Chris Hemsworth chats to heat, and yep, there are lots of photos to gawp at
The Hollywood hunk chats reaching career goals and preferring Byron Bay to Beverly Hills
It’s amazing to think the world almost missed out on Chris Hemsworth, thanks to his little brother Liam. After Chris believed he’d blown his audition for Thor and gave up waiting to hear back from producers, Liam sent in his own audition tape and even got down to the final five contenders for the role, but the producers still hadn’t found their hero. Then, thanks to a call from Chris’ manager reminding them of Liam’s hunky older brother, Chris was cast as the sexy, long-haired Norse god.
He has since starred as the superhero in seven box officebreaking films and is undoubtedly a permanent fixture on the A-list. So, it’s no wonder the 35 year old enjoys retreating to his modest (£16m) house (mansion) in Byron Bay to enjoy picnics on the beach with actress wife Elsa Pataky, and their three beautiful children,
rather than engaging in the intensity of Hollywood. Although, he does nip back once in a while to make another blockbuster or two. Right now, he’s starring in the latest spin-off from the Men In Black franchise, but he’s still slightly pining for that blonde Thor wig… You started your Thor journey in 2011, but currently you’re not contracted to do any more films. How does that feel? It’s been both bittersweet and nostalgic. We all knew that after finishing work on Avengers: Endgame , it might be the last time that we would all be working together. Usually on film sets, the actors go back to their trailers or head off for lunch on their own, but on Endgame, we were hanging out together much more than we ever had before, because there was this unconscious desire to savour those moments together.
It was clearly not the usual filming experience… We’ve spent something like ten years working on these films, which have become so huge. I’ve made so many wonderful, lifelong friendships with the other actors. Usually you shoot a movie for two or three months, and then you never see each other again. But with Avengers, it’s like growing up together, seeing each other get married, having kids, and watching our lives evolve. That’s a very special experience. What was it like working on Men in Black: International? We’ve tried to keep the same level of humour that the previous films had, as well as make our story unique. I’ve never had more fun than I did on this film, and working with Tessa Thompson again [she appeared alongside Chris as Valkyrie in the Marvel films] has been a blast – we were able to reconnect right away. You have played such a variety of characters in your career so far – from a computer hacker in Blackhat, to racing driver James Hunt in Rush to Thor – do you feel like you’re achieving everything you’ve always wanted? When I was 17, I decided one day that acting is what I wanted to do. Ever since then, it’s been a constant battle of, “I can do it,” versus, “No, I can’t” – much like anyone else chasing a dream. I got a job pretty quick when I got to Hollywood [as George Kirk in 2009’s Star Trek reboot], so I was very fortunate in that sense. Then I didn’t work for a while and I started to think it might not work out. But Thor came up, really out of nowhere, and it hasn’t stopped since then. If I could write down the formula and understand how and why it happened, I could bottle it and give it to someone if they asked. I don’t know how it worked, to be honest. A lot of it had to do with timing – I was in the right place at the right time. But you do have to have pretty thick skin and a lot of self-motivation to stick with it.
‘Hollywood is a world where you can lose touch with reality’
How did you manage to cope during the dry period when you weren’t getting much work? It was hard. I mean, I had a huge amount of anxiety when I was auditioning, and that just got worse and worse the more I heard the word “no”. I did a lot of soul searching on a number of occasions, where I asked myself, “Why am I doing this? What’s my motivation to put myself through this?” And did you eventually answer those questions? To be honest, it was to look after my family. I love acting, but I needed to make sure I was taking care of them. I kept reminding myself of that. Now you’re one of the biggest stars in the world. Did you always want to star in big action superhero blockbusters? I’ve always loved fantasy films like The Princess Bride, Labyrinth, and The Neverending Story. I grew up on those movies and I wanted to live in those worlds. So, when I became an actor, I wanted to do things that would exist in that space. It was the same with books – I gravitated towards things like Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit. I had a pretty vivid imagination. So, it was less about me being a film buff and seeing every iconic performance and wanting to be part of that, and more about the little kid in me that wanted to be part of that world. You like to keep in shape – how important is that aspect of your life? Doing sports and workouts makes me feel more balanced and centred in life. I also love surfing, which is probably my favourite activity. It keeps my feet on the ground – pardon the play on words. Being active is my way of clearing my head of the continuous bombardment of information and the social media universe, which makes a lot of people anxious. But a good workout or
a day of surfing just puts me in a different mindset. Not only are you easy on the eye, but you have a reputation in the film world for being an absolute gentleman, too. Receiving compliments like that all day could go to someone’s head – what keeps you grounded? You’re very kind, but I think a lot of it has a lot to do with being with my wife – who means so much to me – and also the people you surround yourself with. I have a fantastic family, and especially parents, who have taught me to be modest. I’ve also been lucky to stay in touch with friends who I’ve known since I was a little boy. They make sure that I don’t take myself too seriously. Does living in Australia also help – in terms of the kind of attention that you and your family receive – compared to if you lived in Los Angeles? Moving back to Australia in 2014 was a very good decision for us. There, I can be with people and talk about things that have nothing to do with the film business. That’s almost impossible in Los Angeles, where there’s rarely a moment when you can forget that you’re an actor. Living in Australia allows me to be away from a world where you can lose touch with reality sometimes. I don’t want to be too negative about Hollywood, because it’s given me so many extraordinary opportunities, but I’m much more at ease back home. My wife also loves it, and our children [India, seven, and twins Tristan and Sasha, five] are enjoying being out in nature more. Your wife Elsa is Spanish – is there a big difference between her culture and your Australian culture? It’s not that big, I don’t think. One similarity between us is that both of us have big families who like to party at night. Everyone is very loud and everyone feels very close. We all laugh so much together and it’s really beautiful. I think the fact that there isn’t really any big gap between our cultures and ways of seeing things is one of the reasons we get along so well together. How often do you all get a chance to go to Spain? Usually, we’re able to get away in the summer for a few weeks, but this year we want to spend a lot more time there, because I’ll have some time off. One funny thing about living in Byron Bay back in Australia is that sometimes I think there are more Spaniards there than locals! Sometimes I wonder if I got things mixed up and I accidentally flew to Madrid. I hear a lot of Spanish spoken in Byron Bay. I’m also very proud of the fact that our kids have grown up speaking Spanish with their mother, so that they can feel close to her culture as well. They love the language. How’s your Spanish? Your wife speaks four other languages as well as Spanish and has said you’re learning only two new Spanish words every year… She’s being kind! ■ Men In Black: International is in cinemas now