Josh Peck Reminisces About Playing Chris Hemsworth’s Brother

On Thursday, Peck took to Instagram with a throwback image from the 2012 action thriller, a remake of the 1984 cult classic, in which he portrayed Matt Eckert, the onscreen brother of Hemsworth’s character, Jed.

MGM, one of the studios Josh Peck is referring to, initially produced “Red Dawn” but was forced to sell distribution rights to UA Entertainment Company due to financial struggles.

In a tongue-in-cheek caption, Peck wrote, “#tbt to when a major studio believed @chrishemsworth and I could play brothers. Stay delulu y’all.” His comment is a playful abbreviation for “delusional,” and speaks to his surprise at the casting choice made by MGM/UA Entertainment Company.

In “Red Dawn,” Peck and Hemsworth stepped into roles made famous by Charlie Sheen and Patrick Swayze in the 1984 original, playing two brothers who lead a group of teenagers to defend their town from foreign invaders.

“We just became incredibly close while shooting the film,” Peck told Collider of working with Hemsworth. “ We have a similar ethos. He was training for Thor and I was training for ‘Red Dawn,’ so we bonded through physicality and the physical inadequacies that we both felt in ourselves. That was a common topic of conversation.”

The film, which featured Hemsworth shortly before his rise to international stardom as Thor in Marvel’s “Avengers” franchise, was ultimately released two years after it was completed.

“He’s just a great guy, and he really works hard, as an actor,” Peck added. “ Anyone who’s about the work, I find that I get along with. It’s people that are less concerned with the acting or the film that I usually butt heads with.”

Peck explained that the on-set atmosphere during the intense brotherly scenes was marked by deep focus and a strong camaraderie.

“With drama, you need to be laughing, in between takes, ‘cause you’re going to those recesses of your soul and those dangerous parts,” the former Nickelodeon star recalled. “Normally, if you’re not an actor or some crazy artist, you don’t feel the need to run around in those areas. You keep them separate because it’s painful.”

“But, as an actor, you know you need to access that to get that good sh-t,” he continued. “So, it’s important to have that levity in the middle of it ‘cause if it’s all just being at each other’s throats the whole time, that could get old quick. And then, conversely, if you’re doing comedy, I find that it’s important to be a little more serious. You don’t want to be in on the joke. You always want to play the reality of something that’s funny.”

Peck said the two “had some pretty good levity” throughout a majority of filming. However, “there was one week where Chris and I had had enough of each other, only because you’re together for four months and everybody is working 16-hour days. It’s normal to have that brother bickering type of thing.”

“I was like, ‘Well, we better use it. Either this is a gift, or we’re just jerks,’” Peck recalled. “And then, we got through those next few days and he and I were as best of friends as we’d been during the rest of the shoot ‘cause he’s just a gem. “

For Peck, the role marked a departure from his well-known turn as Josh Nichols on Nickelodeon’s “Drake & Josh,” which aired from 2004 to 2007.

“If 10-year-old Josh could see this movie, I would have been able to avoid a lot of angst, growing up, knowing that this would be the final result,” he told Collider of the role. “For a lot of boys, running around with a gun and being an action star and getting to kiss a beautiful girl is a total dream come true.”

Twelve years after its release, “Red Dawn” remains a memorable, if unexpected, pairing of the comedic Nickelodeon alum with the Australian action hero—a choice that continues to amuse Peck and his fans alike.