Luke Hemsworth, the oldest of the famous Hemsworth brothers, opens up about his new film 'Beast', his love for MMA, and the challenges of living up to the family name. In a candid interview, he discusses everything from his 'inner dirtbag' to the best advice he ever received from Anthony Hopkins.
Playing a Dirtbag in 'Beast'
In the new film 'Beast', Hemsworth plays Gabriel, an MMA fighter with a dirtbag persona. 'Oh, that's all me. I'm channelling my inner dirtbag,' he laughs. 'He has some inadequacy issues. He's like a used car salesman; he looks fair and feels foul. But there are parts of me in him – I'm wearing my own snake skin boots for the whole film. I ended up actually keeping one of his suits, which I might have worn to a couple of premieres, which is pretty funny!'
UFC Sundays with the Hemsworth Brothers
The Hemsworths are known for their love of UFC and MMA. 'Every Sunday, I'm usually at either my place, Chris's place or Liam's place, and it's UFC Sunday,' Hemsworth reveals. 'The kids will come. There's always a lot of shouting at the TV, and usually we all end up wrestling. Liam will tell you he's never been beaten at wrestling but don't believe a single word he says!'
Secret Talents and Family Life
When asked about his hidden skills, Hemsworth shares a recent triumph: 'I just landed a front flip on the trampoline the other day, in front of my 14-year-old daughter. She was like, "God, you're really old, and you're doing flips!" I'm not old. I'm 45, mate!'
Working with Russell Crowe
Despite appearing in three films with Russell Crowe, Hemsworth has never shared a scene with him. 'Yeah! Bloody hell. I think I've missed out! I don't think I'm going to get another shot at this!' he says. He praises Crowe as an icon and a champion of up-and-coming actors, noting how Crowe saved 200 jobs when his film 'Poker Face' faced financial trouble.
The Burden of the Hemsworth Name
Being part of a famous family comes with its own challenges. 'There's an assumption that life is easy if you have the Hemsworth name, that you're gonna get roles super easily,' Hemsworth explains. 'In my experience, it's actually been a lot more difficult, and it comes with a stigma. So I have to be very aware of my craft, making sure I've really prepared.' He adds that confusion with his brothers is common: 'Every now and again someone calls me Liam. I actually got introduced at the Beast premiere as Liam Hemsworth by Rob Carlton. I'm going to call him out! Fuck you, Rob!'
Movies That Scarred Him for Life
Hemsworth recalls 'The NeverEnding Story' as a childhood favourite, particularly the heartbreaking scene with Artax the horse. 'To this day, I still remember being very upset about that.' He also remembers watching 'The Exorcist' as a teenager, which was terrifying due to the wind making windows creak. Interestingly, he later met Linda Blair through a dog rescue, adopting a rescue mutt named Blu.
Best Advice: From Anthony Hopkins
One of the most memorable moments of his career was breakfast with Anthony Hopkins. 'He invited me, and I was like, I'm going to go have an awkward breakfast with Anthony Hopkins and try not to soil myself with terror,' Hemsworth recalls. 'We got talking about me wanting to do certain projects and how my agents were saying that I shouldn't do them. And his advice was, "Fuck them!" He said, "Fuck them. Do what you want. Why are you listening to that? Fuck them." And I was like, that's actually pretty good advice!'
Favourite Book and Controversial Opinions
Hemsworth is a fan of the 'Red Rising' series by Pierce Brown, a sci-fi epic about Romans in space. He hopes to be involved in a potential TV adaptation. As for controversial opinions, he jokingly quotes 'Dumb and Dumber': 'Senior citizens, although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose.'
Dream Pet: A Giant Grasshopper
If he could change the size of any animal, Hemsworth would make a grasshopper 20 feet long, inspired by the film 'Monsters'. 'Insects are so crazy. When I first joined Instagram my account was just macro pics of bugs. I'd like to get back into that. That's my real secret talent: I'm really good at taking macro pictures of bugs.'
'Beast' is out in Australian and US cinemas now. It will stream on Stan in Australia from 27 May and on digital platforms in the UK on 1 June.
