The role Chris Hemsworth nearly lost to his brother Liam

It's hard to imagine anyone but Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Photo / Getty Images

By Nick Bond

Aussie action hero Chris Hemsworth has revealed that he almost lost out on arguably his best-known role - to his own younger brother, Liam.

In a new confessional-style video interview with W Magazine, Hemsworth says that he thought he was the perfect fit to take on the role of Thor for the 2011 Marvel film of the same name, reports News.com.au.

"I remember reading the breakdown for Thor, it said 'must be over 6"3 and 200 pounds.' I thought, this is the one thing that fits me. Most of the time I'd have to lie about my height and say I was a little shorter. I'd only get cast as the football player or something. I thought, great, this is up my alley," he said.

He auditioned with the film's director Kenneth Branagh and thought he'd done a great job - but heard nothing. In the meantime, his brother Liam was also making his own play to nab the coveted role.

"My little brother was in Australia and sent a tape across. He got a callback, got another callback, and was down to the last four or five people in it," said Hemsworth.

The beefy star was in Canada filming the horror hit Cabin in the Woods when news trickled through that none of those last few actors were deemed suitable for the role - his brother included.

"My manager called [them] up and said 'You know [Liam's] got an older brother, could we bring him back in?'"

He filmed another audition in Vancouver with his mum reading co-star Anthony Hopkins' lines.
"She must have nailed it, because it got me back in the room.
"That second audition was a lot different to the first one. I came in with a lot of motivation, and maybe frustration, that my little brother had gotten further than me. Sibling rivalry kicked up in me, and it moved pretty quickly from there."

The rest, as they say, is history - Hemsworth is currently filming what will be his ninth big-screen appearance as Thor in the Marvel cinematic universe, while T hor: Ragnarok is set for release just next month.