Chris Hemsworth reflects on ‘anxiety and panic attacks’ before playing Thor

Chris Hemsworth is opening up about how stepping into the role of Thor helped him find confidence during the early stages of his Hollywood career.

In a recent interview with The Guardian published February 3, the 41-year-old actor reflected on the years before he became one of Marvel’s most recognizable superheroes.

Hemsworth revealed that before landing the role of the God of Thunder at age 27, he struggled with intense performance anxiety and panic attacks.

At the time, Hemsworth said he often felt uncomfortable in public and unsure of himself, which led him to consciously create a more confident version of his personality for interviews and appearances.

“The character you see in interviews and the presentation of myself over the last two decades working in Hollywood, it’s me — but it’s a creation too,” Hemsworth said. “It’s what I thought people wanted to see.”

That sense of confidence slowly became more real as he physically transformed for the role. Training to portray Thor required intense workouts, significant muscle gain and other physical adjustments, including changes to his posture and voice to project authority and strength.

All those physical changes pushed Hemsworth towards a new mindset. “I felt like, ‘Okay, cool, no one can f— with me.’ Playing a god became a safety net. It fooled people into thinking I was that confident, that certain,” he said.

Chris Hemsworth starred in eight Marvel films as Thor, most recently in 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder.

He is set to bring back Thor in Avengers: Doomsday, set to release on 18 December in theaters.