Chris Hemsworth is opening up about why walking away from Los Angeles and raising his kids in Australia was one of the best moves he has ever made.
During the Feb. 23 episode of the “Smartless” podcast, the “Avengers” star reflected on relocating to Byron Bay with wife Elsa Pataky and their three children, daughter India Rose, 13, and 11-year-old twin sons Sasha and Tristan. The move happened in 2015, shortly after the twins were born, at a time when the family was living in Los Angeles but not fully enjoying it.
“It was right around the time my boys were born and we kind of were set up in L.A. and not enjoying it,” Hemsworth said on the podcast. He noted that although they were based in Hollywood, most of his films were shooting elsewhere. When he did return home, paparazzi often followed. “And then we’d come home and [there’d be] paparazzi and all the sort of trappings of living in that space,” he said.
More than a decade later, Hemsworth said the shift has completely changed how home feels. “You know when you come back from work, you wanna go on a holiday? Like, coming home for me, it feels like a holiday,” he shared. The family now lives on a large property with horses, motorbikes and easy access to surf.
Privacy, Sharks and a Fresh Start
While Hemsworth describes the move as the “greatest decision,” there was one moment he briefly questioned it. Shortly after settling in Byron Bay, a series of shark attacks occurred near his home.
“When I first moved to Byron Bay, there was a string of shark attacks,” he recalled on “Smartless.” Two surfers were killed within weeks, and another survived. Hemsworth admitted he wondered, “Where have I moved to? What have I done? This is crazy.”
He described helicopters patrolling the coastline and police using loudspeakers to clear surfers from the water during what he called a “feeding frenzy.” Still, he did not let the scare keep him from the ocean. “I surf every day,” he said, joking that he once heard more people die from vending machines tipping over than from shark attacks.
Ultimately, the lifestyle outweighed the early fears. Hemsworth has said his own childhood in Australia, growing up near Melbourne with brothers Luke and Liam Hemsworth, influenced the decision. He wanted his children to experience a similar outdoors-driven upbringing, surrounded by nature instead of cameras.
A Family-First Focus
The move has also shaped how Hemsworth approaches parenting and marriage. He and Pataky recently celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary, and over the years they have shared glimpses of their family life, from red carpet appearances to camping trips and holidays in matching pajamas, according to earlier People reporting.
At the Feb. 10 premiere of “Crime 101,” Hemsworth joked that his kids are not impressed by his global stardom. “They don’t care. They don’t care at all,” he told People. He admitted that when they first realized he played Thor, they thought it was cool. “And then they realized they couldn’t fly and they thought it was less cool.”
For Hemsworth, that normalcy seems to be the point. Away from Hollywood, he has said he wants to instill strong values and a sense of perspective in his children.
As he put it on “Smartless,” “Like, coming home for me, it feels like a holiday.”
