Why Chris Hemsworth Almost Rejected Marvel's Initial Thor Offer
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It is probably difficult for any fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to picture anyone other than Chris Hemsworth as Thor. The actor has been the God of Thunder for 15 years, and his tenure isn't done yet, with Hemsworth due to appear in this year's "Avengers: Doomsday." It's been one heck of a journey, but one that nearly didn't happen at all. That's because Hemsworth nearly turned down the offer for the lead role in 2011's "Thor."
In a 2017 interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Hemsworth recalled getting the call to star in "Thor," which was one of the key movies in Phase One of the MCU, just as things were really getting going. Hemsworth auditioned for the role alongside his brother, Liam Hemsworth, as did many other up-and-coming actors at the time. But when it came down to it, the studio wanted him. Here's what he had to say about it at the time:
"I was crossing the road in Vancouver ... and I remember the exact moment getting a call from my lawyer and my manager saying 'you got the offer.' And then kind of going 'Oh wow, cool. So what is it?' 'It's a superhero thing and it's a six-picture deal.' And we were like 'That's a lot of films to sign up for. We should pass on this.'"
The long contracts with Marvel Studios have long been something actors have to consider before taking on one of these roles. Chris Evans similarly nearly turned down his Captain America role due to the nature of the long commitment. Taking the role means turning down other opportunities because, between solo adventures and team-up movies, the MCU represented the lion's share of the core actors' commitments while the franchise was being built out.
Thor went on to define Chris Hemsworth's career
Hemsworth added at the time, "that voice inside you thinking it's too good to be true" was a factor. Ultimately, though, the actor decided to take the role, and it proved to be an enormously good decision. "Thor" was a modest hit (by MCU standards), taking in $449 million at the box office. But it paved the way for bigger and better things to come in the years that followed.
In 2012, Hemsworth was a huge part of "The Avengers," which made more than $1.5 billion at the box office and helped redefine modern blockbuster filmmaking. While there were low points along the way, such as 2013's "Thor: The Dark World," the character has also had some major highs, such as "Thor: Ragnarok." This role has defined Hemsworth's career and helped make him an A-list star in Hollywood. He's since gone on to star in other huge movies such as "Extraction," "Transformers One," and "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga."
"When we shot the first film, I was aware of what it was but had no idea if anyone was going to turn up and see it, let alone then do 'The Avengers' or then do a second 'Thor' or a third 'Thor' or a third, fourth, and fifth 'Avengers,'" Hemsworth said in the same interview.
While Hemsworth's original contract with Marvel ended after "Avengers: Infinity War," he re-upped and has since appeared several more times as Thor in "Avengers: Endgame" and "Thor: Love and Thunder," in addition to his forthcoming appearance in "Doomsday." It seems fair to say that, despite some initial doubts, taking that six-picture deal was a wise decision.