Chris Hemsworth may have built his career in the bright lights of Tinsel Town - but when it comes to his home life, the actor 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 "greatest decision" he has ever made was quitting Los Angeles for good in favor of moving his family to a farm in his native Australia, admitting that both he and his wife, Elsa Pataky, had grown tired of the "trappings" and constant attention they faced in California.
Chris Hemsworth says relocating to Australia was the ‘greatest decision’ he’s ever made. Picture: Getty
Speaking on an episode of the "Smartless" podcast, which is hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, Hemsworth—who shares three children with Pataky, 49—explained that both he and his wife agreed that their family had started to outgrow Los Angeles around the same time that they welcomed their twin sons, who were born in March 2014.
He explained that there had been a shift in the industry by this time, which saw him forced to travel to other destinations around the globe in order to film his various projects, many of which had previously been shot in L.A.
"It was right around the time my boys were born, and it was just ... we kind of were set up in L.A. and not enjoying it, you know? Like nothing was shooting there. We were filming kind of everywhere else," he explained.
"And then … you'd come home and paparazzi and all the sort of the trappings of, you know, living in that space."
Chris Hemsworth has opened up about his decision to move his family back to Australia, where they reside on a palatial $50 million Byron Bay mansion. Instagram/Chris Hemsworth
Eager for their children—daughter India, 13, and sons Sasha and Tristan, both 11—to grow up away from the constant spotlight that followed their parents, the couple made the decision to relocate to a "big farm" in the Byron Bay area, where their kids have ample opportunity to run around without the fear of prying eyes.
Now, instead of feeling stress and pressure from the Los Angeles spotlight, Hemsworth says returning home is like going on a vacation, explaining: "You know, when you come back from work, you wanna go on a holiday?
"Like coming home for me is—it feels like a holiday. We have big farm and horses and motorbikes and surf."
The Marvel star's "farm" is in fact an eco-friendly estate that the couple had custom-built for their family.
Completed in 2021, the sprawling property is now believed to be worth around $50 million, offering an array of high-end amenities, including a bowling alley, private gym, an Olympic sized swimming pool, and a spa.
Hemsworth officially cut ties with California the same year that his Byron Bay mansion was completed, when he sold off a Malibu home that he shared with his brothers, Liam and Luke.
Liam, Chris and Luke Hemsworth sold a Malibu property in 2021. Picture: Getty
The siblings bought the home in 2016 for $4.86 million (US$3.45m) and made several improvements to the property before listing it for $6.9 million (US$4.9m) in September 2020. It eventually sold for the lesser price of $5.99 million (US$4.25m) in January 2021.
In April, Hemsworth explained to Modern Luxury magazine that his living situation in California was far from the dream setup he had for his family, explaining that he wanted his kids to have the same kind of space and access to nature that he'd enjoyed in his youth.
"We were living shoulder to shoulder in the suburbs and thought that's not how we want our kids to grow up," he said.
"Moving to a kind of farm setup back here on the coast in Australia has been the best thing."
Chris and Elsa at their Byron Bay home. Picture: Instagram
While his current property certainly offers more luxury than his childhood dwelling, Hemsworth told the "Smartless" hosts that the feeling of the home is much the same as the residence where he was raised—particularly when it comes to the emphasis placed on outdoor activity.
"We lived about 20 minutes from, like, the main sort of suburban areas in Melbourne up in the hills," he recalled. "And the nearest neighbor was a kilometer or two away.
"It was just all bushland and rainforest sort of set up around us. And so we would just [have] … adventures outdoors and playing different characters. And I think that's, to be honest, where the sort of intrigue or interest into that transportation into another."
Hemsworth said that the ability to spend much more time outside and on the beach is just one of many reasons why his family prefers their life in Australia. Picture: Matrix/GC Images
However, relocating back to Australia had not been 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 had vowed to never ask one another to move to their home countries because it meant one of them being too far away from their families.
"We always said when we met, I’d never make you live in Spain, and he would never make me live in Australia because our families are so far away from us," she shared.
But Pataky agreed with her husband that moving to Byron Bay was the best thing that could have happened to their family, revealing: "I love it, and it’s the best place in the world."
By Charlie Lankston
This article was originally published on realtor.com
English (US) · 