Before taking on the role of Thor on the big screen, Chris Hemsworth was paying tribute to one of Australia’s most beloved figures: Steve Irwin.
A newly released throwback video shows a young Hemsworth dressed as the late conservationist – complete with khakis – filming himself in the bush in the style of The Crocodile Hunter.
“How you going folks?” a teenage Hemsworth says in a Steve Irwin-inspired accent.
“We’ve got a real bloody ripper in store for you today. It’s gonna be bloody unreal!”
He then launches into the bush, telling the camera he is hunting a fictional Siberian tiger Australian fox.
“Have a Looksie. That’s what I’m talking about,” he says after spotting a “fox” – in reality, his family dog.
“Deadly-as. He’s digging a hole probably to drag some humans into it.”
Moments later, he tackles the “fox” before signing off, “Next week, we’ll be chasing the Australian grasshopper! Can’t wait!”
The footage appears in Hemsworth’s new documentary, Chris Hemsworth’s Road Trip to Remember, which premiered this week on National Geographic and is now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
To celebrate its release, Hemsworth hosted a screening of the video with his parents, Craig and Leonie, who were seen laughing at their son’s early performance.
“You almost spelled ‘crocodile’ correct,” his dad remarks in the clip, referring to Hemsworth’s handmade “Crocidile Hunter” sign.
“This is gold.”
Hemsworth later shared the moment on Instagram, joking that the video marked his first “acting gig”.
“My first self-appointed, unofficial acting gig,” he captioned the post.
“I drew inspiration from one of my heroes, the Crocodile Hunter himself.”
“Thanks for getting me my highest grade ever in school, a C-.”
Robert Irwin later responded to the video online, saying his father would have been impressed.
“I reckon Dad would’ve been stoked,” he commented.
Robert was just two years old when Steve Irwin died in 2006, after being struck by a stingray while filming on the Great Barrier Reef. Irwin was 44.
Images: Instagram
