The Verge: Liam Hemsworth

Did you audition around the same time as your brother?

No, originally he didn't have a screen test for it. He got called back afterwards.

What did he have that you didn't have?

I guess age. [Laughs] That's what I'm gonna say. I think it would have been a little awkward if I got it over him, because he's six years older than me. I was really happy for him to get it, and the intention was for me to stay here for three months and try to find work, and I got The Last Song within five weeks of being here. Yeah, and here I am.

Congrats! I'm sure a lot of actors will be like, "Whoa, it happened that fast?"

Yeah, that's what my manager Will said to me: "Just so you know, this doesn't happen. Ever." I'm extremely grateful to be here.

Are you worried that it came so fast, that you've peaked too soon?

Yeah, you can think that. Look, from day one since I got here, I wanted to enjoy the whole process, whether I got work or not. I didn't want to hate L.A., I didn't want to go home feeling shitty. And I think it's paid off -- I've embraced everything, and I've gotten work. I'm negotiating a deal for [Arabian Nights] at the moment.

How can you sell The Last Song to guys, beyond the fact that their girlfriends are going to drag them to it?

You know, I'm the same -- I'm a guy and I love action films, big fun stuff, actors like Will Smith, that kind of thing. I watched The Notebook a few years ago, and originally, I wouldn't want to watch something like that either, but the thing about Nicholas Sparks stories is that he has the power to affect people in some way. You feel something from him, whether it be sadness or happiness. He tells really good stories with strong emotions, and I think anyone in life can relate to that kind of thing.

I wanted to ask about Arabian Nights, your next film. Beyond the fact that it's 3D and it's a retelling of the classic Arabian Nights story, what can you tell us about it?

Basically, I'm a commander of an army, and my king gets killed. I go off and I join forces with Sinbad and ask him to save my kingdom, and then we come back and we mess some stuff up. [Laughs]

Will there be a lot of green-screen stuff?

I'm not sure. It's so early at the moment that they're still talking about who's going to play Sinbad. I'm the first person who's been cast. It's not going to go until August or September, it's way off -- they're not even sure where they're gonna shoot yet.

Good luck with that.

No, it's exciting, man. I wanted to do something like this before [I came here], and I'm excited to do it.

I know you did soaps in Australia before you came here, and I saw a clip of one where you're naked and seducing a cougar...

Satisfaction? [Laughs]

I have to ask you what that scene was about, what were you doing with a banana...

Yeah, that show's about upper-class prostitutes, and I was playing a 16-year-old who was pretending to be 19. Basically, he's a really rich kid whose dad has gone away for the weekend, and I hire this prostitute. The banana was...[Laughs]...I mean, I come up and place it on her back and she thinks it's something else. I was just talking about eating the banana, and she was thinking about another thing. I was 18 at least when I shot it, and it was interesting, because I was butt-naked in front of a lot of people.

And it lives on to this day.

It's just one of those things.

[Lead Photo Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

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