Derek Hough Reveals Chris Hemsworth Almost Lost ‘Thor’ Role Due to ‘Dancing With the Stars’ (Exclusive)

Imagine Chris Hemsworth, but not as Thor. While that would be too awful to imagine, there could very well have been a multiverse without Hemsworth in the starring role. While he is the perfect fit for the beloved superhero role, the God of Thunder star almost lost out on the opportunity while appearing on Dancing With the Stars Australia. In an exclusive interview with Derek Hough, the professional dancer and choreographer not only mentioned his love for superhero films, like those of the Marvel Universe but recalled the time Hemsworth almost lost the iconic role because of his guest-starring stint on Dancing With the Stars Australia.

“Chris Hemsworth almost lost his role as Thor because he was on Dancing With the Stars in Australia,” he recalled to PopCulture.com. “He was on Dancing With the Stars in Australia, and he’s dancing the samba and they literally cast him — or they were gonna cast him — and I think people called and said, ‘Yo have you seen him dancing the Samba? This cannot be our Thor.’”

In 2017, Hemsworth even touched on it a bit during an interview with BBC, revealing what Marvel Studios president and producer, Kevin Feige, told him at the time while starring on DWTS. “Kevin Feige said that almost lost me the job,” he confessed before detailing what Feige told him. “We all saw your audition. We’re passing it around the office, and everyone was really, you know, into it. And then, a few of the girls started googling your name and up came this dancing video, and I thought, ‘Oh no. Thor dancing! The fans are going to eat us alive!”

Hemsworth was well-known in Australia before he made his big Marvel debut. Since becoming Thor Odinson, he’s become one of the largest names in Hollywood, alongside his brother, Liam Hemsworth. It’s not all bad though as Hemsworth admitted the skills he learned on the show actually helped him be a better Thor per se. “It made me more nimble on my feet. I needed to be with the cape. You might see a bit of the Dancing With the Stars quality in Thor.“

As for Hough perhaps stepping into a superhero role, he’s definitely not opposed to it: “Heck yeah! I don’t know who I would play but hey, I would be there!” he gushed. Hough, along with his sister, Julianne Hough, has a long resume of successes in both television and film. He’s played roles in Hairspray Live, Make Your Move, Nashville, High School Musical: The Musical — The Series, and of course he’s mainly known for his long history with Dancing With the Stars.