Actor Chris Hemsworth had a revealing interview with Men’s Health about his acting career.
Hemsworth explains that before being cast as Thor he had a difficult time finding his place in Hollywood before landing the leading role of “Thor”. In addition, he suffered from anxiety early in his career.
In his first ten years in Hollywood, Hemsworth says, “I’ve stopped asking, ‘Who do I have to be? What personality do I have to shape in order to succeed in this business?’ And just going, ‘Truly be yourself’. That’s when things started to change. That’s when I felt happier.”
Hemsworth admits he was fully committed to becoming an actor when he moved to Hollywood, but he was not confident. He explains, “There was nothing else I wanted to do. I had not a shadow of a doubt that I was going to go to Hollywood and work. As I started auditioning a whole lot of doubt chirped up and fear and anxiety and ‘What the hell am I attempting to get into?’”
Hemsworth reveals he did not have very much success after playing Captain Kirk’s father in 2009’s Star Trek, and considered quitting. He says, “I was about to quit. I got more and more anxious to the point where I couldn’t harness or use that energy. It was all to my detriment.” His anxiety also affected his performances in his auditions. “I was trying to convince myself that I wasn’t nervous before auditions rather than grabbing hold of it and going, ‘Use it, raise up the awareness here, sharpen your focus, point it in the right direction.”
Hemsworth says that actors can easily get into a negative place when it comes to constant rejections and auditions. He explains, “You’re constantly living in this world where you come out of an audition and you’re not analyzing how you can do it better, you’re analyzing what the obstacles were and how unfair it is, which is just bullshit, it’s a real trap.”
While Hemsworth’s audition days are behind, the motivation to improve has never changed. He says, “Over the years, as I’ve got more comfortable with things I’m always thinking, ‘Oh, don’t get too comfortable’. You’ve got to stay hungry. You’ve got to keep motivating yourself.”
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