God of War fans finally got a look at the series' take on Thor in a trailer for the upcoming sequel, and reactions were varied. Regardless of personal opinion, the reactions make clear that God of War: Ragnarok's Thor design is not necessarily what was expected, which is interesting considering it is a very deliberate design choice by Santa Monica. Thor has been set up to be one of the series' most formidable foes yet, and his stocky appearance is emblematic of his enormous strength as a Viking god. Naturally, such an important character from mythology will need an actor capable of embodying Thor's gravitas.
Suitably, the actor voicing Thor is no stranger to playing fan-favorite characters or performing in major productions. With a long, Vikingesque beard himself, Ryan Hurst has appeared in a range of significant films; while his film roles are usually on the smaller side, he's played important characters in a number of hit tv shows over the past two decades. Playing Thor in God of War Ragnarok is Hurst's first video game appearance, but considering the care given to the previous game and the anticipation for Ragnarok, it is sure to be a great role to enter the industry with.
Films
Over the '90s and early 2000s, Ryan Hurst appeared in well-known films like Saving Private Ryan, Patch Adams, and Rules of Engagement. While these roles were relatively minor, he also played important characters in Remember the Titans and We Were Soldiers. The former, which sports movie fans will surely be familiar with, has Hurst portraying real-life high school football player and Paralympian Gerry Bertier.
In 2008, Hurst once again reunited with Saving Private Ryan star Tom Hanks in the Coen's Brothers' remake of The Ladykillers. In the late 2000s and 2010s, Hurst mainly focused on TV, but did appear in the adaptation of James Frey's controversial novel, A Million Little Pieces, alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Billy Bob Thorton.
Sons of Anarchy
While Hurst had a number of minor TV oles across many successful shows—such as House, CSI: Miami, and Jag—his big break came in 2008 with the role of Opie in Sons of Anarchy. As Jax's childhood friend and a member of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Opie plays a pretty significant role in the show's first five seasons. In the fifth season, he has a memorable exit, and this is likely Hurst's most recognizable role to date.
The Walking Dead
Hurst's second most well-known role comes from the run-away hit The Walking Dead. However, even fans of the show may not recognize Hurst, as he played Beta, a character who usually has his face covered. This is because in both the show and the comic books, Beta was a celebrity before the apocalypse. As such, he keeps his identity a closely guarded secret. In addition to a black ski mask, Beta covers his face with a 'skin mask' made of his deceased best friend's face.
While Hurst only appears in seasons 9 and 10 of The Walking Dead (and an uncredited cameo in Fear the Walking Dead), his intimidating stature and performance as Beta garnered praise from critics. Hurst has a number of other credits, including shows like Outsiders, Bosch, and Bates Motel. In the prequel show to Psycho—Bates Motel—Hurst plays the enigmatic character of Chick Hogan.
It is clear from Hurst's previous roles that he is capable of creating intriguing and memorable characters on screen, and his tall stature adds an intimidating aspect to his characters. As the god of thunder, Hurst will be playing a different version of Thor than what has been seen in the mainstream thus far, and one which is more faithful to the mythology.
God of War Ragnarok is set to release in 2022 for PS4 and PS5.