I’ve never had more fun than I did on
Men In Black
– CHRIS HEMSWORTH
Chris Hemsworth has a very open and engaging personality. He greets you with a big smile and firm handshake and carries himself with an affable Aussie swagger. He’s also very down-to-earth and so unimpressed with himself that one wonders if he’s really one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars.
Having just completed his possibly final tour of duty as Thor in the epic Avengers: Endgame, Hemsworth is now looking to extend his horizons. Having long wanted to play characters with a more mischievous sensibility – though he did try to give Thor a wry attitude – Hemsworth is about to flaunt his deadpan wit as Agent H in Men In Black: International, the reboot of the billion dollar franchise.
“We had a hell of a time on MIB,” Hemsworth said. “It was great. The idea was to aesthetically take it out of New York and have a far more international vibe to it. We were shooting in London, Morocco, Italy. We ticked that box, and just had a great laugh. There’s a lot of humour. It’s another piece of film history, a pinch yourself moment where you go, ‘Hell, I grew up with Men in Black,’ so to find yourself amongst it is pretty cool.”
Directed by F. Gary Gray, the film sees Hemsworth re-team with his Thor: Ragnarok co-star Tessa Thompson (she played Valkyrie) as MIB agents hunting down a mole after the assassination of a high-ranking alien. The result is a high-paced mix of action and repartee as the two leads succeed in carrying over their Avengers’ chemistry into a new setting.
Said Hemsworth of taking on the role of Agent H: “My character certainly does things his own way and is reckless in his approach. He doesn’t take advice from others, he works alone usually, and then in this particular instance they’ve teamed up together outside of either of their first choice. She’d (Thompson’s Agent M) probably rather be saddled with someone a little more on book, but as I said, it gives us somewhere to go and gives us a nice arc.”
Apart from MIB, the 35-year-old Hemsworth has recently signed on to play wrestling legend Hulk Hogan (real name Terry Bollea) in an as yet untitled biopic slated to begin filming later this year. “I’ll need to do some serious bulking up before I start shooting that story,” admitted Hemsworth,
The Hogan biopic will help the strapping (6’3”) Australian hunk add to his impressive resumé of playing real-life figures that include British racing car driver/lothario James Hunt in Rush, and the 19th century whaler in In the Heart of the Sea.
Hemsworth and his wife, the stunningly beautiful Spanish actress Elsa Pataky, make their home in Australia’s Byron Bay where they live on a sprawling $7 million estate together with their seven-year-old daughter, India Rose, and five-year-old twin boys, Tristan and Sasha. A fitness fanatic, Hemsworth has recently launched a new mind-body fitness app, Centr. It retails for $20 per month and is available at centr.com on the App Store.
Chris, what is like working on your new film franchise, Men in Black?
Chris Hemsworth: 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 has been a blast – we were able to reconnect right away.
MIB marks a new career arc for you. How has it felt possibly coming to the end of your Avengers days?
CH: It’s been both bittersweet and nostalgic. We all knew that after finishing work on Endgame that 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 much more together than we ever had before because there was this unconscious desire to savour those moments together.
We’ve spent something like ten years working on these films that have become so huge and unique in the history of film. 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 the 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.
“On Avengers: Endgame we were hanging out much more together because there was this unconscious desire to savour those moments together”.
– CHRIS HEMSWORTH
It seems your Hollywood adventure keeps taking you in different directions when you look back on characters like Thor, James Hunt, George Kirk in Star Trek, or the computer hacker in Blackhat. Does it feel like you’re fulfilling your dreams as an actor?
CH: When I was 17, I decided one day that this is what I wanted to do. Ever since then, it’s been a constant battle of, ‘I can do it’ vs. ‘No I can’t.’ Much like anyone else chasing down a dream. I got a job pretty quick when I got to Hollywood (2009’s Star Trek), 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. 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.
You’ve mentioned in previous interviews that you almost came close to quitting Hollywood because of how your career stagnated before landing Thor…
CH: It was hard. 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 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.
You’ve become one of the biggest stars in the world with your appearances in the Thor and Avengers films. Are those the kinds of films you wanted to make?
CH: I’ve always loved fantasy films like Princess Bride, Labyrinth, 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 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’re noted for maintaining a high level of fitness for your film roles. How important is that in your life?
CH: 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 and doing sports 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.
You’re known as one of the nicest and most gentlemanly figures in the film business. What keeps you grounded?
CH: 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 whom I have known since I was a little boy. They make sure that I don’t take myself too seriously.
Does living in Australia also help as opposed to the kind of attention that you would receive and expose your family to if you lived in Los Angeles?
CH: Moving back to Australia 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 where 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 are enjoying being out in nature more.
Is there a big difference between your wife’s Spanish culture and your native Australian culture?
CH: It’s not that big, I think. One big 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.
“Living in Australia allows me to be away from a world where you can lose touch with reality sometimes”.
– CHRIS HEMSWORTH
How often do you get a chance to go to Spain with Elsa and your kids?
CH: Usually we’re able to get away to Spain in the summer for a few weeks and later this year we want to spend a lot more time in Spain 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 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 she says you’re learning only two new Spanish words every year?
CH: She’s being kind!
INTERVIEW BY WENN
PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY
