Mel Gibson: ‘I passed on Thor role’

Mel Gibson has revealed he was offered the role of Thor’s dad.
The part in the 2011 movie eventually went to Sir Anthony Hopkins, but the Australian actor/director was film bosses’ first choice, he claims.
Promoting his new film Blood Father, the Mad Max star was asked if he’d ever been approached to appear in a superhero film.
“Yeah, long time ago, to play Thor’s dad. But I didn’t do it,” he said.
Mel wasn’t the only star who almost landed a role in the blockbuster movie franchise – Channing Tatum, Alexander Skarsgard, Brad Pitt, Charlie Hunnam, and Joel Kinnaman were among the actors considered to play the hammer-wielding Marvel god, while Liam Hemsworth reportedly tested for the part that his big brother Chris eventually landed.
Meanwhile, Josh Hartnett reportedly had meetings with Thor director Kenneth Branagh for the role of Loki – the movie villain that helped launch Tom Hiddleston’s career. Ironically, Hiddleston, who had previously worked with Branagh on Ivanov and Wallander, initially auditioned to play Thor, but relished the challenge of portraying the ancient superhero’s evil brother.
“Loki’s like a comic book version of Edmund in King Lear, but nastier,” said the actor, who studied Peter O’Toole in The Lion in Winter and Lawrence of Arabia for the role.
And Odin wasn’t the first big role Gibson turned down – the Oscar-winning Braveheart star also passed on The Terminator and Batman in Tim Burton’s 1989 movie. Those roles went to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Keaton.
Mel also reportedly said no to the role of Two Face in Batman Forever. Tommy Lee Jones picked up that part.