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17 Mind-Blowing Facts About The Avengers Cast

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They’ve taken on aliens and psychopathic sentient robots on-screen, but what about away from their costumes? Here are some amazing things you might not know about our favourite superhero troupe.

Chris Hemsworth is a great dancer

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Before he became a movie star, the actor played hunky Kim on ‘Home and Away’, which led to a stint on the Aussie version of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ in 2006. Hemsworth and his partner came fifth.

Scarlett Johansson hates birds

The Black Widow may kick ass when facing Hydra, but they should really make her fight a bunch of sparrows. The actress suffers from ornithophobia – that’s a fear of birds.

Robert Downey Jr.’s first acting role was playing a dog

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The then-five-year-old starred in his dad’s avant-garde comedy ‘Pound’, in which he was a puppy. His only line? ‘Have any hair on your b***s?’

Mark Ruffalo survived a brain tumour

Luckily for the Hulk it turned out to be benign, but it meant the star had to drop out of appearing in ‘Signs’ with Mel Gibson. He’s now deaf in his left as a result of the tumour.

James Spader is almost blind

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The villainous Ultron actor has extremely poor eyesight, so struggles if he’s playing someone without glasses – to the point where the person standing opposite him is little more than a blur. Contact lenses you say? Allergic apparently.

Mark Ruffalo has a tragic personal life

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The star suffered tragedy when his sibling Scott was found shot to death in 2008. There were persons of interest, one of whom subsequently died of an overdose, but the crime remains open.

Jeremy Renner is a successful property investor

The actor is a bit of a house-flipping expert and used to do it when he was a struggling actor to help pay the bills. He still keeps it up, only this time with multi-million dollar properties.

Paul Bettany almost burned his scalp off for ‘The Da Vinci Code’

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Playing the nasty albino monk in the Dan Brown adaptation did some serious damage to the British actor’s bonce. The bleach burned chunks of his scalp, meaning he ended up wearing a wig instead.

Samuel L Jackson was suspended from college for taking the administrators hostage

The man who plays Nick Fury has had a chequered past, including drug addiction, but his two-year suspension from Morehouse College is particularly interesting as it was the result of his political beliefs. In 1969, along with other students, Jackson took several of the college board hostage to protest at civil rights injustices at the institution, including the lack of a black studies program. He later returned to finish his degree.

Chris Hemsworth’s cousin is a famous oyster farmer

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Chris Hemsworth’s cousin Rob is a respected oyster farmer and has even appeared on Aussie cooking show ‘My Kitchen Rules’.

James Spader has a really, really, really good memory

The actor has photographic recall, which is particularly useful when learning his lines, as he can essentially read out the required page.

There’s a male doppelganger of Scarlett Johansson out there

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Of course it’s her twin brother Hunter.

Paul Bettany could have won an Oscar already

The lanky star was offered the role eventually played by Colin Firth in ‘The King’s Speech’, but turned it down. Bet he regrets it now – Firth won the Academy Award, the BAFTA and pretty much every other Best Actor prize there is for his portrayal.

Robert Downey Jr. got really obsessed with Charlie Chaplin

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When he was cast in the 1992 biopic ‘Chaplin’, Downey went full method. During pre-production, he invited director Richard Attenborough and associate producer Diana Hawkins to his house for dinner. When they arrived, an extra table place was set, but rather than an actual guest, the actor filled it with a dummy dressed as the Little Tramp.

Anthony Mackie has played Tupac Shakur twice

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Mackie, who is Falcon in ‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’, first played the late rapper in 2001 while still at college in off-Broadway play ‘Up Against The Wind’. He did it again in 2009 Biggie Smalls biopic ‘Notorious’.

Cobie Smulders beat cancer

Maria Hill is tough as nails, but that’s nothing in comparison to the actress who plays her. In 2007, Smulders was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and after two years of surgery was told it was unlikely she would have children. The doctors were wrong – her daughter is now 6 and she also has a 9-month-old son.

Jeremy Renner was on ‘C.S.I.’

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Before he became a big star, Renner played a hardened criminal called Roger whose brother is accused of murder on a 2001 episode of the series called ‘Alter Boys’.

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Image credits: Rex Shutterstock, YouTube, Everett, Moviestore