Chris Hemsworth's appearance on Dancing With the Stars almost cost him his role as Thor

Chris Hemsworth's appearance on Dancing With the Stars almost cost him his role as Thor.

The 42-year-old actor came fifth in the Australian version of the show in 2006 but it could have jeopardised his Hollywood career after the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) team discovered clips online following a successful audition to play the titular superhero in 2011's blockbuster Thor.

He told The Times magazine: “[Kevin Feige] said, ‘I went downstairs and I showed all the staff your audition. Everyone’s like, ‘Great!’

"[Then someone googled me and said] ‘Oh, he did Dancing with the Stars.’ And Kevin said, ‘Hang on, what?’

“It was early days for Marvel. [They were] so nervous. Feige had a little glitch of hesitation. And then he was like, ‘No, it’s fine.’ ”

The Australian hunk had only taken part in the show to help him take steps towards his Hollywood ambition.

He said: “I did it to make money to go to Los Angeles but I [also] thought, ‘I’m sick of taking myself so seriously.’ ”