Musician hitchhiking in Australia gets helicopter lift from ‘Thor,’

An Elmhurst, Ill., native kicking around eastern Australia as a traveling musician bummed the ride of his life when actor Chris Hemsworth picked him up at an airport and flew him home via helicopter.

Hemsworth, widely known for his role as Thor in several movies, posted a video of the encounter with Scott Hildebrand on his Instagram account that has been viewed over 2 million times.

“Picked up a hitchhiker, wasn’t a serial killer which we were stoked about and just happened to be a kick ass musician Scott Hildebrand,” Hemsworth wrote in a post accompanying the video.

Hildebrand, 27, said he had just arrived at Brisbane Airport early Friday after attending a wedding in Mexico when he decided to try to hitch a ride to Byron Bay—about a two-hour bus ride to the south—where he lives in his van. A short time later, a dark van pulled up and the doors opened, revealing a couple of men and their surfboards who offered to give him a ride.

“I thought I’d try to save some money, since the bus ride is about $60, so I made a sign and was just standing out by the terminal,” Hildebrand told the Tribune on Tuesday. “I had no idea who they were, and one of the guys was filming with his phone, which I thought was kind of weird. I got in and then they said that we were going to switch modes of transportation. I offered to pitch in for gas, and one of the guys joked, ‘That’ll be $4,000.’ Then we went to a helipad and I’m like, ‘Who are you guys?’ “

It was then he learned that he was getting a lift from one of Hollywood’s biggest stars and his personal trainer.

“I hadn’t seen any of his movies before,” Hildebrand said. “I’m the worst at pop culture.”

Hildebrand said the actor let him ride in the front of the helicopter, and after a 30-minute flight down the coastline, they landed in the driveway of Hemsworth’s home and the trainer gave Hildebrand a ride back to his van.

A spokesperson for Hemsworth could not immediately be reached for comment.

In addition to the “Thor” movies, Hemsworth has appeared in many other films over the past decade, including his most recent release, “Bad Times at the El Royale.”

Hildebrand said the encounter with Hemsworth was “definitely amazing just for exposure,” and said the actor’s video has sent more people to listen to his music. But he said he hopes to use the encounter as a way to encourage people to travel and be willing to meet new people rather than just use the publicity to further his career as a musician.

“I’m trying to make it super positive and not just selfish and all about me,” he said.