Sitting across from Liam Hemsworth at the press day for “Paranoia,” it struck me that the thing that he and his brother Chris Hemsworth (aka Thor) have most in common physically are their eyes. Otherwise, they seem like very different types. I have a feeling those differences will serve them well in the long run because they seem to be different enough that they won’t be undercutting each other in terms of the roles they want to play.
What the Hemsworths have in common beyond the eyes is a no-nonsense oversized masculinity. I’ve complained in the past about how most of our lead actors these days are boys, no matter how old they get, instead of men. It’s a generational thing. People in my generation never really got tested in any significant way. Not like a Depression or a World War. And so there are a lot of actors who seem soft to me onscreen, even in action roles.
The Hemsworths, though, are just these two charming giants, Australian boys who obviously drank their milk. Liam’s been working like a madman for the last few years, and I think it’ s safe to say that at this point, the biggest thing he’s ever booked was his role as Gale in “The Hunger Games.” In that first film, it doesn’t really seem like much of a break for an actor, and I asked him when we sat down to talk about “Paranoia” if it felt good to finally jump in for “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.”
After all, the new trailer for the film features what seems to be a pretty big couple of moments for Gale, and I seem to remember his character playing a larger role in the second book.
You’ll see Hemsworth’s response here, and it sounds to me like he really doesn’t get to take center stage now until the third and fourth film. That’s got to be tough as an actor, basically playing a supporting supporting supporting role while waiting for the future chapter of the story where you get to finally show everyone why you were cast in the first place.
I have a feeling we’re going to see a lot both of the Hemsworths in the near future. And if you’re a Liam fan, make sure to see him in “Paranoia,” where he really is the star of the show.
“Paranoia” opens in theaters August 16, 2013.