Chris Hemsworth’s Unrecognisable in ‘In the Heart of the Sea’ movie role

Actor Chris Hemsworth is known primarily for a few things: His continuing Marvel Cinematic Universe role as Thor, his striking good looks, and his notably muscled physique, as demonstrated both as Thor and in comedic parts such as this past summer’s Vacation.

Based on the 1820 event, a whaling ship is preyed upon by a sperm whale, stranding its crew at sea for 90 days, thousands of miles from home.

In the film In the Heart of the Sea, Hemsworth rejoins his Rush director, Ron Howard, in the cinematic retelling of a true story in which a 19th-century shipwreck left the crew stranded for 90 days after their ship was set upon by an enormous whale. Thanks to his time in the role, Hemsworth was forced to try on a new look — one that has more in common with Tom Hanks in Cast Away than the Mr. Universe bod he’s sporting around the MCU.

Hemsworth revealed that he lost 15 pounds for the role — which followed a previous slimming down before shooting Michael Mann’s Blackhat. Hemsworth recently tweeted a glimpse of how he looks in the film, which, in addition to skinny, can also be described as bearded and dirty. Although it wasn’t as drastic as, say, Christian Bale’s transformation in The Machinist and The Fighter, or even the aforementioned weight loss recorded by Tom Hanks when his character spent five years on an uninhabited island, the look is still somewhat shocking. Take a gander for yourself below:

In the interview, Hemsworth talked a bit about how they did it: “We kind of went insane, weighing ourselves every day,” says Hemsworth. “We all felt like a bunch of supermodels, trying to get down in weight for a show, or something. That’s all we spoke about. You’ve got 15 burly blokes on the sea and all we talked about was our diet, and who’d lost more weight, and who’s looking really skinny. It’s ridiculous!”

In addition to seeing a svelte Hemsworth do battle with Melville-inspiring sea life, In the Heart of the Sea also boasts a strong supporting cast that includes Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, and Brendan Gleeson. Early trailers seem to suggest that Ron Howard’s latest film may be vying for some awards love, as is typically the case with films released this time of year. While the Academy loves a physical transformation on it stars, it remains to be seen whether Hemsworth’s latest film will be enough to garner any nominations — either for him or the film. If not, fans can at least buy a ticket to see Thor duke it out with Moby-Dick.

Fans will be able to decide for themselves when In the Heart of the Sea opens in UK cinemas December 26th.

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