Liam Hemsworth, the younger brother of stars Chris and Luke Hemsworth, is an Australian actor best known for his work in the movies “The Last Song,” “The Hunger Games,” and the soap opera “Neighbours.”
As a matter of fact, he developed a passion for surfing in his teenage years and eventually chose to follow in his brother’s footsteps by pursuing a career in acting. Now, Liam is receiving attention for his work on a global scale.
The life of actor Liam Hemsworth following his acting career fame
Given the attention Liam Hemsworth is receiving for his acting abilities, it is probable that things will change for the actor. However, he asserted that not much had changed for him.
“I haven’t really changed that much. I still do the things that I’ve always done. It’s just that I’m at a different level now in terms of my career. I’m able to meet extremely talented filmmakers and writers and directors – everyone in the business. I’m just in a different position than I’ve ever been in. But, you know, my personal life hasn’t changed. I still go surfing and hang out with friends. I just feel very lucky to be where I am and to be able to make movies.”
Speaking of his professional renown, Liam claimed that despite being extremely busy, he thinks everything he does is fantastic. This was in response to his role in “The Hunger Games,” which helped him become much more well-known.
“Pretty much the whole of March, I’ve been traveling, doing press everywhere. It’s been awesome. I’ve never promoted something as big as this. So it’s been pretty cool. As an actor, I always look for things I relate to in one way or another or things that are different. And this is definitely all that and has a huge fan base behind it already. I’ve never been a part of something like that before, so it has been interesting.”
Regarding his part in the popular movie, he explained that the character’s distinction from his previous roles was what drew him to the part and the production.
“It’s been different to any kind of movie that I’ve done before. I think it has given me a chance to show something different as an actor and be seen in a different light.”
The early years of Liam Hemsworth and how it affected his decision to become an actor
Growing up in Phillip Island, Liam Hemsworth spent most of his teenage years surfing, but who would have thought that he would become a famous actor just like his brothers? Nonetheless, Liam mentioned that it was wonderful to have spent his formative years in a rural area of Australia.
“My dad and all my brothers have always surfed, so honestly, it was the best way to grow up. We’d surf before school, after school, and I love small communities like that where you sort of know everyone. It was great place to grow up as a kid.”
Liam was the youngest of the three, and given that all of his brothers are actors, there is a strong likelihood that this would have affected his choice to pursue acting. True enough, he made the decision to join his brothers after seeing them on television.
“My brother Luke got into it first. As a kid, I always loved movies; I would sit down and watch movies all day long. But it wasn’t like I dreamt of being an actor or anything. It wasn’t until I was about 17 and I watched my brothers do TV shows in Australia that I wanted to pursue it seriously, and I started doing classes outside of school. I got an agent and started auditioning as much as I could. That was in my last year of school.”
Obviously, his brothers had a significant impact on him, as evidenced by the fact that it was their careers that compelled him to follow them. He stated: “Well, I wouldn’t be doing this job if they hadn’t gotten into it. Always, as the youngest brother, I wanted to do what they were doing and emulate some of what they were doing.”
“My brothers have been the biggest influence in my life and are my biggest role models. They’ve taught me a lot of what I know. Before I started doing acting classes, I used to run scenes with Chris or Luke, and they would kind of give me acting classes, so that’s where it all sort of began.”
When he changed from being a teenage lad who surfed to an actor, most people in his immediate circle, especially his surfing pals, would have been surprised. However, even though he was now an actor, his friends didn’t treat him any differently.
“I had a really tight circle of friends. A lot of guy friends that I grew up with, there was a big group of us, and they were always just so blasé about anything I ever did in Australia. It was just, “Yeah, cool man. Let’s go and surf.” So they never really showed that much interest or cared that much. They were just good mates who never treated me any differently.”
Early acting roles played by Liam Hemsworth
In 2007, Liam Hemsworth joined his brother Luke in the cast of the well-known Australian soap drama “Neighbours.” Josh Taylor, a surfer who was injured and lost both of his legs, was the character he played. Considering that it was his first acting role, it wasn’t too awful because he could empathize with the character because he is also a surfer.
“That was when I was still laying floors. I did that for four or five months, and that was kind of my first big job, and from that, I went to another big TV series (Home and Away) and then came back to Neighbours for a few months. After about two years of TV, I got my first role in a movie called Triangle, and that’s what I really love doing movies. When you do a movie, as opposed to a TV show that has been going for years and years, you have a bunch of people who are excited and very passionate about what they’re trying to make. It’s something new and fresh and just a different energy to what I’d worked on before.”
In a separate film role, Liam was initially scheduled to get a part in Sylvester Stallone’s “The Expendables” after sending a tape to the production team from Australia. Sadly, that didn’t end up occurring.
“I’d been to Bali before – it was my only overseas trip – on a surf trip with my brothers. But I think I’d always wanted to go to LA simply because this is where all the biggest movies are made; it’s where all the big producers are. I think any actor wants to go there at some point. So I just started sending tapes of me over from Australia.”
He continued: “I sent a tape, and Stallone called me a week later and asked me to come over. I was about to fly, and they rewrote the script, and it ended up not happening. Then I got flown over to do a screen test for Thor, which obviously my brother ended up getting. That was what got me over to the States and got my attention, because also people here had heard what had happened with The Expendables. Then I got a part in a film called The Last Song, and that allowed me to stay here and keep working.”
He experienced a cultural shock as a result of the situation as a whole and said that he took some time to adjust, saying, “At first, it was pretty different. I was a bit lost, but then I got into working and was extremely happy to just be here. But at first, it was weird to have made a huge jump and not have family around me at the time. I was 19, so it was certainly a big step, but I’m very happy that I did it.”
When asked if acting has always come naturally to him or if he needs to put in a lot of effort, he said: “When I’m on set, I have always felt comfortable; I’ve never really been nervous on set. I have a nervous energy, an excited energy. I love acting, I love making movies and being a part of the whole process of making movies. I’m able to meet directors that I’m a fan of and try and get projects going with them. I’m in a better position now than I’ve ever been in, and I can just try to find stuff that I care about.”
Liam Hemsworth’s role in “The Expendables 2”
Liam Hemsworth’s luck is on his side this time, as he finally landed a role in “The Expendables 2” after not obtaining a part in the first Expendables movie. He then emphasized how extremely humbled he felt by the entire situation.
“I shot that last year and got to work with Stallone and Jason Statham, I mean, the biggest action stars there are in the world. Guys, I had grown up watching,” he gushed. “That was pretty incredible and really humbling – to be on set with them every day and see how professional they still are, how cool and excited they are to turn up to work after doing it for so long. They’re still happy and not jaded in any way. They were just great guys to work with.”
Being new to the entertainment business and now collaborating with some seasoned professionals, he admitted that he finds it challenging to keep up with them.
“Those guys have been doing movies for so long, and they’re extremely hard workers. When they’re on set, they are focused and professional, and they’re trying to make things as great as they can be. It was really nice to see guys who’ve been doing it so long still so passionate about what they’re doing. They really care about it, and there was never any drama on set – [just] great guys who love making movies. They’re some of the fittest guys in the world, so I kind of felt like the weak link – they’re all so in shape. Just trying to keep up with them was tough – they’re machines.”
Who is Liam Hemsworth’s role model when it comes to acting?
He may have been motivated to pursue acting by his brothers, Luke and Liam, but Heath Ledger was the actor he looked up to, and he also happened to be an Australian, just like them.
“Heath Ledger was one I was always a big fan of. He was kind of the closest to my age and was just an incredible actor. And obviously, guys like Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman – there are just so many talented Australian actors over here. But I think Heath Ledger was my favourite out of all of those and just simply an inspiration.”
In response to a query regarding what’s with Australian actors, he explained: “I don’t really know. I think a lot of Australians come from hard-working families; they are honest people. Maybe we have a different work ethic; I don’t really know.”
“No fucking around, maybe. Get in, get the job done, get home. You’ve mentioned family again. Oh, their support is huge. I come from a great family, [with] great parents, and they’ve always been extremely supportive of what I have wanted to do and what all my brothers have wanted to do. I’m very lucky to have come from a great family. I haven’t grown up in this industry. I have great people to lean on in tough times. I have great brothers who are my best friends in the world. That stuff really does help in this industry – to have a tight, strong support system.”
What process does Liam Hemsworth use to select his roles?
Liam Hemsworth is a newcomer to the acting industry, making it difficult to connect to every character he has portrayed. Nevertheless, he has a particular method for choosing his future assignments.
“I read a lot of scripts, and I meet a lot of directors. And I’m in a position where I can help put projects together, where I can find a great idea and really help it come together,” he disclosed.
“That is something I never really had before. I love acting, but I [also] just love movies. I love the idea of finding something that’s unique and putting it together. At the moment, I’m just trying to find people who are doing something different. Meet people who are as passionate as I am. I’ve always felt I have learned the majority of what I know on set, working. You learn from watching people with experience.”
Liam Hemsworth’s upcoming film
A movie called “Empire State,” which was directed by Dito Montiel, will be released in the upcoming months, keeping Liam Hemsworth very busy. The actor admitted that he was a tremendous admirer of Montiel’s work and that he felt really fortunate to be working on this film.
“A film called ‘Empire State’ with a director called Dito Montiel. He directed a film called ‘A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints’ in 2006. It’s been one of my favorite movies ever since I saw it, and I was fortunate enough to meet the director last year. It’s awesome to be able to meet someone who I’m such a big fan of and then get to work with him. We start work on that soon, and I’m still pinching myself. It’s just amazing that I’m about to shoot with this guy on a project that I’m extremely passionate about as well. It’s based on a true story about this guy who becomes an armored [truck] guard, and he and his buddy got away with millions of dollars. They went to jail for it, but apparently, he hid the money. It’s just a great story.”
But before becoming busy with the schedule, he said that he would be “playing Call of Duty on Xbox – I’m blistered on my thumbs from playing too much. If I’m in relax mode, I play Xbox, I go surfing. If I’m in work mode, I have meetings most days and am pretty active. I’ve been boxing for quite a while. So I try to do that most days or go for a run. I’m pretty active, so I like to keep moving. So if it’s not hard-out relaxing, I am moving.”