Chris Hemsworth Got a Late Start in Acting Compared to ‘Thor’ Co-Star Natalie Portman

Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman are seasoned actors. Their latest project, Thor: Love and Thunder, is sure to smash box office records, as Marvel movies often do. The Thor franchise wasn’t exactly a breakout opportunity for Hemsworth or Portman. Both were skilled actors before joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But one has significantly more experience than the other. Portman began acting around eight years before Hemsworth.  

Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman star in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

The fourth installment of the Thor franchise will see Portman’s and Hemsworth’s characters reunite. Although Portman was heavily featured in the first Thor, her character, Jane Foster, was absent from the previous installment. Thor: Ragnarok didn’t give fans the romance they wanted between Thor and Jane. 

The new Thor promises to have heavy romance. After all, the word “love” is in the title. 

As always, fans can expect top-tier performances from Portman and Hemsworth, both experienced actors. Natalie Portman actually started acting as a child, while her co-star didn’t start his movie career until he was 19. That means she has been acting for around eight years longer than Hemsworth. 

Natalie Portman began acting 8 years before Chris Hemsworth 

Hemsworth is around two years younger than Portman. She was born in 1981, while the Aussie superstar came into the world in the summer of 1983. 

Portman began her acting career at the tender age of 12. According to IMDb, her first movie gig was in 1994. She played Matilda in Leon: The Professional. It wasn’t a one-time thing, either. Portman kept going despite her young age. By the time she landed her first major franchise, she had already made a name for herself. Portman starred as Padme in the Star Wars prequels when she was only 18.

Hemsworth waited to start his acting career. He didn’t jump into the game as a child as his Thor co-star did. Interestingly, while Portman starred in the Star Wars franchise, Hemsworth’s first big-screen gig was in a Star Trek film. 

According to IMDb, he played George Kirk in 2009, when he would have been around 26. However, Hemsworth had a handful of TV roles before that. His first acting job appears to have been a role on the show Guinevere Jones, where he played King Arthur in 2002. 

Who has the higher net worth, Natalie Portman or Chris Hemsworth?

Natalie Portman has spent more time in showbiz, but Chris Hemsworth’s net worth dwarfs hers. According to Celebrity Net Worth, his fortune clocks in at a whopping $130 million. Portman is worth about $90 million. 

It isn’t clear exactly why Hemsworth has out-earned Portman despite getting into the game eight years later. However, Hemsworth has starred in more blockbusters, and his salaries reflect that. Or it could be a sign of a gender gap in Hollywood salaries. 

Data suggests women in Hollywood make around 30 cents to every dollar men earn. It’s something that actor Jennifer Lawrence has spoken about openly. After all, Portman is as much of a franchise star as Hemsworth and has won more prestigious awards. She scored an Oscar in 2011 for her role in Black Swan. 

However, as fellow Marvel star Samuel L. Jackson has said, Oscars don’t put “a**es in seats.”