Thor swapped his hammer for a blade.
The actor, most famous for playing the Norse God of Thunder in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, had just returned from a surf session at Restaurants, the freakishly mechanical left-hander, breaking right in front of Tavarua Island Resort.
Hemsworth, 42, laid his weapon down – a Darren Handley, high-performance shortboard; much nimbler than the weighty, Arthurian mallet, which is his character’s battle-axe of choice in the MCU – and graciously agreed to a quick chat.
The first thing to know is that Hemsworth is a surfer at heart, not just a fan or casual wave rider. He surfs heaps better than the average individual in your everyday lineup. I was curious about what his surfing life looks like these days while juggling a gaggle of surf-stoked kiddos and constantly shooting film and TV. From the moment I pressed play on my recorder, Hemsworth was on; he knew everything to know about surfing from the WSL Finals, to the international wave pool arms race, to the names and faces who make our sport so special, and…his desire to surf some heavy water. (More on that later.)
Admittedly, the conversation was a bit of risk. People come to Tavarua Island to get away from the media. Kelly Slater was hanging out all week long, with his new baby boy, Tao, and nobody was going up to him for interviews. But Hemsworth seemed keen. And like I said, he was kind and cordial, up to a tête-à-tête about surfing with a nobody journalist, taking a few minutes out of his day in literal paradise, away from the world, with his family.
Thank you for that, Chris. Read on for our chat.
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Obviously, you’re a big surf fan, but what brought you to Fiji this time. Just to watch the contest go down?
Yeah, we come down here a couple times a year. Me, my wife, and my kids. And we love it. It just so happened to be when they had a week off school, so it was perfect. To be honest, when we were thinking of coming, I didn’t even realize the comp was on, and it ended up being perfect. We were stoked to get waves and also catch the contest. The kids were stoked.
Your kids are coming up in surfing, too, right?
They’re both in local boardriders and winning comps these days and having fun. I’m just stoked they’re all into surfing. It’s such a fine line when they’re growing up, when they’re really young, and you don’t want to push them too soon, but you want to expose them to it. You want them to find their way to it naturally. I’ve got plenty of mates who push their kids into it too aggressively, and they become allergic to it. We’re stoked my kids are into it.
“If I could wave the magic wand, I’d probably choose the surf career.”
Chris Hemsworth
You grew up surfing a bunch with your family, right?
I grew up in Victoria, Australia. A lot of surfing. Both my brothers surfed. My dad took up surfing later in life, just to sort of be out there and keep an eye on us. We were all keen surfers most of our lives, and we’ve always based our decisions on where we live to be near the ocean.
Talk about that massive wave you got recently back home with Bede Durbidge and Luke Munro. How was that thing?
It was sick! I got about four or five closeouts, and then that one I scraped through. There was just so much water moving through there, and it’s a heavy wave. But when you’ve got those two guys calling you in, and guiding you through it, you’re in good hands.
You’re doing that show Limitless with National Geographic. And I heard they denied you from surfing a giant wave or something. What was the story with that?
So, it was supposed to be at Jaws. We had the Walsh brothers involved to help out. And we couldn’t get the insurance from Disney. They were like, ‘nah…we’ll let you do all this other crazy shit.’ But big wave surfing, they felt there were too many variables. I think it’s something I’ll go after at some point. When I’m injury-free and feeling fit and healthy, it’s something I’d love to explore. It’s way out of my comfort zone, which is why it’s intriguing. I’d have to do a hell of a lot of training, which is the reason I enjoy Limitless.
What about the wave pool thing? You’ve surfed a bunch. What’re your thoughts on them?
I love them for different reasons. Kelly’s is probably the most perfect wave. Then we surfed the Sao Paulo one – that one’s sick, as well, because it feels like the most natural wave. It’s got this nice curve off the wall. And you can get, like, eight waves in minutes. So, you and your mates can get your fill. Still, it’s kinda hard to surpass Kelly’s pool. We’ve spent some time out in Abu Dhabi, and my kids were learning how to tube ride there.
Related: Chris Hemsworth Denied Surfing 40ft Wave, Drowning Concerns
If you had a time machine, would you go back and pursue pro surfing instead of acting?
I have neither the talent, or the commitment that some of these men and women have today. But, as a young bloke, like anyone who surfs in their teens, you’re kind of obsessed with the pro tour and anybody who competes in that space. Then, reality hits you quickly, and you realize that you’re not one of the gifted few.
It’s funny, though, watching my kids now interacting with all the pros. And for me, too. They’re heroes of mine. Seeing excellence, and people at the pinnacle of their sport in any pace, is so impressive. And everyone here has been so nice to my kids. They all take time to chat with the kids; they’re all so gracious. And it means the world to them. These kids look at the surfers like gods. And, as a dad, you’re a little nervous about how the interaction will go. But they couldn’t have been better.
In your opinion, what’s the better career: acting or pro surfing?
If I could wave the magic wand, I’d probably choose the surf career. No complaints with the path I’ve chose. But how about this – instead of career choice, let’s think about it like talent choice. I’d rather be doing what these surfers are doing on waves, than what I’m doing. I just sit back, and watch in awe. I get a huge kick out of it.
Related: Chris Hemsworth Surfs “Insane” Wave During Deadly Huge Swell