'After a while, you have no idea how old you are.' 10 actors who lied to get a part.

We’ve all stretched the truth from time to time, even when it comes to landing a job we really want - right? Well, it turns out, celebs are just like us, and even in the upper echelons of Hollywood, some of the most famous actors once told a porky pie to land a role.

Here are 10 who have admitted as much:

1. Chris Hemsworth.

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I know, I know - what would Chris Hemsworth possibly need to lie about? The guy is a living, breathing, Aussie God. But it turns out he’s almost too perfect to play a god - if that’s at all possible. The casting notice for Thor called for a 6’1 actor which posed a real conundrum for the Melbourne-born actor who tops in at 6’3. 

So he lobbed off a few inches from his height (just on paper, obviously) and Thor was born. It turns out it wasn't he first time Chris lied about his size and stature either. In 2016, he told the RadioTimes.com he often lies about his height when auditioning for roles. "There are certainly things I've wanted to go up for which I've been totally wrong for, physically," he said. "And I normally lie about my height and say I'm shorter." 

2. Anne Hathaway.

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She can sing, she can dance, she can act, and she can ride horseback. At least now, she can. 

Hathaway revealed that the role of Lureen in Brokeback Mountain required the actor to have horseback riding skills, which she didn't have.

But she didn't let it stand in her way of gunning for the part. 

In an interview with Out, she said: "My parents have given me a lot of gifts in my life, and one of them is: If you’re ever asked if you can do anything, say yes. You can learn anything in two weeks if you’re motivated enough. So I’d never been on a horse, and I replied, 'Oh yeah, I’m a really good rider.' So I knew I had to learn to ride, and I got really, really, really good."

3. Paul Mescal.

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Back in 2020, Sally Rooney’s acclaimed novel ‘Normal People’ was developed into a TV series and premiered at the beginning of COVID. Everyone was at home, bored so it was inevitable that one of the lead actors, the dreamy Paul Mescal, became an overnight sensation. 

When the young, Irish actor was auditioning for the role of Connell, the casting directors made it clear they needed someone who could drive as a few of the scenes took place in a car. "My agent was like, 'We are not losing this job over you not being able to drive so I’ll tell production that you can and in the meantime, you go off and rattle through as many lessons as you can,'" said Mescal in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. 

4. Mila Kunis.

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We’ve become so accustomed to seeing Hollywood actors playing characters half their age (ahem, Euphoria) that it’s quite shocking to learn that Mila Kunis truly was an impressionable young teenager when she played Jackie Burkhart in That 70s Show. When it came to casting for the show, agents required the actors to be at least 18-years-old, which posed a slight conundrum for 14-year-old Kunis. 

In an interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Kunis said, "I told them I was gonna be 18...it's not technically a lie, because at one point, given all things went right, I was gonna be 18." Very cunning, Kunis. Very cunning indeed.

5. Phoebe Dyvenor.  

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Another actor who was horsing around when it came to telling lies in order to land a role was ingénue, Phoebe Dyvenor. When auditioning for her breakout role in Netflix’s Bridgerton, the 28-year-old said she was a proficient horseback rider when in reality she rather hated the animals. 

In a profile with Glamour magazine, the British actor said: "And I've always said — I don't know why — that I didn't like horses and was scared of them. But in the audition when they asked me, 'Have you ridden a horse before?' I was like, 'Yeah, I'm amazing. I've ridden so many horses. I'd be perfect for this role!’” 

You could hardly tell she was a novice horse-rider when watching the show…not that anyone was paying attention to the horses, anyway.

6. Liam Hemsworth.

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What is it with those handsome Hemsworth brothers having a problem with lying in order to get what they want?! It turns out the youngest brother, Liam Hemsworth, told casting directors he was a hotshot volleyball player in order to land the part of Will Blakelee in The Last Song. Apparently, the Aussie actor let spill that he actually had zero idea how to play the popular sport despite it being a major character trait for the role. He had to learn the hard way that you can’t just pretend your general athleticism will carry you through - he rocked up on set and had major egg on his face. 

7. Robert Pattinson.

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When he was starting out in the industry, in order to get taken seriously Robert Pattinson fibbed and told casting directors he was a classically trained actor when in fact he had not studied at the likes of Oxford University or the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. 

The British actor relied on his charm to get away with his lie. In an interview with the Mirror, Pattinson said, "I’d been unemployed for ages, and when I came to Los Angeles all the casting directors would ask what I’d been doing for the past few years. I’d say, ‘Oh, I was at RADA.' If you’ve got an English accent you can get away with it."

Looks like it worked. 

8. Chloe Grace Moretz. 

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When American Chloe Grace Moretz was up for the role of Isabelle in the film Hugo, legendary director Martin Scorsese said he was after a British actor for the part so Chloe spun the truth a bit. 

"The casting director knew I wasn't British, but she knew I was willing to lie, and she liked me. And she was like, 'Lie to Marty. It'll work!'" Moretz said in an interview with Wired. Blimey, did it work - she ended up scoring the role and it turns out ‘Marty’ didn’t mind one bit.

9. Whoopi Goldberg.

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We’ve often heard of Hollywood actors lying about being younger than they really are but for some it seems to have paid off to turn the years forward. Icon Whoopi Goldberg was having a rough time landing a gig back in the day so she added a few years in order to be taken seriously. 

"I lied about my age for a long time because nobody would hire me to act. Everyone said I was too young. So, when I was 20, I put six years on my life,” Goldberg said in an interview with Heart. The now 67-year-old has had an illustrious career that has seen her become an EGOT legend so it seems the lie worked a treat. 

10. Sandra Bullock.

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Dear, sweet, Sandy Bullock would never hurt a fly. But she will absolutely lie about her age in order to land a role. Back in 1992, the actor told casting directors she was five years more senior than her real age to land the part of an older scientist in Love Potion No. 9. And it would seem that wasn’t the first or last time she blurred the lines of truth in order to get a role. 

"After a while, you have no idea how old you are because you've lied so many times. I always said I would never lie, but one time, when I didn't it worked against me. So I figure you just keep them guessing," said Sandra in an interview with Barbara Walters. 

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