Chris Hemsworth reveals career regret: “I became a parody of myself”
Any movie involving Australian actor Chris Hemsworth is almost a guaranteed hit at the box office, however, the Hollywood star holds himself to high standards, and believes his last appearance in the Thor franchise was a disappointing outing.
Thor: Love and Thunder, released in 2022, is the third movie in the series, and was a rousing success from a financial perspective. It collected over $750 million at the global box office, but despite starring in the project, Hemsworth feels his performance was somewhat lacklustre, and he could have brought more to the table.
The Marvel adaptation, directed by Taika Waititi, saw Hemsworth play Thor with a comedic twist, which he now believes went too far, and despite the movie being released two years ago, the nightmares continue to haunt the Australian.
While he’s content with all of his other appearances as Thor, in a new interview with Vanity Fair, Hemsworth said of Love and Thunder: I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself. I didn’t stick the landing.”
Even while they were on the set making the movie, Hemsworth was riddled with anxiety about his character, and believed he was a spare part despite being cast in the lead role. He explained: “Sometimes I felt like a security guard for the team. I would read everyone else’s lines, and go, ‘Oh, they got way cooler stuff. They’re having more fun. What’s my character doing?’”
Hemsworth continued: “It was always about, ‘You’ve got the wig on. You’ve got the muscles. You’ve got the costume. Where’s the lighting?’ Yeah, I’m part of this big thing, but I’m probably pretty replaceable.”
His Marvel co-star, Robert Downey Jr, leapt to Hemsworth’s in the same article, claiming, “Thor as a character was super tricky to adapt”, but it was a task that his colleague rose to with aplomb.
The Academy Award-winner added: “Hemsworth is, in my opinion, the most complex psyche out of all us Avengers. He’s got wit and gravitas, but also such restraint, fire, and gentleness.”
Hemsworth’s latest comments aren’t the first time that he’s attempted to disassociate himself from Love and Thunder. Previously, in an interview with GQ, the actor revealed that he “got sick of the character pretty quick every couple of years” due to the urge to explore different projects.
Reflecting on the shortcomings of the 2022 movie specifically, he admitted that he would “cringe and laugh” while watching it, adding that “It just became too silly”.
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