Australian actor Chris Hemsworth recently shared a tense hitchhiking experience that forced him to think on his feet. During a conversation on Theo Von’s podcast, Hemsworth recounted a night in Vancouver about 15 years ago that still sticks with him.
The incident occurred while he was filming a movie and driving back from Whistler late in the evening. Acting on impulse and a sense of adventure, Hemsworth picked up a hitchhiker along the dark stretch of highway.
He said, “I was in Vancouver once I was in a movie there like 15 years ago, and driving back from Whistler, and it was like 7 or 8 at night. And I picked up a hitchhiker.”
What started as a simple good deed quickly took an unsettling turn. “It started to get real sort of creepy,” Hemsworth explained.
The stranger began asking increasingly personal questions about where Hemsworth was from, what he was doing in the area, and where he was staying. The interrogation-style conversation set off alarm bells.
Sensing potential danger, the actor immediately shifted into self-preservation mode. He started talking about martial arts.
“I immediately start kind of, you know, filling in sort of ‘Yeah I just do heaps of martial arts and you know a lot of jiu-jitsu and a big background in boxing,’” Hemsworth recalled.
He began recounting combat stories, hoping his fabricated combat credentials would discourage any ill intentions.
Fortunately, nothing negative came of the encounter and the ride concluded without incident.
He stated: “Thankfully, nothing happened but it was that moment where you’re sizing each other up going,’Well I don’t know anything about you and you don’t know anything about me.”
During the conversation, Hemsworth even referenced the Australian horror film “Wolf Creek,” suggesting it effectively ended hitchhiking culture in his home country for years.
Hemsworth is very committed to his fitness, often performing some of his own stunts for action-heavy roles. Additionally, he has spoken about how his kids are into Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and he’s been a supportive presence as they learn the sport.
