother of the iconic trio. Born in August of 1983 in Melbourne, Australia, Hemsworth grew up with his two brothers. Surfing was his number one passion, but acting soon took its place as his calling. Hemsworth attended Heathmont Secondary College, and soon after he received small roles in the television show Down Under. Hemsworth followed in the footsteps of other famous Aussies like Heath Ledger, Isla Fisher, Simon Baker and Naomi Watts by becoming a regular on the soap opera Home and Away. In 2007, after three seasons of playing character Kim Hyde, he headed stateside to continue his entertainment career.

 

In J.J. Abram’s 2009 movie Star Trek, Chris Hemsworth was cast in the role of Captain Kirk’s father. That same year he played a menacing hitchhiker in the thriller A Perfect Getaway. He appeared in the minor action movie Ca$h (2010). When it came time to audition for the role of Thor in Marvel’s first solo film of the character, Hemsworth faced some familiar competition. His younger brother, Liam Hemsworth, was also up for the role. He was no match, as Chris was given the role alongside Oscar-winners Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins. The movie had a worldwide box office value of $449,326,618 and before he knew it, Hemsworth’s career took off. He was called back for the box office hit of 2012, The Avengers, which had a worldwide gross of $1,518,812,988. The sky was truly the limit for Hemsworth in the MCU, and director Taika Waititi made sure of that.

 

Thor was given a trilogy of solo films, something that only Iron Man, Captain America, and recently Spiderman can say they’ve had. During this time, Hemsworth was given opportunities to play a numerous amount of characters. Other notable roles included that of Formula One race driver James Hunt in Ron Howard’s critically praised Rush (2013), a computer hacker in Michael Mann’s crime thriller Blackhat (2015), and a sexy receptionist in the gender-flipped remake Ghostbusters (2016). He gave a well-received performance as an underestimated Green Beret captain in the Afghanistan War story 12 Strong (2018), and he played a heroic mercenary in the action movie Extraction (2020). 

As mentioned before, Hemsworth was given a rare honor of a trilogy of solo films. However, he is not done just yet. In 2022, Thor: Love and Thunder is set to release as one of Marvel’s most exciting projects to date. Taika Waititi is back to direct, and a familia Oscar-winning Natalie Portman is back to reprise her role as Jane alongside Thor. Christian Bale will be playing Gorr the God Butcher, a villain with a mysterious background which fans are excited to discover. Given the trend of recent films, there will be a numerous number of cameos to be excited for in this movie.

 

Hemsworth continues to take on ambitious projects and leave Marvel fans excited for what’s to come, yet his greatest impact lies off the screen. Hemsworth was recently made a member in the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday honors for his service to performing arts and charities. When Australia was facing massive bushfires, Hemsworth took to social media to encourage others to join the fight. “We’re really still in the thick of it here as there are plenty of challenging times ahead… I’m going to put forward a million dollars, and I was hoping that all of you could contribute in any way, shape or form. Every dollar counts. That money goes directly to the firefighters, the people on the frontlines, the people who have suffered, the communities that have taken a hit and are in desperate need of our support.” A true representation of a hero, Chris Hemsworth embodies what it truly means to give back to your community.