Exclusive: Breaking into Hollywood isn’t easy, and Luke Hemsworth has just shared the surprising detail that once saw him recast in America.
The Terminal List star, 45, told nine.com.au that despite “working very hard” to suppress his Aussie accent on screen, he was once fired from a TV pilot for not being American enough.
Luke Hemsworth is pictured Jules Landry in The Terminal List. Suuplied: Marni Grossman/Prime
“I actually lost a job I had already been hired on because I wasn’t ‘authentic New York’ enough, I think it had to do with my accent,” Hemsworth said.
“That was the only time [it happened], it was a pilot that I had been hired on. I tested on a Saturday, got the role on the Sunday, flew to the place on the Monday and then was replaced on the Tuesday.
“It was a crazy whirlwind, and not something I’d wish upon anyone.”
Despite the devastating blow, he looked at the rejection as a learning opportunity.
“What it did was it gave me the opportunity to go what’s wrong, what is the problem,” he continued.
“Is it my acting, is it something else, is it the accent? To this day, I still don’t know what authentic New York means … did they want a cab driver?”
He confessed that certain American accents are harder to do for Aussie stars.
“The southern accent, they’re very soft on their R’s which has the tendency to sound like an Australian accent in you’re not careful.”
The Terminal List star revealed he was once fired from an acting gig for not being ’New York” enough. Nine
Famous brothers Chris Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth are pictured. Getty
Hemsworth shows off his southern drawl in Season Two of The Terminal List, where he plays CIA agent Jules Landry alongside lead Chris Pratt.
The Aussie and the rest of the cast underwent some intense training for the series from former Navy SEALs and Veterans.
“We did a ton of close combat training. It’s like dream come true as a boy, you get to pretend that you’re the tip of the spear and the elitist of the elite… it’s pretty epic,” Hemsworth confessed.
“These guys are so good at what they do, and they’re also just great men. They’re articulate, they’re giving, they’re incredibly creative.”
The series follows former Navy SEAL James Reece, played by Pratt, as he unravels deep-state military conspiracies that lead to his entire platoons death on a mission in Syria.
The Aussie and the rest of the cast underwent some intense training for the series from former Navy SEALs and Veterans. Getty Images for TV Week
Hemsworth plays the morally ambiguous Landry in the first season, reprising his role for season two.
Although he’s played the role of a highly-trained spy, he admitted he was not cut out for the real thing.
“Every actor will say ‘oh I do what the Navy SEALs do’ and ‘of course I could easily go to war and survive’ – no you couldn’t, they’re a breed above everyone else.”