Skip to main content

Chris Hemsworth is an A-list movie star with an estimated net worth of $90 million. He has starred in numerous blockbuster movies, but like all actors in the entertainment industry, he had to start as an unknown. Ahead, check out three movie roles the 36-year-old Australian born actor had before he rose to fame as the chiseled Norse God, Thor. 

Hemsworth comes from a family of actors. He started getting credited acting roles in 2002, according to IMDb, and over time, transitioned from TV to film. Then he landed the role that would forever change his life, playing Thor in the eponymous 2011 film from Marvel Studios. Hemsworth auditioned alongside his younger brother, Liam Hemsworth, and despite tanking his audition, landed the part as the God of Thunder.

While audiences around the globe know Hemsworth for his superhero role, we’re taking a look at three movie roles he had before he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe and became synonymous with the character of Thor. 

Chris Hemsworth attends a U.K. fan event for Avengers: Endgame on April 10, 2019
Chris Hemsworth attends a U.K. fan event for Avengers: Endgame on April 10, 2019 | Karwai Tang/WireImage)

‘Stark Trek’

Thanks to his three-year stint on the Australian TV show, Home and Away, Hemsworth caught the attention of director J.J. Abrams for a part in the 2009 movie reboot of Star Trek. Despite being a relative unknown actor at the time, the award-winning director specifically requested Hemsworth for the part of Lieutenant Commander George Kirk, the son of Captain James T. Kirk. His costars included Chris Pine (Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), and Eric Bana (Nero). 

Stark Trek performed well at the box office, generating $385 million in worldwide sales, according to Box Office Mojo. The positive reception from audiences and critics led to a follow-up in 2013, Star Trek Into Darkness. Hemsworth reprised his role in the sequel, but his scenes included only audio flashbacks.

‘A Perfect Getaway’

Hemsworth followed up his first feature film role by landing a part in 2009’s A Perfect Getaway. The movie followed tourists in Hawaii who were being stalked and murdered. 

Directed and written by David Twohy, Hemsworth starred in the film alongside Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil), and Kiele Sanchez (Lost). Made on a budget of $14 million, A Perfect Getaway earned just under $23 million in worldwide sales. The film got mixed reviews from critics who, according to Rotten Tomatoes, called it a “smarter than average slasher film” that became predictable. 

‘Ca$h’ 

Despite A Perfect Getaway not meeting the same level of success as Star Trek, Hemsworth continued to steadily book movie roles. 

A year before he made his big screen debut as Thor, Hemsworth played a mechanic who discovered a mysterious briefcase full of money in 2010s’ Ca$h. His character, Sam Phelan, spent the money and soon found himself having to commit crimes to pay it back.

Along with Hemsworth, the crime thriller starred Sean Bean (Game of Thrones) and Victoria Profeta (Crazy B****es) and proved to be a box office failure.

What’s next for Hemsworth? See him in an untitled Hulk Hogan biopic. 

Best in Entertainment