Chris Hemsworth Denied Lead Role in a Kevin Costner Western Because He Wanted It For Himself

Chris Hemsworth may be one of Hollywood’s leading men, but he recently revealed that he was denied a role in an upcoming Kevin Costner movie – because Costner took the role for himself. While Hemsworth has become known for his action hero persona, leading the Extraction franchise alongside his role as Marvel’s Thor, the actor is constantly looking for more diversity in his output. According to Hemsworth, he recently expressed an interest in an “abstract and interesting” movie being directed by Yellowstone’s Kevin Costner, but was denied the part when Costner decided that the role was one he wanted for himself.

In the competitive nature of Hollywood, it is not unusual for even the biggest actors to find doors being closed in their faces, and Hemsworth doesn’t get to be exempt from that. While speaking with Entertainment Tonight, the Australian actor didn’t name the movie, but did detail its Western setting – an area that has always sat very much in Costner’s wheelhouse, even before his Yellowstone success. Hemsworth said:

“There was a movie, a script that I’d read and loved and was like, ‘I want to get that,’ and then someone said, ‘Kevin Costner has that [role],’ I’d love [to have] him as a director. I was like, ‘Goddamnit!’ [I spent] an hour the other day trying to convince him, and he was like, ‘I’m doing it, kid.’ Didn’t work. I didn’t get the part. It’s better seen in his wheelhouse for sure, as far as the kind of Western environment. There’s horses involved, he’s a horse wrangler, and my wife read it and loves horses. We have 10 or 11 horses back home and so she’s like, ‘You’ve got to do this.’”

Kevin Costner Says Chris Hemsworth’s Time Will Come

While Hemsworth was clearly disappointed about not getting the role, it seems that Costner himself believes that the actor will have plenty of opportunities to play the lead in a Western love story – once the Horizon director feels he is too old to play those parts himself.

During his appearance at CinemaCon last week, Costner was asked about Hemsworth’s interest in the movie, and was happy to share his thoughts on why he chose to take on the role himself, as well as giving the younger actor some praise in the process. He said:

“It’s a love story, but as long as I’m still young enough to play it, I’ll play it. Chris will have to wait his turn. He’s so handsome, and he’s so good. He’s going to have to go find his [own] love story. [But] I’m glad he likes this one. If I reach a moment where I [don’t] think I could do that, I would [reach out]. He’s certainly one of our great leading men right now.”

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It is certainly a ringing endorsement from an Oscar-winning director, and it is clear that when the time comes for Costner to cast a movie that he doesn’t want to also take the lead in, then Hemsworth could get his chance to go running with horses across the dusty plains. This time though, he is just going to have to mosey on out of town to find his next role.