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At home or in Hollywood: Chris Hemsworth up for ‘great adventure’
At home in Byron Bay, Australia, he’s just one of the mates. Chris Hemsworth might be an avenging superhero on the big screen, but on the beach with his three kids he’s “just one of the surfers riding the waves.”
The simple life suits the 40-year-old actor, who says, “I’m a total homebody.” Hemsworth’s household includes his wife of 14 years, actress Elsa Pataky, their 12-year-old daughter, India, and twin 10-year-old boys, Sasha and Tristan.
Occasionally, the business of making mega summer movies — such as “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” now in theaters — calls Hemsworth away. This chapter in George Miller’s post-apocalyptic saga stars Anya Taylor-Joy opposite Hemsworth’s villainous Dementus.
“He’s a pretty horrible individual, but I wanted to lean into the absurdity of the character,” he says. “It’s not just evil for the sake of evil — there is a purpose to it. There is intention and not just sadistic insanity.”
The rest of the time, Hemsworth keeps pretty sane with these good life tips:
Choose wisely
“I’m all about doing what I feel passionate about in life,” he says. “Ask yourself: What gets the adrenaline turned up?” It’s safe to say he found that spark with “Furiosa,” a project he called “absolutely incredible. I thought of this as a great adventure. The Mad Max franchise holds a special place in my heart as an Australian.”
Be afraid
“I know fear can be a good motivator. My job, then, is to remove that doubt, so I don’t feel the fear anymore. I’ll dive in. Go deeper. Work harder. You acknowledge the fear and consider it a starting point,” Hemsworth says.
Find your pace
Not even action stars are immune to the ravages of time. “In the last few years, I’ve become aware that injuries don’t repair as quickly,” Hemsworth shares. “You have those creaks when you get out of bed in the morning. You do need to give yourself the time to heal and move smarter. For me, it’s not so much about how much weight can I lift — it’s about finding the right pace and weight instead of always just doing more, more, more. It’s about efficiency and finding the healthy way to be physical.”
Keep learning
“One of my biggest joys is to sit down and talk with people who have had different life experiences,” he says. “You keep learning at every age of your life. It’s thrilling, actually, to learn something new or speak with someone who might have a different perspective.”
Brothers, not rivals
Hemsworth grew up with older brother Luke and “Hunger Games” star Liam. It was a rough-and-tumble childhood in the backyard with skinned knees and in the ocean riding waves. He says there has never been any sibling rivalry. Hemsworth revealed that Liam almost was cast as Thor. “He was one of the first people who got right down to the wire on getting the part,” says Hemsworth, who ultimately landed the iconic role. “We’re always happy for each other’s accomplishments.”
A superhero’s hero
Hemsworth tells a childhood story about cutting his foot on broken glass in a neighborhood park. The next day, he returned with his dad, a social worker, and found teenagers smashing bottles. His father walked right up to them and said, “‘My son got six stitches in his foot because he cut his foot here on a broken bottle. Clean it up. Don’t cross me on this one. Get to work.’ And they cleaned it up. My dad … now, that’s a real-life hero.”
What life’s about
“They are an abundance of joy and passion,” Hemsworth says of his kids. “They inspire me to increase my strength and conditioning, just to wrangle them and keep up with them. Their ability to live in the moment and to dive into life headfirst and to have fun and to be joyous and playful is a constant reminder of what life’s about. And it’s a constant inspiration.”
Stay true to you
“As you get older, you become far more self-conscious about things,” he says. “You have to stay true to yourself. People say that a lot, but you have to focus on it. Kids remind you of it. Kids have a kind of freedom and ownership of their environment. It’s good to strive for that kind of joy in life.”