Chris Hemsworth is Thor

MANILA, Philippines - It’s fair to say that Chris Hemsworth is a great believer in fate. “You never know what’s going to happen, do you?” he grins. “But I guess you have to keep the faith.” Indeed. It wasn’t so long ago when he was seriously considering giving up on his adventure as an actor seeking work in the cutthroat environment of Hollywood and heading back home to Australia. Fate, however, had something entirely different in store for this immensely likable young actor.

Now, as he contemplates his starring role in Thor, it’s hard to imagine that he was ready to give up on his American dream after long, frustrating months of inactivity and returning to Melbourne, his home city, and re-group. But at the time — back in early 2009 — it just wasn’t happening. And that’s when fate intervened and Hemsworth’s life changed forever.

Thor was obviously a huge experience for you. Are you pleased with the way it turned out?

“Absolutely. I couldn’t have had a more enjoyable time and I felt happy with my commitment, everyone’s commitment — everyone knew they were part of something special, something that had existed long before we were involved. It had a fan base for many years before us, and so I knew there would be pressure. But it was a combination of excitement and adrenaline and I kind of rode through the whole shoot on that! (laughs). It was great — the whole cast. Kenneth Branagh (director) is a very down-to-earth, good human being and he wanted to work with similar people who were all excited to be there.”

Were you a comic book fan as a kid?

“No. I’d never really read a comic book. It just wasn’t in my circle and I never really came across them. But since I got Thor I’ve dived into reading this stuff and it’s incredible — great writing, incredible art work. So my hat goes off to an art form that I came to a little late. But I’m very excited to be part of it now.”

But were you aware of Thor as a character?

“Yeah. He’s the God of Thunder! (laughs) Definitely. Maybe it was through a cartoon on TV, maybe it was Norse mythology I’d picked up along the way, the Vikings and all that stuff that I’m fascinated with, maybe it was via something else. But yes, I definitely knew who Thor was.”

So then you get a call from Kenneth Branagh saying he’s interested in casting you as Thor. That’s got to be a good call…

“Yeah that’s a great call, I’ll tell you a story. I hadn’t worked for eight months, I was living in Los Angeles and I was literally about to pack up and go home. I was just asking myself, ‘What am doing here?’ You know, the usual questions and the doubts that you have as an actor crop up. Then I got a phone call from Joss Whedon who wanted to see me about a film called Cabin In The Woods and I went off and shot that in Vancouver. Once I was there, I got a call about another film, Red Dawn, on the Thursday and then, the very next day, they called me about Thor. So I went from not working at all to working flat-out — and finding myself being offered the incredible opportunity of playing Thor. It’s been amazing. But like I said, the lesson is to just keep believing and sometimes fate takes a hand.”

You look very fit right now. So have you maintained that training because you’ll be playing Thor in The Avengers?

“Yes, but not at the same level. But hopefully it won’t take too much to get back there.”

How do you feel about The Avengers, and the crossover between the Marvel films?

“I love it. I love that cross-pollination. I think Marvel have been very smart about that.”

Thor is now showing in theaters nationwide.