‘Thor’ Star Chris Hemsworth Reveals Why Leaving LA and Moving to Australia Was the ‘Greatest’ Decision He Ever Made
Hollywood A-lister Chris Hemsworth she may have built her career in the bright lights of Tinsel Town—but when it comes to her home life, the actress says living in Los Angeles was nothing like the glamorous illusion portrayed on the big screen.
In fact, the 42-year-old actor says the “biggest decision” he ever made was leaving Los Angeles to move his family to a farm in his native Australia, admitting that he and his wife, Elsa Patakythey were tired of the constant “stalking” and attention they experienced in California.
Speaking on an episode of the “Smartless” podcast, hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayesagain Is ArnettHemsworth—who shares three children with Pataky, 49—explained that he and his wife agreed that their family had started growing in Los Angeles around the same time they welcomed their twin sons, born in March 2014.
He then explained that there was a change in the industry at this time, which forced him to travel to other parts of the world to film his various projects, many of which were shot in LA.
“It was around the time my boys were born, and it was just… we were set up in LA and we weren’t enjoying it, you know? Like nothing was being shot there. We were filming kind of everywhere,” he explained. “And then … you’re going to come home and paparazzi and all kinds of stalking, you know, living in that space.”
Longing for their children—a daughter India13, and sons Sasha again Tristanboth aged 11—in order to grow up away from the progressive view that followed their parents, the couple made the decision to move to a “big farm” in the Byron Bay area, where their children had ample opportunity to run without fear of being watched.
Now, instead of feeling the stress and pressure from the Los Angeles spotlight, Hemsworth says returning home is like going on vacation, explaining: “You know, when you come home from work, you want to go on vacation?
“It’s like coming home is like a vacation. We have a big farm and horses and motorcycles and surfing.”
The Marvel star’s “farm” is actually an eco-friendly farm that the couple custom-built for their family. Completed in 2021, the sprawling property is now believed to be worth around $35 million, offering state-of-the-art amenities, including a bowling alley, private gym, Olympic-sized swimming pool, and spa.
Hemsworth officially cut ties with California the same year his Byron Bay mansion was sold, when he sold the Malibu home he shared with his brothers. Liam again Luke.
The brothers bought the home in 2016 for $3.45 million and made several improvements to the property before listing it for $4.9 million in September 2020. It was finally sold for the low price of $4.25 million in January 2021.
In April, Hemsworth explained to Modern Luxury magazine that his living situation in California was far from the arrangement he had for his family, explaining that he wanted his children to have the same environment and access to nature that he enjoyed in his youth.
“We used to live shoulder to shoulder in the suburbs and we think that’s not the way we want our children to grow up,” he said. “Moving to the kind of farm systems back here on the Australian coast has been the best thing.”
Although his current place offers more comfort than his childhood home, Hemsworth told the “Smartless” hosts that the feeling of home is exactly the same as where he grew up—especially when it comes to the emphasis on the outdoors.
“We lived about 20 minutes away, like the main kind of suburbs in Melbourne up in the mountains,” he recalled. “And the nearest neighbor was a kilometer or two away.
“It was the jungle around us and the rainforest around us. And we were going to do it that way [have] … having fun outside and playing different characters. And I think that’s, to be honest, where the kind of intrigue or interest in that moves to something else. ”
However, moving to Australia wasn’t on the cards for Hemsworth and Pataky when they first met, with the Spanish-born mother of three previously revealing to Yahoo Be that they vowed never to ask each other to move to their countries because it meant one of them was too far away from their families.
“We always said that when we meet, I will not make you live in Spain, and he will never make me live in Australia because our families are too far away from us,” she said.
But Pataky agreed with her husband that moving to Byron Bay was the best thing that could have happened for their family, revealing: “I love it, and it’s the best place in the world.”
