10 Superhero Actors Who Bounced Back From Poor Performances

9. Chris Hemsworth €“ Home And Away

Thor And Away There's a place where you go looking for someone to play the God Of Thunder and Australian soaps aren't it. For those of you who don't know about Home And Away, it's an Australian soap that been gracing us with its insights into Ozzie life since 1988, and for some reason it's got a reasonable following here on British shores. Americans might realise it as the show that gave birth to Heath Ledger's acting career. Unlike Ledger (more on him later), Hemsworth didn't have much of a turn elsewhere before he rocked up in a pimpingly awesome red cape. Sure, he'd had a part in the Red Dawn remake, but thanks to its shelving this was the first role any of us in which anyone saw the long-haired Antipodean. Such a casting led to much head-scratching €“ the only thing people knew from Hemsworth's short CV was that he was a soap actor, and such things don't tend to go hand in hand with Asgard's finest. But obviously, we shouldn't have worried. Though he has the film stolen under him by Tom Hiddleston's Loki, Hemsworth provided an excellent Thor and proved competent /amenable enough to be invited back for The Avengers, which is more than we can say about Edward Norton. So next time you feel like casting a role, forget the A-List €“ rock up to a soap with a giant net, and embrace the fanboy ire. Hell, Christoph Waltz got his big break from a similar position (although rumours of an actual net are unconfirmed), and look at him now.
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Durham University graduate and qualified sports journalist. Very good at sitting down and watching things. Can multi-task this with playing computer games. Football Manager addict who has taken Shrewsbury Town to the summit of the Premier League. You can follow me at @Ed_OwenUK, if you like ramblings about Newcastle United and A Place in the Sun. If you don't, I don't know what I can do for you.