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20 Things You Didn't Know About Chris Hemsworth

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Those who keep up with the latest in entertainment news should have no problem recognizing Chris Hemsworth, who has become one of the most famous Australian actors in all of Hollywood. This is in large part because of his starring role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thor, the God of Thunder. However, it should be noted that Hemsworth has risen to the top over the course of years and years by performing a wide range of roles in a wide range of mediums, meaning that he has both the expertise and the experience needed to back up his newfound fame.

Combined with his involvement with a number of charitable causes, this makes him not just an interesting person but also a respectable person.  While you can read the tabloids all day, for some interesting real facts, read on. Here are 20 things that you might not have known about Chris Hemsworth:

Hemsworth was born in Melbourne, but raised in both Melbourne and Bulman, which is a cattle station town situated out in the Australian Outback. As a result, it can be said that he came of age in not one but two worlds, one of which was one of the biggest cities on the continent while the other was one of the most barren landscapes on the planet. While Hemsworth has stated that he spent more of his childhood in Melbourne than in Bulman, he has also stated that he has had more memorable experiences in the latter, which are sure to have shaped his outlook on life. (1)

Curiously, Hemsworth is the second of three brothers who have become successful actors. For example, his older brother Luke is best known for his role in an Australian soap opera called Neighbors, though he has also managed to build up an impressive portfolio of appearances in other TV series as well over the course of his career. Likewise, his younger brother Liam appeared in Neighbors as well, though he has went on to build up an even more impressive portfolio of appearances in not just TV series but also a small number of movies. (1)

Currently Hemsworth lives in his native Australia rather than Hollywood because he has become so successful as an actor that he no longer has to remain in the entertainment capital of the world in order to get good roles. He is married to Spanish actress Elsa Pataky, who he started dating in early 2010 before getting married to her at the end of the same year. So far, their marriage seems to have been an incredible success, as shown by a daughter who was born in 2012 as well as twin sons who were born in 2014. (1)

Given the popularity of the sport on continents other than North America, it should come as no surprise to learn that Hemsworth is a big fan of football, which is to say, the one that involves kicking the ball with no hand contact permitted whatsoever rather than the one that sees the ball being cradled in the crook of the arms for much of the time. In particular, Hemsworth is a fan of the Western Bulldogs, which is a team in the Australian Football League that is situated in one of Melbourne's suburbs. (1)

For an example of Hemsworth's fondness for football, he starred in the Australian Football League's marketing campaign for 2014, which was called Everything's Possible. It seems that he was more than satisfied with promoting something that he loves since he followed up his appearance in the marketing campaign by donating his share of the earnings to the Australian Children Foundation, which lives up to its name by promoting the well-being of children in a number of ways by using a number of methods. (1)

While Hemsworth is best known for his movies, he has played a wide range of roles in a wide range of TV series. For example, he has appeared in the Australian soap opera Neighbors as well, though it was limited to a single scene in a single episode. In it, he played a man named Jamie Kane, who had a short conversation with a more permanent character that landed the latter in serious trouble because of her suspected involvement with a robbery. (1)

Furthermore, Hemsworth has extensive experience as a soap opera actor, seeing as how he was involved in another Australian soap opera called Home and Away. Initially, he auditioned for the role of Robbie Hunter but failed to get it, though he was soon cast for another character named Kim Hyde. In total, Hemsworth appeared in 171 episodes of the show over the course of three years that started in 2004 and lasted until 2007, meaning that he has well-established credentials as a soap opera star. (1)

Proof of Hemsworth's status as a soap opera star can be seen in the fact that he was chosen to participate in the fifth season of Dancing with the Stars Australia, which runs on the same concept as its American counterpart but features an Australian cast of contenders. While he had some initial success while partnered with the professional dancer Abbey Ross, he managed to last six weeks before he was eliminated from the competition, which is still a rather impressive feat under the circumstances. (1)

Curiously, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is not the first time that Hemsworth has played an important figure from mythology. While he was still acting in TV series, he had the chance to play King Arthur in Guinevere Jones, which was a relatively minor role but nonetheless important in its own right because of the conceit of the show. In short, the titular character was the reincarnation of Queen Guinevere, who has to struggle with evil magic users while also struggling to navigate all of the complexities that come with being enrolled in a high school. Needless to say, it is a show meant to appeal to a younger audience. (1)

Eventually, Hemsworth made his way over to the United States, where he began auditioning for roles in movies. One of his earliest auditions came within a few weeks of his arrival in the country, which eventually saw him playing one part of the leading couple in the 2010 movie Cash. To paraphrase the director, Hemsworth was chosen out of all the other candidates because he was young and good-looking as well as someone with more than enough acting expertise and experience for the part of the main character. (1)

Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hemsworth had the chance to star in The Cabin in the Woods, which was about a group of college students trapped in a remote cabin by zombies as well as a pair of malevolent scientists manipulating the entire course of events from their underground facilities. In main, the movie was notable in that it was written and produced by Joss Wheldon, who was so impressed with Hemsworth that he encouraged him to audition for the role of Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (1)

Numerous actors and actresses have been to known to make all sorts of strenuous changes in order to make themselves more suitable for a particular role. For example, this can be seen in how Hemsworth had to gain 20 pounds of muscle for his role as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which was necessary because of the character's famous strength and resilience, thus necessitating a particular look from the person chosen to play the part. (1)

For another example of how far he is willing to go for the sake of a role, Hemsworth endured being put on a diet of 500 to 600 calories in an entire day along with the rest of the cast for In the Heart of the Sea. This was done because the movie was about sailors on a whaling ship, who had to resort to desperate measures to survive after their ship had been sunk by a whale. By putting the cast on 500 to 600 calories a day, the filmmakers made sure that they looked the part of starving sailors, thus making for a more authentic-looking viewing experience for the movie-goer. (1)

Like other starring actors for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hemsworth has signed on to do multiple films as the character Thor, which is important because it enables Marvel to maintain a sense of continuity while also preventing all of the other complications that come from having to change actors for major characters on a semi-regular basis. So far, Hemsworth has starred in Thor and Thor: The Dark World as well as both The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Furthermore, he is slated to star in Thor: Ragnarok, which will be released in 2017, as well as two more Avengers movies, which will be released in 2018 and 2019. (1)

His Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are far from being his sole ventures into science fiction and fantasy. For example, Hemsworth made an appearance in the 2009 Star Trek movie not as one of the main characters but instead as the future Captain James T. Kirk's father, George Kirk. Furthermore, he played two more important roles in 2012, with one as the titular huntsman in Snow White and the Huntsman and the other as Jed Eckert in the Red Dawn remake. Summed up, it is clear that Hemsworth is no stranger to the related realms of science fiction and fantasy. (1)

Amusingly, Hemsworth was actually born on a Thursday, which is remarkably appropriate because Thursday is named for Thor. For those who are unfamiliar with the rest of the inspirations for the days of the week, Monday is named for the Moon, Tuesday is named for Tyr, Wednesday is named for Odin, Friday is named for Frigg, Saturday is named for Saturn, and Sunday is named for the Sun. The days of the week have such an eclectic collection of inspirations because they are based on Germanic names for the days of the week, which in turn, were derived from Greco-Roman names for the same. (2)

Naturally, Hemsworth was not the only person who auditioned for the role of Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, it might amuse others to know that one of those other contenders was Tom Hiddleston, who lost out in that particular audition but managed to snag a less important but still beloved role a short while later. For people who are unfamiliar with him as well as his role, he plays Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, who is not Thor's adopted uncle but rather his adopted brother in a notable departure from Norse mythology while still retaining their curious relationship as one-time friends having since become enemies. (2)

Like a lot of actors, Hemsworth has worked in a wide range of jobs before he started making enough in acting to do away with all of that, with examples including but not limited to construction, tending a bar, and even serving restaurant customers as a waiter. However, his love for movies is so great that he has stated that he would have been either a writer or a producer if he had not become an actor. (2)

Hemsworth attended the Screenwise Film & TV School for Actors, which can be found in the city of Sydney in his native Australia. There, he studied American Dialect, which is part of the reason that he managed to make such a smooth transition from Australia to Hollywood. After all, American audiences tend to find that the distinctive Australian twang extremely noticeable, which in turn, meant that it would have wreaked havoc with their sense of the default and thus their ability to suspend their disbelief, which is absolutely critical for movies as well as other forms of storytelling.

Most people would not be able to predict Hemsworth's nickname without knowing a fair amount about him. In short, it is Kip, which is derived from Kiptader. Although it sounds extremely strange, Kiptader is what came out when he attempted to say his name. This stuck with the people around him, who eventually shortened it to the simple and straightforward Kip for their ease of use while referring to him.

References:

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hemsworth
  2. http://www.moviefone.com/2015/01/16/chris-hemsworth-facts/
  3. http://www.uselessdaily.com/news/30-facts-you-didnt-know-about-chris-hemsworth/
Garrett Parker

Written by Garrett Parker

Garrett by trade is a personal finance freelance writer and journalist. With over 10 years experience he's covered businesses, CEOs, and investments. However he does like to take on other topics involving some of his personal interests like automobiles, future technologies, and anything else that could change the world.

Read more posts by Garrett Parker

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