Before they were famous: Chris Hemsworth’s journey from pharmacy work to ‘Thor’ and ‘Ghostbusters’

Many stars that you see on the big screen nowadays started from a completely unexpected place. While some have a background in the film industry because of their parents, others came from the middle class and struggling families. Before starting his career in the industry with TV shows in 2002, Hemsworth was a struggling star who grew up near cattle ranches in Melbourne. His mother worked as an English teacher, while his father worked as a social service counsellor.

The ‘Men in Black: International’ actor, before rising to fame along with his brothers, was a struggling star trying to make ends meet. Before acting, the star would often do odd jobs to earn money, which continued well after his debut, right before he landed the role of a lifetime with ‘Thor.’

In a social media post made in 2024, the actor had shared a glimpse from his childhood days. The post had been captioned “When I was younger my family and I lived in a remote community in the Northern Territory. Some of my earliest and happiest memories are from that time,” as he shared instances from traveling back home after a long time.

Chris Hemsworth used to work at a pharmacy

In an old interview with Collider, the ‘Thor’ star had revealed that before getting on the big screen, he would work odd jobs, one of which included working at a pharmacy. He shared during the interview that he was tasked with sterilizing breast pumps at the pharmacy to make ends meet. He stated in the report that, “I worked for a pharmacy that would rent out milk extractors, you know, breast pumps, for pregnant women. I swear to God I had a toothbrush and a spray, and I would scrub dried milk off the machines.”

Why Chris Hemsworth got into acting

The star did not have a smooth childhood either, as his family was also often left struggling for money. In another interview with Variety, the actor had revealed that he had a rough childhood, which became one of the reasons behind why he wanted to go into acting beyond his love for the art.

He shared, “A big reason I started acting was that I loved film and TV, but it was like we had no money. I wanted to pay off their house, initially. That was my sort of thing.” This, however, caused him to put a lot of pressure on himself.

The actor was almost broke before he landed ‘Thor’

In the same interview, he further mentioned that before landing ‘Thor’, he was at the end of his wits and was almost out of money. “I got very close to Gambit in the Wolverine X-Men movies. At the time, I was upset. I was running out of money. But if I played either of those characters, I wouldn’t have been able to play Thor,” he shared.


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