Chris Hemsworth has been working hard this year to prove he has true comedy chops. He hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time last March. Then, in July, he married into the Griswold family for theVacation reboot. The Australian actor might not be People’s reigning Sexiest Man Alive anymore — he passed that torch to David Beckham in 2015 — but even as a sexy emeritus he is still more well-known for his Avengers-level pecs than his funny bone.
He got big laughs in March, but did Thor hit the nail on the comedy head again this time? Here are three of the must-see moments from Chris Hemsworth’s sophomore effort on SNL.
1. Lunch With Claire: A big Hollywood hunk in drag is a Saturday Night Live go-to. Hemsworth in a dress and wig carried on that tradition in a big way. He played Claire, one of a group of girlfriends at lunch discussing celebrity crushes. Claire keeps bringing the discussion back to Chris Hemsworth. While she is in the bathroom, Cecily Strong wonders out loud, “Is our friend Claire actually Chris Hemsworth?” The ladies eventually get Claire to admit that she is, in fact, Hemsworth, after suggesting that his younger brother Liam is the hotter Hemsworth. Chris-as-Claire explains that he just wanted to know if girls still liked him. “Am I still a hunk?” he asks. Instead of reassuring him, Aidy Bryant says, “No. This was bad, and you’re weird now.” The sketch played with both the fleeting nature of sex symbol status and the insecurity that goes along with it. Hemsworth objectifies himself with a wink, letting us know he’s in on the joke.
1. Lunch With Claire: A big Hollywood hunk in drag is a Saturday Night Live go-to. Hemsworth in a dress and wig carried on that tradition in a big way. He played Claire, one of a group of girlfriends at lunch discussing celebrity crushes. Claire keeps bringing the discussion back to Chris Hemsworth. While she is in the bathroom, Cecily Strong wonders out loud, “Is our friend Claire actually Chris Hemsworth?” The ladies eventually get Claire to admit that she is, in fact, Hemsworth, after suggesting that his younger brother Liam is the hotter Hemsworth. Chris-as-Claire explains that he just wanted to know if girls still liked him. “Am I still a hunk?” he asks. Instead of reassuring him, Aidy Bryant says, “No. This was bad, and you’re weird now.” The sketch played with both the fleeting nature of sex symbol status and the insecurity that goes along with it. Hemsworth objectifies himself with a wink, letting us know he’s in on the joke.
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2. Brother 2 Brother: Hemsworth and Taran Killam hammed it up Disney Channel-style, playing twins in a family friendly sitcom. In matching outfits and wigs, Mattie and Marky decide to pull the classic twin switch when Killam’s Marky shows up for the big wrestling match. The coach and his teammates are, of course, not fooled and point out all of Marky’s physical deficiencies compared to his brother. He tries to shrug it off with a catchphrase, “Looks like the jig is up!,” but the team isn’t having it. When Hemsworth’s Mattie shows up and with arms crossed and standing back-to-back, the twins try another catchphrase, “We learned our twin lesson!” The catchphrases are delightfully ridiculous. Hemsworth’s and Killam’s wigs and red wrestling uniforms are equally ridiculous. Those Disney Channel shows might never look the same.
3. Time to Bleed: Hemsworth played to his strength as a rugged leading man in this SNL video short. "Time To Bleed" is a parody of gritty cop dramas. Hemsworth is the rough-and-tumble detective who takes a bullet in the line of duty. Instead of seeking treatment, he toughs it out with a bleeding wound. He really toughs it out. He receives his commendation while bleeding. He boxes while bleeding. He even goes into the hospital —w but not for the gunshot wounds. The short plays with cliché and the action hero stereotype. Hemsworth makes for a perfect straight man, always ready with a sarcastic one-liner.
Best non-Hemsworth moment? Will Ferrell returned in the cold open as George W. Bush announcing his candidacy for president. Viewers might not have missed the actual 43rd president as Ferrell claims while in character, but there is always room on the 8H stage for Ferrell’s spot-on "W."