Chris Hemsworth is joining Will Smith on screen in Men in Black: International , the latest film in the popular Men in Black franchise. It may seem like it is just another role for the Aussie star, who is best known for playing the formidable Thor in the Marvel Universe. However, it turns out that the Men in Black franchise is close to Hemsworth’s heart — as People reported, it was one of the reasons he got into acting.
Hemsworth dished on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon about the influence the movie, and Will Smith, had on his life back when he was just a teenager in Australia.
“I was 14 when the first one came out and I just remember being swept up in the unique blend of the police, thriller, comedy with sci-fi. It was an introduction to Will Smith, the world’s biggest movie star. At that time, I remember thinking, not consciously thinking I wanted to be an actor, but I wanted to inhabit those worlds and that universe those guys were creating… he was one of my biggest heroes, still is.”
Now, Hemsworth is just as major of a movie star as Smith was way back in the ’90s when Hemsworth saw the movie.
While some stars may find it intimidating to join a film franchise that they once loved, Hemsworth has plenty of experience tackling challenging roles. When he first graced the big screen as Thor all the way back in 2011, with the release of the first movie, he didn’t have a ton of experience under his belt. According to his IMDB page, Hemsworth had a few guest starring roles on television shows and a recurring role for several years on Home and Away, an Australian soap opera.
Taking on a huge role in a major film franchise would have been intimidating to anyone, let alone someone who had primarily been acting in Australia for his entire career until that point. Luckily, Hemsworth did a fantastic job role-playing the demi-god and has continued to grow into a bigger star year after year.
Hemsworth won’t have the chance to work with Smith for this particular film, though. He’ll be starring alongside Tessa Thompson, who he’s already familiar with from the Marvel Universe, as a new agent battling aliens. However, he’s not counting out the idea of meeting up with Smith’s character in a future film. As Pink Villa reports, he said, “in my mind, the characters can meet at some point of time and cross paths if we are lucky enough to make another one.”
