As Thor, Chris Hemsworth is one of three Chrises (Pratt and Evans) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In real life, he is one of 3 Hemsworth brothers (Liam and Luke) gracing the screens of film and television. Hemsworth's big break in The Avengers (2012) coincided with some films he shot earlier being released that same year. As a result, most of his fans know him best as Thor.
Luckily within the MCU, director Taika Waititi has recently reinvigorated the Thor series, giving Hemsworth the opportunity to play a character with more range and depth. On top of his commitment to being Thor, Hemsworth has also managed to act in several other non-MCU roles throughout the 2010s. Here they are, ranked by their scores on Rotten Tomatoes.
Blackhat (33%)
Starting off the list is Blackhat (2015), an action thriller that sees Hemsworth playing, Nicholas Hathway, a convicted hacker. A far cry from his usual good guy roles, Hathaway is recruited to assist American and Chinese officials in hunting down a mysterious hacker in Asia.
The film was panned by critics and underperformed at the box office, despite coming out around the same time Hollywood was hit with a series of cybercrimes. Hemsworth told Glamour that the hacking covered in Blackhat "happens every day, across the board in every section of government, companies, in personal and what have you. That's the world we live in, we live in this interconnected world where we're all looped and linked in and we're susceptible to these kinds of things."
In the Heart of the Sea (43%)
Based on the true story that inspired Moby Dick, In the Heart of the Sea (2015) chronicles the tragic sinking of the whaling ship Essex in 1820. Hemsworth plays Owen Chase, the first mate aboard the Essex at the time of its demise.
Because Hemsworth is primarily known for the muscular physique he sports as Thor, his physical transformation to play Chase was shocking to say the very least. He lost 15 pounds for the role and noted the irony of the primarily male cast comparing their diets and how skinny they'd all become during filming.
Snow White and the Huntsman (49%)
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) was one of two Snow White adaptations to come out in 2012. Hemsworth was in the grittier take of the tale, playing the Huntsman, in a role that's further expanded upon than the original.
When asked by Den of Geek about this iteration of Snow White, Hemsworth described it as striking at "a whole lot of themes and ticks a lot of boxes and there's a nice combination of epic battle sequences and humor and heart and simplicity and nice character moments."
12 Strong (50%)
12 Strong (2018) follows the ODA 595, a group of soldiers who volunteer to go to Afghanistan following 9/11. Hemsworth plays Captain Mitch Nelson, commander of the ODA 595.
His wife is played by Elsa Pataky, who is actually married to the star in real life. Of working together Hemsworth told The Independent, "Obviously it was much easier with Elsa playing my wife. I felt like we've been rehearsing for more than seven years for this part."
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (66%)
Hemsworth made a brief cameo in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot as a holographic version of himself in the film's "Chronic-Con."
Kevin Smith, the film's director, made a tongue-in-cheek announcement about Hemsworth's casting via Instagram saying, "He's a killer comedic actor, but I keep telling him that the *real* money is in Marvel movies. In a just world, he'd get to at least screen test for them."
Ghostbusters (74%)
Even before coming out in theatres, the all-female remake of Ghostbusters (2016) drew plenty of hate from (some) audiences for attempting to subvert the originally male franchise. Upon its release, it became apparent that while Ghostbusters wasn't incredible, it wasn't that bad of a film either.
As one of the highlights, Hemsworth plays Kevin, the hot but ditzy male secretary for the Ghostbusters. Surprisingly, he almost quit the film the night before shooting was set to begin, believing that his role wasn't big enough. Fortunately, his role relied more on improvisation than what was in the script, giving him plenty of chances to steal scenes and prove his comedic chops.
Bad Times at the El Royale (75%)
In Drew Goddard's 2018 film Bad Times at the El Royale, Hemsworth plays Billy Lee, a charismatic but dangerous cult-leader. This love letter to neo-noir films received good reviews from audiences and left them wondering: "Who was the person in the film reel?"
This was Hemsworth's second time working with Goddard. In an interview with Variety, the director said that he'd wanted to find a different role for Hemsworth to play. "I was excited to write something that would give him a chance to explore darker territory. And I think he was probably eager to get to play something that is a little left of center from the sort of stuff he usually plays."
Star Trek Into Darkness (84%)
Before appearing in the MCU, Hemsworth's biggest franchise to date had been the reboot of Star Trek in 2009. In the first of the films, he's briefly seen as George Kirk, father of main protagonist James T. Kirk.
Hemsworth technically does not appear in its 2013 sequel Star Trek Into Darkness. But some of his audio from the first film was used during a flashback/dream sequence, resulting in a credit on Rotten Tomatoes and a place on this list.
Rush (88%)
Rush (2018) was a biopic based on the true professional rivalry between race car drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Hemsworth plays the more flamboyant and adventurous Hunt opposite Daniel Brühl's portrayal of the more cool and calculated Lauda.
When he was interviewed by The Guardian, Hemsworth admitted that Rush reminded him why he fell in love with acting in the first place. "(And) it was refreshing to be able to spend all the time on that and not be sidetracked by special effects and spectacle, which a lot of other films I've done have been. So in between Thor and Avengers, I want to do something like that again. That's where my gut is pulling me. A nice balance."
Cabin in the Woods (92%)
Chris Hemsworth's number 1 entry on this list wasn't even shot in the 2010s. Cabin in the Woods (2012) was released 3 years after shooting was completed, and was actually a contributing factor to Hemsworth snagging the role of Thor. It was also his first collaboration with director Drew Goddard.
Cabin in the Woods may sound like a run-of-the-mill horror movie, but much in the vein of Scream (1996) it is more of a satire. Featuring several classic horror movie monsters and subverting many age-old tropes, Hemsworth stands out as jock Curt and would most certainly have gotten his big break from this film if buzz surrounding The Avengers hadn't beaten it to the punch.