Danny Hester reacts to Chris Hemsworth’s statements of not being taken seriously as an actor due to his muscular physique.
Last month, Chris Hemsworth went on the record stating that he was taken less seriously as an actor due to his impressive physique. Of course, there’s no doubt that Hemsworth is beloved across the world due to his Hollywood roles – it seems here he is talking about more diverse and in-depth acting beyond Hollywood action roles. He feels typecast as the muscular action hero. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, pro bodybuilder and celebrity trainer Danny Hester reacts to Chris Hemsworth’s statements.
Danny Hester is not just an Olympia champion pro bodybuilder, he has also trained a select group of celebrities for their roles in major movies. He’s trained Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler among other notable names. So we thought he was the perfect person to ask about the recent statements made by Chris Hemsworth.
Chris Hemsworth went on record to claim that he is being typecast. He’s only seen as a muscular action hero for Hollywood and isn’t offered more meaty acting roles. While being typecast is certainly something that has happened to actors throughout the history of movies – is it the muscle to blame? Or more so the actual risks the actor is willing to take?
Danny Hester believes that Chris Hemsworth’s statements are simply an excuse. This isn’t to say that Hester believes Hemsworth to be a poor actor. Far from it. He simply believes that Hemsworth made his career path choices. He focused on action films first and hoped that it could be a platform to eventually get into more diverse roles. If that’s not happening now – it’s not the muscular physique to blame. It’s his career path and acting roles he took.
Danny Hester points towards Sylvester Stallone. He has been nominated for multiple Oscars among other awards. Yet in the pop culture space – he is known less as an amazing actor and more for his action films and muscular physique. Despite this – he has earned accolades and nominations for prestigious awards. To Danny Hester, this is proof that the movie industry will recognize talent despite stereotypes.
Danny Hester also pulls from his personal experience training celebrities. He recalls training Mickey Rourke before his career was revived by his role in The Wrestler. Rourke was building up muscle and his manager was worried. The reason? His manager thought that if Rourke kept getting larger and more muscular that he would have even more against him for being cast in serious roles.
Danny Hester pushed back and stated to Rourke’s manager that his obsession with fitness is saving his life from other vices. Over a year later, Mickey Rourke got cast in The Wrestler. While not simply due to his new muscular physique – it helped. He was able to act seriously and fulfill the role required for the store. The movie ultimately won Rourke some major awards and put himself back on the map.
Ultimately, Danny Hester points out that luck and timing have a lot to do with success in the film industry. He thinks that one single thing – like being too muscular – cannot be the sole excuse for failure. Hester thinks that Chris Hemsworth still has an entire future ahead of him to obtain more diverse and deeper roles. Perhaps the timing just hasn’t been right yet. Either way, Danny Hester refuses to believes it’s because of his physique.
You can watch Danny Hester’s full comments on Chris Hemsworth and muscle in Hollywood in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.