The failed audition Joel Kinnaman compared to cultural appropriation: “This is bullshit!”
Where would we be without Chris Hemsworth, his striking good looks, effortless Australian charm, and rippling muscles that could wrestle a black bear to the ground without breaking a sweat?
Of course, none of us would be as aware of him were it not for his role as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), so we should all be very grateful that he was cast, unless you’re asking Joel Kinnaman.
The star of the likes of The Killing, House of Cards, and the wonderfully mad Nicolas Cage vehicle Sympathy for the Devil has been in contention for some other massive roles, getting pretty far along in the process of being cast as the title character in Mad Max: Fury Road, before eventually losing out to Tom Hardy. Similarly, he was in the running to play Marvel’s ‘God of Thunder’, yet was beaten to the punch by the aforementioned Mr Hemsworth; however, this latter brush off had a little more to do with the actor’s origin, which somewhat justifies his feelings of ‘animosity’.
Kinnaman was born in Sweden, which, for those geographically challenged among you, is in Scandinavia, and for the historically challenged, Thor is based on a character from Norse mythology, which has its roots in the Scandinavian region. You’d think this heritage would have put him in good stead to land the part, but that clearly wasn’t the case, and as Kinnaman explained to GQ, this snub was a great insult to him and his people.
“It’s such bullshit that Chris Hemsworth gets to play Thor,” he said, “If there is ever a case of cultural appropriation, that is it! I mean, he lives in a tropical paradise. He doesn’t have any understanding of the cold and the pain that we go through on a daily basis. It is such bullshit. I don’t understand why more Swedish and Scandinavian people aren’t more outraged by this clear case of cultural appropriation! Like, all us 6’3″ white guys aren’t the same! This is bullshit!”
Now is a good time to point out that Kinnaman was grinning throughout this tirade. He was clearly joking…hopefully. Anyway, it’s not like he has a full claim to the character; his father is American, having fled to Sweden to avoid serving in the Vietnam War. On the other hand, like many Australians, Hemsworth can trace his familial line back to Europe, so there’s probably a strong chance he’s got some Scandinavian in him somewhere, possibly his left ear.
The humorously enraged Swede wasn’t the only one to try and fail to get their hands on Mjölnir. Channing Tatum flubbed his audition, but actually ended up taking away some valuable acting lessons from the experience, while Kinnaman’s old school chum Alexander Skarsgård also tested, as did professional wrestler Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, apparently.
Ultimately, it was always going to be Hemsworth, and he absolutely excels in the role, having grown and adapted with the character over a decade. He can do the serious bits, he can do the funny bits, and he looks great in a fat suit, so what’s not to love?
Don’t cry too hard for Joel, though, as he eventually got his turn in a superhero flick when he played Rick Flag in Suicide Squad, but let’s just agree to not discuss the outcome of the film in comparison to Thor.
