How Chris Hemsworth Ended Up in Netflix’s ‘True Story’

True Story, Netflix's new limited series from the creator of Narcos, isn't shy about it's semi-autobiographical nature. It stars Kevin Hart, a stand-up comedian from Philadelphia who eventually ventured into movie stardom, as "The Kid," a stand-up comedian from Philadelphia who eventually ventured into movie stardom. The parallels between real life and this not-quite-real, larger-than-life crime thriller are evident throughout the series.

One of the most notable is that just as the real Kevin Hart starred in some crossover hit films with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (such as Central Intelligence and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle), "The Kid" shares the screen with a movie star of his own: Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth.

The Kid's movie, The Anti-Verse is mentioned and referenced throughout the series—it's a superhero movie that's about to cross the $1 billion threshold. In the first episode, his brother, Carlton (Wesley Snipes), refers to it as a "kiddie movie," much to The Kid's chagrin. At the top of Episode 2 (after the drama of the second half of Episode 1), we see a clip from The Anti-Verse as The Kid works a Boys + Girls Club event; it looks like some generic superhero action until the wall busts open and Hemsworth's familiar face emerges.

The Kid says in the series that his role in The Anti-Verse has him in the conversation for best Black superhero with Anthony Mackie and Don Cheadle, two of Hemsworth's real-life Avengers co-stars. Hemsworth's presence, even just for a few seconds, adds a bit of legitimacy to this subplot.

But if you're wondering how True Story pulled this A-list cameo off, we've got the scoop.

How did Chris Hemsworth end up in Netflix's True Story?

You may imagine that getting Hemsworth—who will appear in his fourth Thor movie, Thor: Love & Thunder in 2022—for even a brief cameo would be incredibly difficult. But sometimes all you have to do is ask.

True Story creator Eric Newman is also a producer on Escape From Spiderhead, a movie that Hemsworth will appear in next year for Netflix that is based on a short story by George Saunders and costars Jurnee Smollett and Miles Teller. In an interview with Insider, Newman said that before True Story even started filming, he was making Spiderhead in Australia with Hemsworth when he asked if he could do the cameo.

"Interesting fact: that was the first footage we shot of True Story," Newman said. "We were shooting Spiderhead and I asked if he'd do it and he said, 'Absolutely.'"

And while Episode 2 of True Story was directed by Stephen Williams, that moment, Newman notes, was actually directed by Escape From Spiderhead's Joseph Kosinski (who has helmed sci-fi movies Tron: Legacy and Oblivion).

"It was all done on our soundstage, and Joe Kosinski directed that shot," Newman added.

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