How Chris Hemsworth helped his cousin land Home and Away role
Chris Hemsworth and his brothers Liam and Luke might be making their mark in Hollywood, but back home in Australia there’s another family member on the rise in the entertainment industry.
25-year-old Luke Van Os, whose father Robert is the brother of Chris’ mother Leonie, made his acting debut on Home and Away earlier this year as paramedic Xander.
Fans of the long-running soap opera would of course remember that Chris himself started out in Summer Bay, playing Kim Hyde from 2004 to 2007.
The Thor actor has now spoken about his cousin’s acting gig while chatting with David ‘Kochie’ Koch on Sunrise, saying that he’s “so happy” for Luke’s success.
“Home and Away was, to this day, one of my favourite experiences on screen,” he began. “And to be a young bloke working on the beach straight out of high school onto that set was amazing.
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“He had an audition and I said, ‘Oh let’s talk’, so we jumped on Zoom and we did a bunch of sessions there,” he continued.
“It was really nostalgic for me and drummed up a whole lot of nervous butterflies that I had years ago. Because as I’m reading these other characters I was just having a giggle going, ‘Oh my god, I remember all of this’. It all just came flooding back.
“So yeah, I’m so happy for him and it sounds like he’s having a great time.”
Luke previously spoke with The Daily Telegraph about his audition process and how his famous cousin helped him out.
“When I was asked for a callback for the chemistry test, I actually zoomed with Chris the night before and we ran it (the scene) and kind of just got into a good headspace,” he said.
“His advice was be nice, put in the work and the work doesn’t end now, if anything this is when you need to work hard.”
He added that his cousins Luke and Liam, who both had roles on Neighbours before making it big in the US, have also been “a huge support”.
“This industry is so tricky and can be so hard to navigate so to have any sort of solid advice from anyone who has been through it is such a blessing,” he shared.
Chris’ comments come shortly after he spoke with Yahoo Lifestyle on the red carpet for the Sydney premiere of Thor: Love and Thunder about filming his famous nude scene.
“Yeah, you know, I worked my butt off, literally, for this film, as I do all the Thor films,” he said.
“I've got to eat a ridiculous amount of protein and work out a lot and a lot and a lot and you put in the hard work and hopefully get the result!”
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