Chris Hemsworth recalls the Star Trek film that united him and Chris Pine and says he would be more than willing to return for a sequel if asked. Though Hemsworth is now most known for playing Thor in the MCU, his first film role was actually in 2009’s Star Trek. Hemsworth played George Kirk, father to Pine’s James T. Kirk (more famously Captain Kirk) in the J.J. Abrams reboot of Star Trek. The 2009 Star Trek film inspired a highly-acclaimed series of Star Trek films. Abrams went on to direct 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness which was followed by 2016’s Justin Lin-directed Star Trek Beyond

Though Hemsworth did not act in Into Darkness or Beyond, Star Trek quickly launched a career for him. Before Star Trek, the Australian actor had only appeared in smaller television roles. Shortly after Star Trek, he was cast in Thor, launching him into the Marvel Universe. Hemsworth’s role as Thor has taken up a significant portion of his film career to date. He will soon reprise the role again in the much-anticipated Thor: Love and Thunder

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Over a decade after Star Trek hit theaters, Hemsworth fondly recalls the script that brought him and Pine together. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Hemsworth recalls being summoned into Abrams’ office for another audition for Star Trek after he had auditioned for the lead role of Kirk a year before. Hemsworth claims that he did not know what role he was auditioning for at first, nor did he anticipate the massive film the new Star Trek would become. Hemsworth also expressed the enthusiasm he would have to shoot another Star Trek film with Pine after original plans for a movie with the two fell through. Check out what he had to say below: 

“There was talk about me doing the film with Chris Pine at one point, the script was sort of put together and then it fell apart. If J.J. Abrams called me tomorrow and said, ‘Chris Pine and I want to do it,’ I’d probably say ‘Yeah, let’s go for it.’”

star trek captain kirk chris hemsworth chris pine

Hemsworth’s enthusiasm toward this abandoned script should come as no surprise. In the interview, the actor fondly reminisces about his Star Trek role, noting the “honesty and purity” and “spontaneity” of actors’ early careers, including his own. Certainly, this energy gained even more weight when taking on a role in such an iconic franchise after being cast in much smaller parts. 

Star Trek was clearly a career-defining moment for Hemsworth. The extent to which that Star Trek audition and script influenced his acting future is abundantly clear in his filmography, for he went on to feature in not only Thor but The Cabin in the Woods, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Rush. Star Trek launched Hemsworth not only into steady acting work but into large-scale blockbuster films from the inception of his film career. It makes sense that the actor would be more than willing to return for a sequel. With the first Star Trek movie playing with time travel, it's more than possible that Kirk and his father could unite on screen at some point in the future. But beyond just a list of his films, the extant excitement and gratitude towards Star Trek is palpable in this interview. 

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Source: Vanity Fair