Acting is a tough grind that few people are willing to undertake, and while it may seem like a great career path, the truth is that there is no certainty and there are many bumps along the way. Sure, franchises like the MCU, DC, and Star Wars have turned people into household names, but there can only be one person in a role. If you’re not willing to go through the mud, then Hollywood’s not for you.

Chris Hemsworth learned this the hard way after hitting a point in his career when work seemed out of reach. In fact, things got so tough for the performer that he nearly headed back to Australia to quit the whole thing.

Let’s take a look at Chris Hemsworth’s journey and see how close he came to retiring from acting.

He Had Garnered Experience In Australia

He may have it all together now that he is an A-list talent, but back in the day, Chris Hemsworth was a young, up and coming performer who was looking for his big break. Most of his early roles came back in his native Australia, where he was steadily making a name for himself on the small screen.

For the first couple years of his budding career, Chris Hemsworth was pulling down smaller roles on television. This was giving him valuable experience and it was showing local networks what he was capable of. Eventually, he would land a prominent role on the show Home and Away, which was a huge break for the performer.

Hemsworth appeared in over 180 episodes of the show, and he remained part of the cast from 2004 to 2007. This was a great way for the future star to gain a ton of exposure on the small screen to one day land something larger on the big screen.

The opportunity to appear in a major Hollywood blockbuster would finally present itself in 2009, but instead of kickstarting things and taking his career to another level, things would soon cool off for the star.

Related: 10 Movie Stars Who Missed Out On MCU Roles

Things Dried Up After Star Trek

From the outside looking in, it might seem like landing a role in a film like Star Trek would change everything for a performer in a positive way, but the truth is that Hemsworth’s big screen dreams weren’t quite being realized like he had hoped.

When speaking with Men’s Health, Hemsworth would open up about the experience, saying, “I was about to quit. I always wanted to act, and one of the first things I wanted to do when I got any money was pay my parents’ house off. I’d asked Dad once when he thought he’d pay it off and he said, “Honestly, probably never.” Most people are in that boat and I wanted to change that.”

That’s right, Chris Hemsworth, the man who is now one of the most famous faces on the planet, was about to throw in the towel after being unable to make big things happen.

In his conversation with Men’s Health, he would continue on, saying, “I was trying to convince myself I wasn’t nervous before auditions rather than grabbing hold of it and going, [deep intake of breath] “Use it, raise up your awareness here, sharpen your focus.”And then my mentality changed, which came from being at a point where I was like, “I’m going to go back to Australia.”

Related: Chris Hemsworth Wants Everyone To Get In Shape

Thor Changed Everything

Just when things seemed to be at their absolute worst, Chris Hemsworth reminded himself that he had a much bigger purpose than just making a career for himself. He had the goal of paying off his parents’ house, and this was the driving force that wound up changing everything for the star.

He would tell Men’s Health, “I had one more audition where I was like, “Do this for his house. Think about reasons other than yourself.” That was for The Cabin in the Woods, and I got that job, and from there I got Red Dawn. And then I got Thor.”

Thanks to his perseverance, Chris Hemsworth was cast as the God of Thunder in the MCU, and everything has been coming up aces ever since. On top of the Thor and Avengers films being monumentally successful, Hemsworth has also starred in other projects like RushGhostbusters, and Men in Black: International. On top of that, the performer has been rolling in the dough and increasing his net worth in a hurry.

Related: Chris Hemsworth’s Best Movies According To IMDb

Despite being unbelievably close to throwing in the towel and heading back to Australia, Chris Hemsworth was able to find his place in Hollywood and eventually make all his dreams come true.

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