So what's the low down on this handsome hunk? We caught Chris Hemsworth in a break between scenes on a Friday afternoon at Channel 7. Despite the interview being sprung on him without any prior notice he was amazingly obliging. How cool is that?

"That’s OK," he said, "We’ll be filming till 8 or 9 tonight, so there’s plenty of time to fill in." He smiled with that slow smile of his.."Sometimes there are hours between scenes, so I read, eat, go a bit insane, play on my guitar, catch up on some sleep…"

On first meeting Chris we were immediately impressed by his friendly, laid-back manner, which made us feel so relaxed.

Chris is Melbourne-born and moved to Sydney to join the cast of Home and Away. He lives in the Northern Beaches area, sharing a house with fellow actor Mark Furze (Ric).

Being near a beach is a must for Chris, seeing that his first love is surfing, although he still thinks the best surfing beaches are in Victoria, (ouch!). He spent a lot of time surfing at Phillip Island as a teenager. In his whole manner, there's a lot of the surfie in him: he’s surfed almost every day for the past eight years and he’s got the build to prove it!

Was it hard to adjust to Ella Scott Lynch replacing Bec Cartwright in the role as Hayley? "No! Not at all. Ella's a great person and we got along straight away. She's a good actor, professionally trained and that's made it a pleasure to work with her. In fact I've been told my acting style has been more relaxed since Ella joined the cast. I don't know why that is, but perhaps it's re-energised my role."

What are the parts he enjoyed acting most? "I enjoyed the story line where I was seeking out my long-lost mother…that called for more heightened emotions and tense scenes, especially with Ivar Kants who plays my father. Ivar is such a professional actor and his experience has helped me so much – I've learnt a lot from him."

"I actually find it harder to act in the scenes where there's not much happening, say having a milkshake in the Diner. That is far harder to do than straight scenes where there's a drama going on and you have something to do."

Although Chris' parents are not in the acting world, Chris' older brother Luke is also an actor, starring in All Saints and was in Neighbours previously. "My younger brother Liam is in Year 10 and is doing an acting course."

Perhaps there will be a trio of Hemsworth brothers on stage and screen in the future? "Maybe", Chris laughed. "In three or four years auditioning for work, I've only got five jobs – there are lots of actors out there!'"

In between jobs, Chris has worked as a horticultural labourer, weeding gardens at 5 am, has done lots of bar work and has worked as a waiter.

Chris is extremely modest, considering he was on the short list for being chosen as 2005 Bachelor for Cleo magazine.

Profile

Born: 11 August

Star Sign: Leo the Lion. Chris says he doesn’t go in for all that star stuff, but it’s uncanny how the Leo’s characteristic of leonine hair is one of his attributes.

Loves: Surfing. Surfs almost every day, either at Whale Beach, Palm Beach or Avalon. He says the locals can be a bit territorial and can treat you like a 'blow-in'. But no sweat. Gets a real kick out of movies, has several DVDs and has recently bought himself an Apple Mac. He spends time relaxing by working on his Photoshop and editing and learning more and more about computers.

Pets: At home in Victoria, we have three dogs, Tosh and Lucy, they're half Blue Heelers, and then there's Torrin a little Maltese terrier. She gets more attention in the house than anyone else! Yes, I miss them a lot.'

Hopes for the future: "Well, I'll keep on auditioning and one day maybe I'll go to LA and try out for films there…."

For even more info on Chris Hemsworth read his actor biography