Chris Hemsworth Reveals He Was Heartbroken Not to Be Cast as Gambit in X-Men Movies

Now that he’s Marvel Thor, it’s easy to forget that there was a down period in Chris Hemsworth‘s career. Before he was a member of the Avengers, the Ghostbusters, and the Men in Black, Hemsworth missed out on several roles. In a profile interview with Variety, Hemsworth recalled some of the most heartbreaking near-misses from that period of his career.

“I got very close to GI Joe,” Hemsworth recalls, but the role ultimately went to Channing Tatum. “I got very close to Gambit in the Wolverine X-Men movies,” he continues, referencing the role in X-Men Origins: Wolverine that wound up going to Taylor Kitsch. “At the time I was upset. was running out of money. But if I played either of those characters, I wouldn’t have been able to play Thor.”

Hemsworth struggled to land Thor a well, only proving he was worthy to wield the hammer after getting a second audition (reportedly with some help from Avengers director Joss Whedon, who worked with Hemsworth on Cabin in the Woods).

Kitsch only played Gambit in one film. 20th Century Fox decided to go in another direction with the X-Men and Wolverine films after the poor critical and fan reaction to X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Tatum was expected to play Gambit in a solo film, but that film has been scrapped following developmental difficulties and the sale of 20th Century Fox to Disney.

These days, it’s Hemsworth passing on offers rather than the other way around, including his choice to walk away from Star Trek 4. Yet, he’s still down to play the god of thunder for Marvel if they’ll have him back.

“I’d still love to do more, to be honest,” he says. “And I don’t know what the plan is. I feel like we’ve opened up such a different character. I feel more energized for the possibility of where it could go.” Hemsworth pauses to consider another outcome. “But I’ll use that in other places and other characters if it’s the end here.”

What do you think of Hemsworth almost playing Gambit in the X-Men movies? Would you have rather him play Remy LeBeau than Marvel’s god of thunder? Let us know in the comments.

Dark Phoenix opens in theaters on June 7th. New Mutants opens April 2020.

Avengers: Endgame is now playing in theaters. Captain Marvel is also still playing in theaters. Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 2nd.