Chris Hemsworth has earned millions... but that doesn't mean he wants to live a life of luxury.
Chris Hemsworth has earned his millions... but that doesn't mean he wants to live a life of luxury.
The 35-year-old actor gets candid about fame and the financial success that comes with it in a new interview with GQ Australia, revealing that he's uncomfortable about his wealth.
“I feel gross about it,” Hemsworth says. “I remember saving up for a surfboard when I was younger. The surfboard was 600 bucks and I saved up for a whole year with Dad’s help. I didn’t even want to surf on it for fear of damaging it. It taught me so many lessons about appreciation and working hard for something.
“When I think about my kids, I don’t want them to miss that joy," he continues. "Elsa [Pataky] and I talk a lot about how we instill that same appreciation and respect for things. I don’t want them to feel like they’re privileged in any way. The fact that we have money and their parents are famous, that somehow they’re special, that scares me because we grew up with no money.”
Hemsworth and Pataky are parents to three kids: 6-year-old daughter India, and 4-year-old twin sons Tristan and Sasha. Though they now value their time away from the spotlight, choosing to live in Byron Bay, Australia, instead of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, it was just 11 years ago when Hemsworth touched town at LAX with a dream of making it big.
“Once you get the jobs, you wonder did you actually just want to be famous? Was it purely about money? An artistic expression? I’ve arrived at a place of truth and while the attraction was a few things, one was definitely financially,” he admits. "I did not want to be broke, like we’d been broke when we grew up. I wanted to take care of my parents and my family."
Family comes first for Hemsworth, who confesses that the roles that support his lifestyle come second to what's back at home.
“I do wonder sometimes, if [Pataky and I] hadn’t met, what my career would look like. Have I made decisions based on that? How has that influenced me? There’s times when I’ve thought, ‘Wow, because having kids is more important to me, some of my roles have suffered,'" he says. "There’s definitely a couple of films I could’ve put way more energy into but I was like, ‘No, I’d rather be with my kids.'"
"I don’t regret that, but I’m aware. You can’t completely dismiss what that pursuit does for you either. I often find myself saying it’s all for my family but in all this I definitely have personal things I need to achieve, too. The difference is you have to open yourself up and go, ‘Well, you had kids so you forfeited a bit of that,'" Hemsworth continues. "It can’t be a truly individual, selfish endeavor but we still need to take care of our own. Now my identity is another team, another community -- the community being the family. You have to adapt and be malleable.”
See more on Hemsworth in the video below.
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