GettyGrowing up, I was always told not to talk to strangers and to never get in a car with someone I didn’t know.
Subsequently, this meant hitchhiking was obviously out of bounds, but to be honest with you, it was never something which appealed to me much anyway.
However, if you were to give me the option of hitchhiking with a Hollywood actor I might be obliged to change my mind. Especially if the car wasn’t a car but in fact a helicopter.
This is exactly what happened to one lucky man in Australia, who was picked up by Chris Hemsworth over the weekend:
The hitchhiker turned out to be Scott Hildebrand, who refers to himself as a musician and ‘world traveller’ on his Instagram page.
Hemsworth, along with his friend, Luke Zocchi, were driving through Brisbane when they spotted Hildebrand on the side of the road, holding a sign asking to be taken to Byron Bay.
In the video, Zocchi can be heard saying to the camera:
Guys, so we’ve just landed in Brizzy. We’ve just seen a guy who’s hitchhiking to Byron Bay, that’s where we’re going isn’t it.
Little does he know we’re getting a chopper.
At this point I’m questioning all my life decisions and cursing myself for never hitching a ride with a stranger.
Although realistically, I was never going to get picked up by Chris Hemsworth in the rainy valley of Rossendale so it’s probably just as well that I never tried.
Knowing my luck, I’d have been picked up by an actual serial killer and I wouldn’t be here blessing you all with my amazing writing skills. Anyway, I digress.
Hemsworth posted the video to his Instagram page yesterday (October 21), with the caption:
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 @scotthilde 🤙👍#WelcomeToAustralia @australia @zocobodypro
See, clearly it’s not just me who worries about serial killers!
Marvel StudiosThe trio start their journey in the car, laughing and joking as introductions are made. Hildebrand tells them he’s just come from Mexico and the two men call him a legend.
It’s at that point he asks ‘are you guys flying to Byron?’ to which Hemsworth and Zocchi confirm they’re riding in their ‘chopper’ to the popular surfing location.
Hildebrand seemingly can’t believe his luck and puts his head in his hands, repeatedly saying ‘no way’. I don’t blame him to be honest, imagine how surreal this experience would be.
They eventually arrive at the helicopter and Hemsworth makes sure to look after his new friend, putting headphones over his ears to protect them.
This guy’s day just keeps getting better, doesn’t it? All dreams have to end, though, and once they land at their destination Hemsworth says ‘alright Scotty, dream’s over. Back to the normal hitchhiking’.
Heartbreaking. He might as well give up now to be honest because I can guarantee no experience will top that one. He truly has peaked in the world of hitchhiking and I, for one, am extremely jealous.
I mean, imagine being able to tell your mates you’ve been picked up by and ridden in a helicopter with Thor. It doesn’t get much better than that.
And Scott himself has spoken of the experience, telling E!News:
The experience was so cool and unexpected. They’re so nice and I couldn’t believe it was happening.
Sigh. One can dream.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to [email protected].
A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).