What did the actor think of Thor’s mystical hammer Mjollnir? “I tried to steal it but they wouldn’t let me,” Hemsworth said. “It’s incredible. It looks just like what they have in the comics with the engravings from Asgard.”
ParamountThor star Chris Hemsworth has been receiving rave reviews for his performance in the Kenneth Branagh-directed film.
But it just so happens that he wasn’t even on the director’s original shortlist — and his brother Liam Hemsworth was.
After months of searching for his star, Branagh narrowed his list to four actors, including Liam, whose credits include the Miley Cyrus movie The Last Song and the upcoming adaptation of The Hunger Games.
For his part, Chris laughs about it, admitting that he didn’t give his best impression to Branagh upon their first meeting.
“We’re competitive, but in the best way,” Chris told the current issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine of his brother.
But Branagh ultimately went back to the drawing board and decided to re-evaluate some previous contenders, including Chris.
Liam was able to give his older brother tips based on his own experiences auditioning. Chris also was given a boost by his Cabin in the Woods producer Joss Whedon and a video the actor made with his mother.
“I was on the 17th floor of a hotel in Vancouver with my mom reading the lines to me,” he said. “And something great must have happened. It got me back in the room.”
Ultimately, Chris impressed not just Branagh but also Marvel Studios.
“We did two or three interview sessions before we tested him,” Branagh said. “We pretty much knew as we were shooting the test that he was the guy. It seemed, across these meetings, he had grown into it. He understood it better. And crucially, he was at ease.”
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