Chris Hemsworth: Elsa Pataky has ‘certainly given up more than I have’

Chris Hemsworth has perked up a bit. Remember how he was in the wind for the promotion of Thor 2: The Dark Whatever? That promotional tour because The Hiddleston Show for various reasons, mostly because A) that was prime dancing-bear Tom Hiddleston time and B) Chris Hemsworth was completely “over” Thor in general. But he had a contract and the Thor films are practically his only successful films, so he had to make another one. Thor: Ragnarok is different though – he had a big role in selecting the director and shaking up the formula. In the end, he made a film he’s proud of and he’s much more engaged in the promotional tour. Chris covers the new issue of GQ Australia, and this is probably the best interview I’ve ever read with him. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:

On Donald Trump: “He’s full of sh-t on every level with climate change, it’s scary. This is not some sort of doomsday argument, we’re destroying the planet. By 2040, there’ll be no edible fish in the ocean. Is this what we want to leave for our kids?”

Changing the Thor formula: “Before we started on Ragnarok, I spoke to [president of Marvel Studios] Kevin Feige and said, ‘Why are we doing another one? I want to, but we have to change the game dramatically.’ Selfishly, I was bored of myself. I’d been boxed in and limited by what I could do with the character, creatively. When [New Zealand director] Taika Waititi’s name came up, I was already such a fan of his. I’d seen Boy and reached out to him to say, ‘Look, I’d love to work with you if something comes up’. After he signed, I was so happy. I remember he called me and said, ‘Man, I don’t ever want to hear you say [Hemsworth does a deep, silly voice], ‘Loki, end this madness,’ again, and say goodbye to your hammer’.”

The failures of Blackhat and In the Heart of the Sea: “You have blood, sweat, and tears in a project, and then in an hour and a half or an opening weekend, people decide if it’s a pile of sh-t or not. It’s gutting if a movie bombs. And I do feel responsible, but you have to develop a thick skin. You want people to enjoy it, so if it does occur, it’s a great feeling.”

On Elsa Pataky: “My wife and I fell in love, had kids, didn’t really see each other for a few years, then fell back in love. In terms of work, she’s certainly given up more than I have. She’d like me to step back and be at home with the kids more, and of course, I want that too. But I feel like I’m at this crucial point in my career – I’ve just got to set up for longevity or I’ll slip off.”

Life with kids: “Once you have children, every instinct and every moment of your time is consumed by that. You’ve got nothing for each other – so make sure you have date night even if it’s once in a blue moon, because most of the time you’re just too tired and you’d actually prefer to sleep.”

Whether he ever writes Elsa love letters: “I don’t, but maybe I should. There’s no shortage of how much I tell her I love her. But I guess there’s no detail in it, why or how. My mum tells this story about when she was younger and had been married to my dad for years. He’d write her an articulate and detailed letter and she said, ‘I remember thinking, oh, wow he loves me, which is so stupid, because I knew he loved me’. But when it was said with that much depth, it struck a different chord.

He’ll never take a part where he has to drastically lose weight again: “I don’t need an Oscar, probably because I don’t think I’m gonna get one.”

Moving out of LA: “It’s suffocating and you stop becoming a person. You have nothing to draw from because you’re living in this world of pretend on and off the screen.”

[From GQ Australia]

“My wife and I fell in love, had kids, didn’t really see each other for a few years, then fell back in love.” That’s an interesting way to describe it. I remember that time too – Chris was working a lot, he was traveling the world for months at a time, and I always got the feeling that he was screwing around on her – mind you, I have no evidence to back up that claim, it was just a vibe I got. Like, he was the one who withdrew from the marriage. Then she got pregnant again (with the twins) and suddenly they were fine again. I think moving back to Australia helped. Well, it helped him and helped their marriage. I bet Elsa misses not being in Europe or LA.