CHRIS HEMSWORTH Opens Up for the FIRST Time Ever: Anxiety, Imposter Syndrome, His Dad's Alzheimer's

1. 0:00 – 1:08

   Intro

   1. JSJay Shetty0:00

      [instrumental music] Chris Hemsworth, welcome to On Purpose.

   2. CHChris Hemsworth0:29

      Thanks for having me.

   3. JSJay Shetty0:30

      It's great to be here. We're in Byron. Is that-

   4. CHChris Hemsworth0:33

      Byron Bay. Yeah

   5. JSJay Shetty0:33

      ... accurately specific?

   6. CHChris Hemsworth0:34

      My home. Yeah.

   7. JSJay Shetty0:35

      So come to Byron to interview you, and I was just sha- sharing with you when I first started the show, you were on that top list-

   8. CHChris Hemsworth0:42

      [laughs]

   9. JSJay Shetty0:42

      ... of people I wanted to sit down with.

   10. CHChris Hemsworth0:44

       Aw.

   11. JSJay Shetty0:44

       So it took me seven years to get to Byron Bay.

   12. CHChris Hemsworth0:47

       Thank you very much.

   13. JSJay Shetty0:47

       Uh, but I'm really-

   14. CHChris Hemsworth0:48

       I'm honored

   15. JSJay Shetty0:48

       ... really grateful.

   16. CHChris Hemsworth0:49

       [laughs] Yeah.

   17. JSJay Shetty0:49

       So yeah, I've been such a fan of your work.

   18. CHChris Hemsworth0:51

       Oh.

   19. JSJay Shetty0:51

       Loved watching your interviews. Uh, felt, felt just a connection to what you're doing. And then as you've gone into this world of Limitless-

   20. CHChris Hemsworth0:59

       Mm-hmm

   21. JSJay Shetty0:59

       ... and now this incredible documentary with your father, it's, it's such a phenomenal evolution from the authentic version of you that I feel we've always got

2. 1:08 – 5:10

   Discovering Gratitude in Childhood

   1. JSJay Shetty1:08

      to see in interviews, so.

   2. CHChris Hemsworth1:09

      Oh, appreciate it.

   3. JSJay Shetty1:10

      Yeah.

   4. CHChris Hemsworth1:10

      Thank you.

   5. JSJay Shetty1:10

      Yeah, really, really special.

   6. CHChris Hemsworth1:11

      Yeah. I love the show and, and it, it's, I'm, I'm glad you could make it out here and we could do this in my hometown.

   7. JSJay Shetty1:17

      Yeah, it's beautiful.

   8. CHChris Hemsworth1:18

      So appreciate it.

   9. JSJay Shetty1:18

      Well, I wanted to dive right in because in the doc we get such a up close and personal feel of who you are, your family, your parents.

   10. CHChris Hemsworth1:26

       Mm-hmm.

   11. JSJay Shetty1:27

       And I love understanding how people became who they were.

   12. CHChris Hemsworth1:30

       Yeah.

   13. JSJay Shetty1:30

       So the first question is, what's a childhood memory that you have that you feel defines who you are today, that feels like it-

   14. CHChris Hemsworth1:38

       Mm-hmm

   15. JSJay Shetty1:38

       ... is such a strong part of your personality today?

   16. CHChris Hemsworth1:40

       What you see in the documentary is, is, um, the road trip my dad and I take back to, uh, the community that we grew up in, this Indigenous community, Northern Territory in the outback of Australia, and they were, i- my, definitely my most vivid earliest memories. I c- I'm have trouble remembering kind of years earlier than that and years after that, you know, because I think, one, it was so starkly different to the environment in Melbourne where I grew up. Um, but I think there was, as it had such an, a profound impact on me, um, due to, for so many reasons. The, the connection with the land, the, the people in that community, um, the experience itself was so dramatically different to anything else I'd done. But, um, the immersion within that, that, that i- in Indigenous culture in Australia and, and having, um, feeling the sort of influence from the, I guess the sort of traditional way of life that, that they embodied and, and the, um, the welcoming we received in that town, um, st- I still have ... When, when I think about who I am and my appreciation and sense of gratitude and, and place in the world, definitely, I, I, I, I'm brought back to that period of my life.

   17. JSJay Shetty3:01

       Mm.

   18. CHChris Hemsworth3:01

       That's what I'm trying to think of a sort of a single sort of, uh, thing for you, but that, that period of time for me is the most, um, the most vivid and, and wonderful.

   19. JSJay Shetty3:10

       Yeah. What images flash in your mind when you're thinking about that time? Is it-

   20. CHChris Hemsworth3:13

       Um, not owning a pair of shoes, not, not having a TV, um, being the only white kid in an Indigenous school, um, buffalo walking down the street, um, being five hours drive from the nearest shops, you know. It was like a little remote community in, in the middle of the outback and but how normal it all felt, you know. And to be sort of thrust back out into that environment now would, would be sort of a shock to the system in, in many ways. But that was, um, as familiar and comfortable and, and, and organic as sort of anything I've ever felt. And, um, you know, the, I see photographs now that prompt instant sort of visceral feelings and a deep sort of, um, nostalgia and, and warmth and, and happiness, you know, and a sense of connection because that was ... You know, we lived in a tent [laughs] at one point-

   21. JSJay Shetty4:12

       [laughs]

   22. CHChris Hemsworth4:12

       ... you know, wi- with, with, with my parents and, and my older brother. Um, we then lived in a sort of a, you know, a very older sort of run-down house. But it was, it was as, as, you know, wonderful of a childhood as you could ask for, you know. There was no ... It was sort of boundless, the opportunities where the imagination could go and the sort of the physical experience, you know. Um, it was, again, I, unlike kind of anything else I've had since then, you know.

   23. JSJay Shetty4:40

       Yeah.

   24. CHChris Hemsworth4:40

       There was a real sort of Peter Pan quality to that, um, sense of fantasy and, and, and adventure that, that was instilled in us from that age. But that, that environment definitely awakened in us.

   25. JSJay Shetty4:49

       Yeah, and I guess when you're living it, you don't know how special it is.

   26. CHChris Hemsworth4:53

       Yeah. I, it, it, it ... I think like all of our experiences that, you know, they're ... Th- the norm is what is in front of you, you know.

   27. JSJay Shetty5:03

       Yeah, yeah.

   28. CHChris Hemsworth5:03

       And if I had something to compare it with at the time, I, I may have. But it, it was, that was my way of life. And then it was kind

3. 5:10 – 8:24

   First Encounters With Fame

   1. CHChris Hemsworth5:10

      of a shock coming back to Melbourne and, and, and go- and, um, adapting into, I guess, the world that, you know, suburban neighborhood, you know, structured sort of, um, you know, town that we lived in, and catching the bus to school and the train and all the sort of the usual things. That, for me, was an a- adaptation that was ... I remember kind of going, "Oh, this is, this is very different to-" [laughs]

   2. JSJay Shetty5:34

      Yeah

   3. CHChris Hemsworth5:34

      ... "where, where we had sort of, where we'd come from."

   4. JSJay Shetty5:36

      Yeah. Your, your dad in the documentary says that as a kid you would say, "I'm going to Hollywood."

   5. CHChris Hemsworth5:41

      Going to Hollywood. [laughs]

   6. JSJay Shetty5:41

      Yeah, "I'm going to Hollywood." Where, where did that come from, from this world that you grew up in?

   7. CHChris Hemsworth5:46

      Yeah. I think part of it was growing up in Northern Territory w- because there was this sort of sense of adventure instilled in me then. And, and, um, my, I remember my dad reading Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit to me, and, and, and my mum as well, and that sense of sort of fantasy and, and imagination awakened through, through a sort of-A very big cultural difference, but also I think being outdoors, you know, the opportunity for not boredom, but not being continuously stimulated and entertained like we are sort of nowadays with devices and so on. There was, I guess, being in that environment awoke something in me that I still now either try and get back to or when I do attach myself to it, it ignites that sense of fantasy and that sense of adventure. Um, but through reading books and then m- when we moved back to Melbourne, um, every weekend was, you know, we would go to the movies or we'd hire a film or we'd go on hikes and we'd go surfing and we'd go camping. And, and I remember from a very young age not wanting to be an actor, but wanting to be one of those characters in one of those films or one of those books. And the closest thing I could be to, you know, an elf in The Lord of the Rings was [laughs]

   8. JSJay Shetty7:03

      [laughs]

   9. CHChris Hemsworth7:03

      You know, if I dressed up and played one in a movie or the closest thing I could, you know, um, get to as far as intergalactic travel or something was-

   10. JSJay Shetty7:10

       Yeah

   11. CHChris Hemsworth7:11

       ... playing the character in that movie. And, and I guess it was a sort of an escapism of sorts, but not that I was escaping from anything I didn't wanna be a part of. It was-- It, it, it kept me captivated-

   12. JSJay Shetty7:22

       Mm

   13. CHChris Hemsworth7:23

       ... you know, and still does. The, um, transportation to other worlds and inhabiting other characters and other spaces, um, it's, yeah... And, and it sort of, it comes from a different-- Each film and each character I sort of, I look at and that sort of journey I embark on, it-- there's a sort of a real organic, um, attachment to it as far as, I wouldn't say I'm seeking out that character as much as they sort of arrive, and then as you sort of fall into a character or fall into a, a film, it then sort of takes on a life of its own and takes you to places that I think you just have to be open to, you know, interpretation, but open for the journey.

   14. JSJay Shetty8:05

       You mean by playing a character?

   15. CHChris Hemsworth8:06

       Yeah.

   16. JSJay Shetty8:07

       It opens up a different mindset or different-

   17. CHChris Hemsworth8:10

       For sure

   18. JSJay Shetty8:10

       ... layer?

   19. CHChris Hemsworth8:11

       It, it probes different parts of your soul or psyche and, and there's a premeditated sort of approach and a sort of calculated approach, and then there's an absolute sort of

4. 8:24 – 13:40

   Arriving Somewhere You Never Planned

   1. CHChris Hemsworth8:24

      y- y-- demolishing of all that preparation and surrendering to the process, and then it... And that's, that's the part I love, you know?

   2. JSJay Shetty8:31

      Yeah.

   3. CHChris Hemsworth8:32

      And you only get that through an extreme amount of preparation-

   4. JSJay Shetty8:34

      Yes

   5. CHChris Hemsworth8:35

      ... and calculation. But then the, um, the letting go portion of it, and which is where the risk is involved, but then that for me is where the greatest adventure occurs is, is, is through kind of really leaning in and really-

   6. JSJay Shetty8:50

      Yeah

   7. CHChris Hemsworth8:50

      ... surrendering to the experience.

   8. JSJay Shetty8:51

      That rings true. I, I had the fortune of sitting with Kobe Bryant before he sadly passed away-

   9. CHChris Hemsworth8:55

      Yeah

   10. JSJay Shetty8:56

       ... on the show, and he talked about how structure le- leads to spontaneity.

   11. CHChris Hemsworth9:00

       Yeah.

   12. JSJay Shetty9:00

       That it was that discipline, as you're saying, leads to the ultimate ability to-

   13. CHChris Hemsworth9:04

       Yeah

   14. JSJay Shetty9:04

       ... be free and surrender. But as I hear you say, I'm wondering, it's obviously not something that you mathematically, strategically access because you're saying it's happening-

   15. CHChris Hemsworth9:12

       Yeah

   16. JSJay Shetty9:12

       ... in this really natural, authentic way where it leads you. What roles made you feel that way, or which ones are the ones that have a strong memory for that for you, where you went, "Oh, wow, this led me to a place-

   17. CHChris Hemsworth9:22

       Yeah

   18. JSJay Shetty9:22

       ... I didn't imagine it would"?

   19. CHChris Hemsworth9:24

       I mean, it, it's interesting because I sort of, I think I undulate from the extreme analytical, over-ruminating, calculated analysis of something, and then into the sort of, you know, the more sort of mad scientist, you know, intuitive sort of approach. And but they go hand in hand, you know? The sort of the polarity between the two, I find is, is, is really helpful. And, and I'd say the-- I did a film with George Miller, um, part of the Mad Max, uh, series called Furiosa, and, and that for me was, was probably the, the greatest example of that kind of character taking over and, and being led into a place which you, you didn't plan for. But it only-- The sort of improvisational portion of it or the experimentation of it or the, you know, throw caution to the wind and just [chuckles] leap, leap in headfirst came from months and months, or actually a couple of years, b- because I had read the script two years before, and while I was doing other films, I was thinking about that character. It began to sort of infect my, my thoughts, you know, daily and to the point where I had to kind of try and put it aside because I had to get back to the film I was currently on. [laughs]

   20. JSJay Shetty10:37

       [laughs]

   21. CHChris Hemsworth10:37

       And I was talking to George Miller about that, and he goes, "Well, selfishly, I don't mind. You know, you can give our character more of that." And it was the first time I kind of started journaling as the character and started doing a, um... You know, he was a pretty ugly, villainous individual on paper and, and on screen as well, I guess. Um, but I had to find a way to sort of understand and empathize with his position, and from his point of view, he was the hero, as in, you know, everyone's. And so by the time I got to set, everything that I'd sort of planned began to fall away, and each day was, again, kind of an experiment and a, a real sort of deep dive into the psyche of this individual and what were the sort of justifications for his actions, which were perceived from one angle as, you know, um, horrific, but from his angle and his position, from where his people were standing, survival of the fittest. And, um [lips smack] and yeah, I've had that a few times in my career, but that certainly stands out as, as one of the biggest ones.

   22. JSJay Shetty11:37

       I feel like there's so much empathy in becoming an actor because you're trying to understand-

   23. CHChris Hemsworth11:41

       Yeah

   24. JSJay Shetty11:41

       ... this character that you don't know, but you have to kind of get to know.

   25. CHChris Hemsworth11:46

       Yeah.

   26. JSJay Shetty11:46

       And you may not feel what they feel. My, one of my friends is an acting coach in LA, and I-- he invited me to just go watch one of his sessions with actors at night. And so I went to see him a couple of weeks ago, and I was just like, if anyone feels lonely, they should just go to an acting class.

   27. CHChris Hemsworth12:00

       [laughs]

   28. JSJay Shetty12:00

       Like, everyone was so-

   29. CHChris Hemsworth12:01

       Yeah

   30. JSJay Shetty12:02

       ... encouraging of each other, and there was-
5. 13:40 – 15:34

   Losing Yourself to the Role

   1. CHChris Hemsworth13:40

      very healthy for all of us to do, you know?

   2. JSJay Shetty13:41

      Yeah.

   3. CHChris Hemsworth13:41

      I know a lot of directors that, you know, have never acted, and it scares the hell out of them, but they go and do acting classes for that reason, to understand the psychology, but also understand how you're gonna come at, um, this character or what the position is that you might take and as opposed to standing on this side of the fence and making assumptions, stepping into those different environments certainly, I don't know, gives you a greater sense of agency over it.

   4. JSJay Shetty14:05

      Yeah. Has there ever been a character you played where you felt, "I wish that one didn't rub off on me"? [laughs]

   5. CHChris Hemsworth14:10

      Yeah. Um-

   6. JSJay Shetty14:10

      Or, or left a bit of them with you that you're like-

   7. CHChris Hemsworth14:12

      Oh. I mean, it's a, it, it, I find my [laughs] ... It's not that the lines get blurred, but I've been in, in, on press tours defending my character, and then being tapped on the shoulder and like, "The, the guy killed a bunch of people." I'm like, "Oh, yeah. Okay, besides that part."

   8. JSJay Shetty14:25

      [laughs]

   9. CHChris Hemsworth14:26

      Yeah. [laughs] Um, and so you, it's sort of, um... I, I, I don't think the, the state I will get myself in for certain-

   10. JSJay Shetty14:35

       Mm

   11. CHChris Hemsworth14:35

       ... characters through the day, a very heightened sort of, um, fight or flight-

   12. JSJay Shetty14:41

       Mm-hmm

   13. CHChris Hemsworth14:41

       ... type state where I am, there's this sort of feels like there's electricity running through my bones, and, and you've, especially when there's a lot of dialogue and there's a lot of reaction, lot of, lot going on, that I find very hard to switch off. It's not so much the, um, the character that I'm trying to shake-

   14. JSJay Shetty14:57

       Right, right

   15. CHChris Hemsworth14:57

       ... it's the energy that's required to play that character.

   16. JSJay Shetty15:00

       Right, right.

   17. CHChris Hemsworth15:00

       And I find with one of the hardest things to, the high to come off is improvisational sort of comedy, you know? And, and I remember doing, um, I think when we did, when we did Ragnarok, the first-

   18. JSJay Shetty15:11

       Yeah

   19. CHChris Hemsworth15:11

       ... that we, there was a lot of that in there, and it was a very new version of the character, and I would get into this sort of ecstatic sort of, you know, electrified state and be kind of drinking coffee and Red Bull and slamming, you know, energy drink to try and elevate that more. And then it was like, whoa, I'd have to kind of rein that in and get home, and I'd just be sort of twitching, and I was, you know, [laughs] go have a shower

6. 15:34 – 20:31

   The Weight of High Expectations

   1. CHChris Hemsworth15:34

      and try to come off that. So I find that the, the residual effect of the state of the character more so than the, the character itself.

   2. JSJay Shetty15:39

      Yeah. It's more about getting into character-

   3. CHChris Hemsworth15:41

      Yeah

   4. JSJay Shetty15:41

      ... guys. Yeah

   5. CHChris Hemsworth15:42

      Because you could put that, that, that, I don't necessarily have to believe I am the, you know, um, leader of an army or whatever. It's, it's more what would I feel in that situation that you then embody, and then that sort of takes over.

   6. JSJay Shetty15:56

      Yeah. That's fascinating to hear. Yeah. And that-

   7. CHChris Hemsworth15:59

      Yeah. [laughs]

   8. JSJay Shetty15:59

      ... yeah. The, the, the, the jitters are real. Like, that's like, you've talked before about this idea of how your acting career has actually brought on huge anxiety-

   9. CHChris Hemsworth16:08

      Yeah

   10. JSJay Shetty16:08

       ... and stress. Where, where's that come from?

   11. CHChris Hemsworth16:12

       I remember when I, when I first started acting, I had, it, it, it, immediately, once I sort of locked into the idea that I was gonna become an actor, it was an absolute obsession. It was an addiction. It was all I talked about. There was just sort of, there was no shadow of a doubt that was what I was gonna do. And there was a, um, ignorance and a naivety that, that, that was there, um, about the reality of the, how difficult that was gonna be. But the, it, you need a fair amount of madness, I think, to sort of excel in any space. There needs to be a certain amount of, um, [sighs] absolute, deeply profound sort of commitment to it, you know? You talk about Kobe Bryant and anyone who's excelled in their, their field, and, you know, a number of, of, of sports players and individuals that I look to that's sort of on the spectrum in some sense, you know? That there's a sort of a mastery there which is otherworldly, but it does require a sort of an insane dedication to it. So I remember when I was finishing high school, it became this obsession that was all I was gonna do, and everything I was gonna do from it was I was gonna help pay off my parents' house. I was gonna do this. I was gonna do that. I was gonna take care of my family and friends, and, oh, you know, look at all the amazing things I could do. And every time I'd go into a job, as small as it was and inconsequential, in my mind was like, "If I screw up this one scene, then it will somehow make its way to Hollywood from Australia, and I'll never get a job again, or if I screw up this one audition." And it was that kind of pressure. It was, I was thinking 10 years ahead. And then sort of the time I got onto, um, Home and Away, which was, you know, a big soap opera, longest-running-

   12. JSJay Shetty17:54

       Of course

   13. CHChris Hemsworth17:54

       ... soap opera in Australia, which you've-

   14. JSJay Shetty17:55

       I'm from Bondi, so yeah

   15. CHChris Hemsworth17:56

       ... been done and you're aware of.

   16. JSJay Shetty17:57

       Yeah, yeah.

   17. CHChris Hemsworth17:57

       I flew into that, that experience with enthusiasm and excitement, and I was, it was great for a couple of months, and all of a sudden I was hit with this wave of anxiety because I was looking at the outcome rather than the sort of process.

   18. JSJay Shetty18:14

       Mm.

   19. CHChris Hemsworth18:14

       And I was looking at the, um, I'm doing it for this reason and that reason, rather than being in the moment and in the present, and it really detracted from-What I was doing each day, and it would be the last thing I'd think about before I go to bed was what scenes I'd screwed up and how I should have done this, I should have done that. And as soon as I'd wake up, it'd be like a shot of adrenaline, about what I was gonna screw up. And I don't know wh-where I think it became from a sort of expecting too much of myself, which is, there's a slight sort of contradiction to that too, because as I said, it requires that obsessive, you know, a-addictive sort of concentration. But I- it's the ability to sort of hold that obsession and that absolute need and want for it to, to, to achieve something great that you want to achieve, and then at the same time to completely let it go and not care.

   20. JSJay Shetty19:06

       Yeah.

   21. CHChris Hemsworth19:06

       And so I had to do this strange dance around trying to convince myself I didn't care, but in the preparation time to, to motivate myself, I would have to care a hell of a lot. And, and so it-it's sort of the, um, you know, the [laughs] the, the, the two, the two voices, the Jekyll and Hyde version of, of oneself that is sort of both need to be kept in check. You know? It's, it's your purpose pulls you, your fear pushes you. There's a sort of strange, um, balance with the two extremes I find useful, but also terrifying when not kept in check. Um, and I... And I, and I... That sat with me for years, that anxiety. And then I remember, and I've talked about this in a couple of interviews, but reading a few books around performance anxiety specifically and looking at different sports players and musicians and, and, um, people who performed at a high level of public speaking, and they took their, all their sort of measurements, you know, um, uh, the physical sort of response, responses prior to this, these engagements and said, "Are you scared or are you excited?" And whether, you know, half the group was in the scared category, half was in excited, the physical response was exactly the same across the board.

   22. JSJay Shetty20:18

       Mm.

   23. CHChris Hemsworth20:18

       Elevated heart rate, all the things you, you know, you would imagine. So it was about the sort of, um, the takeaway was it was about an interpretation to that feeling. And so when I would have nervous energy come up and

7. 20:31 – 25:31

   Managing Mental Overload

   1. CHChris Hemsworth20:31

      all those things that at one point I would signal to myself were fear, I had to just, you know, narrate that in a different sense and say, "Oh no, this is my signaling for excitement. This is not my signaling for fear." And again, that's-- I still have to keep that in check, and it sort of out of nowhere will take me down one path or the other, and I've got to kind of wrangle my way back to, to preferred [laughs] place, which is, which is the, the enthusiastic, excited, you know?

   2. JSJay Shetty20:57

      Yeah. What, what's fascinating about that, as I'm hearing you say it, is it actually makes you better at what you do.

   3. CHChris Hemsworth21:03

      Yeah.

   4. JSJay Shetty21:03

      Like that pressure, it sounds like-

   5. CHChris Hemsworth21:05

      Yeah

   6. JSJay Shetty21:05

      ... that you were putting on yourself when you're doing Home and Away-

   7. CHChris Hemsworth21:08

      Yeah

   8. JSJay Shetty21:08

      ... even though it wasn't a great experience for you, it's making you better at the thing.

   9. CHChris Hemsworth21:13

      Yeah.

   10. JSJay Shetty21:14

       And that's what I find so fascinating about people like yourself or high-performing athletes or any of the types of people you mentioned is that the thing that makes you better at the craft-

   11. CHChris Hemsworth21:23

       Yeah

   12. JSJay Shetty21:23

       ... doesn't necessarily improve the quality of your life-

   13. CHChris Hemsworth21:26

       Mm-hmm

   14. JSJay Shetty21:26

       ... and your mind.

   15. CHChris Hemsworth21:27

       Yeah.

   16. JSJay Shetty21:27

       And that's that dance you're talking about, which is, so I've got to kind of be able to unleash the beast to be able to-

   17. CHChris Hemsworth21:34

       Yeah

   18. JSJay Shetty21:34

       ... do the work that I do, but then I don't want the beast to eat me-

   19. CHChris Hemsworth21:38

       Yeah

   20. JSJay Shetty21:38

       ... because then there's nothing left-

   21. CHChris Hemsworth21:40

       Yeah

   22. JSJay Shetty21:40

       ... when the beast is, you know, satisfied.

   23. CHChris Hemsworth21:42

       For sure. It's sort of a blessing and a curse in a way.

   24. JSJay Shetty21:45

       Yeah.

   25. CHChris Hemsworth21:45

       And it's, it-- Because I, I've had experiences when, you know, the thing I was trying to remove, which was that heightened sense of awareness and the, and then, then the fact the, you know, you're absorbing too much information.

   26. JSJay Shetty21:56

       Mm.

   27. CHChris Hemsworth21:56

       And it's every little movement or sound. [mouth clicking] I'm like: Oh, God, I wish I could numb that. I wish I could reduce this sort of state and be more present. And then I've found my way to that place, either through, um, not caring for one reason or another, being purely exhausted, you know. You've, your night shoots, you just got... There is no adrenaline left in the body.

   28. JSJay Shetty22:18

       Yeah.

   29. CHChris Hemsworth22:18

       I'm like: Oh, this is great. I'm comfortable. And the first note is, "Yeah, it's a bit flat."

   30. JSJay Shetty22:23

       [laughs]
8. 25:31 – 28:56

   Naming Your Stressors

   1. JSJay Shetty25:31

      card gets me into the Sapphire Lounge by the club at select airports nationwide. Travel is more rewarding with Chase Sapphire Reserve. Trust me. Discover more at chase.com/sapphirereserve. [whoosh] You know, the end of the year always gets me thinking, "What's next? What's the next move?" Because this is the time to lay the foundation for everything that's coming in 2026. For us with Junni, Shopify has been that partner that makes it all possible. Shopify isn't just a platform, it's a partner for dreamers, doers, and creators. Whether you're starting small or thinking big, Shopify gives you the tools and the confidence to begin. The cool thing about Shopify is that it handles the tricky stuff behind the scenes, so you can just focus on building something that feels real and meaningful. And what's really special is that Shopify grows with you. You can start with one idea, one spark, and before you know it, you're sharing that spark with people all over the world. From the design of your storefront to fulfilling orders, Shopify helps you create an experience that actually feels human. And the best part? You don't have to be a tech expert. Shopify meets you where you are with templates, tools, and even AI features like Shopify Sidekick to guide you, spark ideas, and help you keep things moving with clarity. It's time to stop thinking and start doing, and there's no better way to do that than with Shopify. It's time to stop thinking and start doing, and there's no better way to do that than with Shopify. Use our link, shopify.com/j, now to start getting serious about building your future. Take it from me, it is time to start taking that idea you've had for a while and put it into action. And with Shopify, you will have all the tools you need to ensure your idea becomes the best it can be. [whoosh] I've had a similar experience with public speaking, where I've been public speaking for years on stages.

   2. CHChris Hemsworth27:21

      Yeah.

   3. JSJay Shetty27:22

      And if I really care, and that's my narrative kicking in, if I really care, I'll still get sweaty palms. I'll still be shaking-

   4. CHChris Hemsworth27:29

      Yeah

   5. JSJay Shetty27:29

      ... a little. I'll feel my heart rate go up. And I've learned that all of those things-

   6. CHChris Hemsworth27:33

      Yeah

   7. JSJay Shetty27:33

      ... are just a sign that I care.

   8. CHChris Hemsworth27:35

      Mm-hmm.

   9. JSJay Shetty27:35

      Because I know if I get asked to speak somewhere and I don't really care-

   10. CHChris Hemsworth27:37

       Yeah

   11. JSJay Shetty27:38

       ... then I won't feel any of those things.

   12. CHChris Hemsworth27:39

       Yeah.

   13. JSJay Shetty27:40

       And so I'm like, "Oh, I, I feel like there's some stakes here, and-

   14. CHChris Hemsworth27:42

       Yeah

   15. JSJay Shetty27:42

       ... this is important." And then I have my practices to embody that and feel good about that. But then at the same time, when I went on tour two years ago and we were doing nearly 50 shows across the world, I was, I was feeling [laughs] a completely different level of anxiety than I'd ever felt.

   16. CHChris Hemsworth27:57

       Yeah.

   17. JSJay Shetty27:57

       And, and I remember two days before when we were in rehearsals, I was just feeling really tight-chested. I talked to my doctor and went in for a checkup, and they were like, "It's just stress."

   18. CHChris Hemsworth28:05

       Yeah.

   19. JSJay Shetty28:05

       And I was like, "Why am I stressed? I do this all the time." But there's alway- what, what still makes you nervous, or what still gives you a little bit of s- that stress now?

   20. CHChris Hemsworth28:13

       I mean, th- th- th- this stuff, you know-

   21. JSJay Shetty28:15

       Yeah

   22. CHChris Hemsworth28:15

       ... the press, you know, walking on set. It, it all, it all definitely awakens that, that, that feeling. And then it's a constant sort of dance and adaptable sort of, um, experience. But I think, um, I, you know, I probably have a, I have a much easier time now playing a character than I would being myself. Like, in fact, y- th- with this, this series, Limitless, that was very new to me to, to, you know, be in the documentary space and, and play Chris. And I felt, I felt really uncomfortable from that. And, and I got better with it probably in the second season and this, and this last episode with my dad. But earlier on it was like, I have nothing interesting to say.

9. 28:56 – 31:29

   The Fear of Saying No

   1. CHChris Hemsworth28:56

      I don't... I'm not educated on these topics. I don't... And I'm sort of a guinea pig in the experience, so maybe that's a good thing. But it, it... You, uh, you're far more critical of yourself than you are, I think, of someone you're pretending to be. Like you said before, the, it's a signaling that you care, I guess, that discomfort, that anxiety. It's a signal that it's important on, on, on some level, and it's something that should be respected and paid attention to, rather than, "Oh, I'm anxious. Ugh, how dare I be anxious?" And then the criticism and the judgment, and then it's like slippery slope.

   2. JSJay Shetty29:25

      Yeah, yeah. It's so interesting to me how so many of us, it's easier to pretend to be someone than-

   3. CHChris Hemsworth29:32

      Yeah

   4. JSJay Shetty29:32

      ... play ourselves.

   5. CHChris Hemsworth29:33

      Yeah.

   6. JSJay Shetty29:33

      Not just for actors, but all of us.

   7. CHChris Hemsworth29:35

      Yeah.

   8. JSJay Shetty29:35

      Whether you're playing a performance at work and a persona-

   9. CHChris Hemsworth29:38

      Mm

   10. JSJay Shetty29:38

       ... or a persona with your friends, and it's, and it's so hard to just let go of that-

   11. CHChris Hemsworth29:42

       Yeah

   12. JSJay Shetty29:43

       ... persona. And, and it's almost like when I speak to comedians, they're always like, "Yeah, I just feel everyone just wants me to be funny all the time."

   13. CHChris Hemsworth29:49

       Yeah.

   14. JSJay Shetty29:49

       And they just feel that constant pressure around friends, family, everything, and they just wanna be normal and have a bad day or whatever it may be. And, uh, you know, everyone feels that pressure to perform in a certain way.

   15. CHChris Hemsworth30:00

       Yeah.

   16. JSJay Shetty30:00

       And it's almost like we're waiting for the person we can take off the outfit around-

   17. CHChris Hemsworth30:05

       Yeah

   18. JSJay Shetty30:05

       ... and just-

   19. CHChris Hemsworth30:06

       Yeah

   20. JSJay Shetty30:06

       ... kinda let go.

   21. CHChris Hemsworth30:07

       I remember my mom talking to me about this years ago, and, and she was a high school teacher at the time. And I said, "Oh, I'm nervous about this, that, and the other, and being on a set, and a producer, and this." And she goes, "It's the same in any environment, you know?" She goes, "Me as the teacher, okay, well, the principal is the producer, and my students are the audience, or, you know, and the, the... my work colleagues are the other cast members." And in any line of work, you're faced with this. It, it's just sort of a human experience that you can't escape. And-And she talked about the same thing about kind of, um, understanding that and accepting that it always is a challenge. There's always a navigation of sorts to... And, and, and rather than looking at it as my experience is unique and special to everyone else's and has more pressure than yours or this, that, and the other. That's the trapping, you know?

   22. JSJay Shetty30:55

       Yeah.

   23. CHChris Hemsworth30:55

       As soon as you, you kind of understand it is more common than uncommon, I think there's some comfort in that. Like, I remember listening to, um, Anthony Hopkins and-

   24. JSJay Shetty31:04

       Mm

   25. CHChris Hemsworth31:05

       ... Cate Blanchett and, you know, people I'd worked with and admired and, and looked up to talking about, you know, imposter syndrome and, oh, this might be my last job, and, and thinking, "Really?" And but there was deep truth in that, you know? They still had that doubt. But aware of the fact that maybe that doubt was a good thing because it kept you humble, it kept you motivated, it kept you pushing forward and searching, as opposed to-

   26. JSJay Shetty31:28

       Thinking

10. 31:29 – 34:03

    Passing Down Healthy Money Values

    1. JSJay Shetty31:29

       you'd nailed it

    2. CHChris Hemsworth31:29

       ... thinking you have all the answers, you know? And, and then there's a sort of, and there's a lack of humility, yeah.

    3. JSJay Shetty31:34

       Yeah. Well, you've talked about that as well, right? You've talked about that idea of fearing saying no-

    4. CHChris Hemsworth31:38

       Yeah

    5. JSJay Shetty31:38

       ... because what if it all disappears? And when I read that you said that, I was like, wow, like that, you just wouldn't expect that. But-

    6. CHChris Hemsworth31:46

       Yeah

    7. JSJay Shetty31:46

       ... we have these codings from whether when we were young or, or wherever we picked them up where there's, like, a sense of like, "Oh, well, this could all just go away." Like-

    8. CHChris Hemsworth31:55

       Yeah. D- We growing up in a house, you know, loving, beautiful household and great parents, but we had no money. And I remember the kind of financial burden that was on my parents and, and h- overhearing conversations about bills and, you know, them borrowing money from my grand, our grandparents or their parents to, you know, before payday came on every Thursday. Or, you know, the $20 we might have had in our piggy bank kind of saying, "Can we borrow that? We'll give it to you next week." And, and not that they ever put that on us by any means, and then probably tried to shelter us from that and, um, but being very aware of it. So I felt that responsibility and that need to, um, remove that, uh, pressure for them from a very early age, and but still this crazy, um, irrational thought that, "Oh, it's gonna run out," or, "It's, it's gonna be taken away, and I won't be able to do that thing." It's like, well, you've already done that thing. You know, they're all taken care of, the family, cousins, friends, you know. Um, and not to say my career couldn't end tomorrow, but financially that wouldn't be a concern due to kinda what we've put in place. And it's, I don't know, it's, it's irrational, it's illogical, and, and but again, I think it... I don't know. It sort of, I don't mind a little bit of that just to keep you hungry, you know?

    9. JSJay Shetty33:12

       Yeah. [laughs]

    10. CHChris Hemsworth33:12

        But it has to be tempered, like all of it. It's, it's-

    11. JSJay Shetty33:14

        Yeah

    12. CHChris Hemsworth33:15

        ... 'cause the, the insanity of too much of that thinking is, is incredibly detrimental, and you never enjoy what you have because it's always about, "Ah, I need to get more. It, it, just not enough," or, "What else can I, do I do to secure this even more?" And it's this w- obsession with, with, with safety I think we all have and, and the need for abundance and security, and um, but then I look at my own childhood where, where I couldn't have felt more secure and safe, and you know. So money isn't the answer to that, yet, uh, you sort of trick yourself into thinking it is. And whether that's from societal sort of understandings and expectations and the sort of our relationship to money as human beings and, and what, what-- how we, um, signal or represent safety and comfort in the wrong spaces maybe,

11. 34:03 – 38:22

    Navigating Your Way Through Grief

    1. CHChris Hemsworth34:03

       but it's a constant navigation, isn't it?

    2. JSJay Shetty34:06

       Yeah. It's, it, it's almost like what you're talking about is the power of pattern.

    3. CHChris Hemsworth34:11

       Yeah.

    4. JSJay Shetty34:11

       It's almost like when you've had a thought-

    5. CHChris Hemsworth34:13

       Mm-hmm

    6. JSJay Shetty34:14

       ... that has been practiced. So with you giving the examples of like, "Oh, we're gonna borrow this money here, and we'll pay it back next week."

    7. CHChris Hemsworth34:19

       Yeah.

    8. JSJay Shetty34:19

       And so you're constantly living in a cycle of we don't have enough. We're gonna have to figure it out. And that doesn't disappear when an external situation changes.

    9. CHChris Hemsworth34:28

       Yeah.

    10. JSJay Shetty34:28

        And we can all relate to that. I mean, I c- I can relate to it in, in my life too. And what I love about what you said the most was it's not about... I, I think everyone ov- And I don't, I don't like it when anyone says this whole money can't buy happiness stuff-

    11. CHChris Hemsworth34:40

        Yeah

    12. JSJay Shetty34:40

        ... because I'm like, well, it solves a lot of problems for a lot of people, and I, I don't think that's the point. But I love what you just said about this safety idea.

    13. CHChris Hemsworth34:46

        Mm.

    14. JSJay Shetty34:47

        That you felt safe growing up, and it wasn't because of that.

    15. CHChris Hemsworth34:50

        Yeah.

    16. JSJay Shetty34:50

        And I think that's an even more powerful truth where it's like, oh, wait a minute, what about if it was about safety?

    17. CHChris Hemsworth34:57

        Mm.

    18. JSJay Shetty34:57

        And we all wanna feel safe and secure. I felt very safe and secure because my m- I've always described it as my mom's love was like this protective shield-

    19. CHChris Hemsworth35:04

        Yeah

    20. JSJay Shetty35:04

        ... where I never grew up ever questioning whether I was lovable or not.

    21. CHChris Hemsworth35:08

        Yeah.

    22. JSJay Shetty35:08

        Because my mom loved me so much.

    23. CHChris Hemsworth35:09

        Yeah.

    24. JSJay Shetty35:09

        And that makes me feel very safe.

    25. CHChris Hemsworth35:11

        Mm-hmm.

    26. JSJay Shetty35:12

        And that wasn't because we had money growing up, and it wasn't because we always knew what was coming next.

    27. CHChris Hemsworth35:17

        Yeah.

    28. JSJay Shetty35:17

        It was because you felt loved and you felt safe and secure because of that.

    29. CHChris Hemsworth35:20

        For sure.

    30. JSJay Shetty35:20

        And so there are certain problems that money solves, and it's not safety.
12. 38:22 – 41:39

    How Family Keeps You Grounded

    1. CHChris Hemsworth38:22

       navigate the complicated spaces of life and, and the sort of moments of adversity is, is kind of, um, you realizing that they're sort of one and the same thing, and that, that's ... And I don't do that. I don't exist there all the time, but every now and then, and I feel like I get a glimpse of it, and there's a quiet peacefulness to it.

    2. JSJay Shetty38:41

       Mm.

    3. CHChris Hemsworth38:42

       You know? It's like the sort of the louder it gets, all of a sudden things just stop. Alan Watts talks a lot about that.

    4. JSJay Shetty38:46

       Mm.

    5. CHChris Hemsworth38:47

       I love his sort of-

    6. JSJay Shetty38:47

       Yeah, I love Alan Watts

    7. CHChris Hemsworth38:48

       ... the sort of philosophy around what he presents in that way.

    8. JSJay Shetty38:51

       Yeah. I'm sorry for your loss. Uh, it's, it's-

    9. CHChris Hemsworth38:53

       Yeah. Thank you

    10. JSJay Shetty38:53

        ... always like a-

    11. CHChris Hemsworth38:54

        Yeah. I mean, it's a, it's, you know, it was a sort of a- out of nowhere kind of tragedy, tragedy as, as, w- you know, we all experience at some point. Um, but it... I just remember having that moment, that sort of very odd sort of lightness in amongst the grief, which-

    12. JSJay Shetty39:09

        Mm

    13. CHChris Hemsworth39:09

        ... made me pause for a moment and consider where that came from and where that stemmed from and what that sort of, what that message is.

    14. JSJay Shetty39:17

        Yeah. Yeah. It's how your, your grief is only as deep as your love-

    15. CHChris Hemsworth39:21

        Yeah

    16. JSJay Shetty39:21

        ... can be.

    17. CHChris Hemsworth39:22

        Yeah.

    18. JSJay Shetty39:22

        Is-

    19. CHChris Hemsworth39:23

        Yeah

    20. JSJay Shetty39:23

        ... if you don't feel grief about something like that, well, it's probably because you didn't-

    21. CHChris Hemsworth39:26

        Didn't care

    22. JSJay Shetty39:27

        ... have, didn't have that-

    23. CHChris Hemsworth39:28

        Yeah

    24. JSJay Shetty39:28

        ... love and care, and it's... But yeah, it's not that that's easy to recognize in the moment or pause and... But when you get that access, it's something to worth holding onto.

    25. CHChris Hemsworth39:36

        Yeah. And that was the trying to reconcile-

    26. JSJay Shetty39:38

        Yeah

    27. CHChris Hemsworth39:38

        ... the sort of-

    28. JSJay Shetty39:39

        Yeah

    29. CHChris Hemsworth39:39

        ... dichotomy around those two, two feelings. You know? The, the, the sort of I almost then followed this guilt that I wasn't feeling as sad as I was a moment ago, and it's like, what is this sort of complex-

    30. JSJay Shetty39:48

        [laughs]
13. 41:39 – 44:48

    What Makes a Real Friend?

    1. CHChris Hemsworth41:39

       you know, safe house for those discussions is, is a, is a real benefit.

    2. JSJay Shetty41:43

       Yeah. It's really powerful. I f- I feel like that's the hardest thing for most artists or athletes-

    3. CHChris Hemsworth41:49

       Yeah

    4. JSJay Shetty41:49

       ... or people who go and live otherworldly lives.

    5. CHChris Hemsworth41:51

       Mm-hmm.

    6. JSJay Shetty41:52

       And then it's almost like you have all your best friends back home or your, the people you grew up with.

    7. CHChris Hemsworth41:55

       Yeah.

    8. JSJay Shetty41:56

       And you need them because they're the only ones who remind you of where you started and-

    9. CHChris Hemsworth41:59

       Mm-hmm

    10. JSJay Shetty42:00

        ... where it came from, but they don't understand-

    11. CHChris Hemsworth42:02

        No

    12. JSJay Shetty42:02

        ... the new world that you deal with, and so you kind of have this version of it where they can reconcile with you the challenges. It's not like, "Oh, well, Chris, you're rich and famous. It doesn't matter."

    13. CHChris Hemsworth42:13

        Yeah.

    14. JSJay Shetty42:13

        It's like, they're like, "Oh, no, those things are still real."

    15. CHChris Hemsworth42:16

        Yeah.

    16. JSJay Shetty42:16

        "And you still experience imposter syndrome, and you still experience anxiety," and they can vouch for that because they probably go through the same thing.

    17. CHChris Hemsworth42:22

        Oh, for sure.

    18. JSJay Shetty42:23

        Yeah.

    19. CHChris Hemsworth42:23

        I mean, I feel very lucky for, for, to have them in the same space.

    20. JSJay Shetty42:27

        Yeah.

    21. CHChris Hemsworth42:27

        But the... I'd say the thing that has had the biggest effect on me is the, the team of people I get to work with, which is from my, you know, the, the hair and makeup team, um, my costume guy that I travel with, um, my assistant, my trainer. That group I've known for about 14 years.

    22. JSJay Shetty42:43

        Wow.

    23. CHChris Hemsworth42:44

        Um, my assistant and my trainer I've known for-35 years that I went to school with and my two best mates. And to have the five or six of us travel together is in-- I thought was quite common. Why wouldn't you bring along your mates and have the same people with you? And the amount of people I've met in, in the highest of positions that live this isolated, lonely existence and don't have true friendships around and, and groups of people who, who remind them who they are really and, and remind them also there's a, there's a grounding quality to it, um, I thought is such a tragedy. You know, they give this, this abundance of opportunity and this sort of, um, you know, one in a million chance to sort of participate in this journey where you get to travel and you're dealing with all this, um, this experience and, uh, activation and interaction with the world on a level that, you know, most of us wouldn't get to experience, yet you're doing it alone.

    24. JSJay Shetty43:42

        Mm.

    25. CHChris Hemsworth43:42

        You, you have no, no one to share it with. And I think that's the, you know, the social connection. It's like it's only as good as the people standing either side of you that, that get to walk that journey with you. Because, you know, there's times when you become a little jaded about it. There's times when it becomes a little normal, normal. You- Times when it becomes boring, and to have someone to shake you and go, "Hey, isn't it pretty cool? Remember where we came from? Remember what we could be doing? Remember what we used to do?" Um, is a, is incredibly invigorating and, and, and I find myself, um, the thing I'm most grateful for, I think, in my career is having those core people with me constantly.

    26. JSJay Shetty44:16

        Yeah. How, how do you define a real friend?

    27. CHChris Hemsworth44:20

        Someone you can laugh with and who, who you can laugh at each other.

    28. JSJay Shetty44:24

        [laughs] Yeah. No.

    29. CHChris Hemsworth44:25

        And, um, and it's not offensive, or it can be, and that's okay. [laughs]

    30. JSJay Shetty44:30

        [laughs]
14. 44:48 – 54:11

    The Alzheimer’s Diagnosis

    1. CHChris Hemsworth44:48

       away, they'd still be there having a laugh, patting you on the back saying, "Well, we gave it a shot." [laughs]

    2. JSJay Shetty44:54

       [laughs]

    3. CHChris Hemsworth44:54

       And I've got a lot of those people in my life I'm very thankful for.

    4. JSJay Shetty44:56

       Yeah. I, I, I love that. It's, it's definitely, it's British banter's a big thing, but I got to learn that Australian banter's as strong, if not better as well.

    5. CHChris Hemsworth45:05

       [laughs]

    6. JSJay Shetty45:05

       Because when I was touring in, uh... When I toured Australia, uh, two years back, and we did three shows at the Sydney Opera House. We did Melbourne and Brisbane. And I, I have lots of moments in my show where I bring people up on stage and-

    7. CHChris Hemsworth45:18

       Yeah

    8. JSJay Shetty45:18

       ... we're going through all sorts of experiments and activities, and every single person would banter back.

    9. CHChris Hemsworth45:24

       Yeah.

    10. JSJay Shetty45:24

        Like, there was no one who was letting me get away-

    11. CHChris Hemsworth45:25

        [laughs]

    12. JSJay Shetty45:25

        ... with a joke at their expense.

    13. CHChris Hemsworth45:27

        Yeah.

    14. JSJay Shetty45:27

        And I was like, "This is amazing." It was so much fun. Everyone was so fast.

    15. CHChris Hemsworth45:30

        Yeah.

    16. JSJay Shetty45:31

        The quips were great. Like-

    17. CHChris Hemsworth45:32

        It's good. There's a good self-deprecating sort of quality.

    18. JSJay Shetty45:34

        Yeah, yeah.

    19. CHChris Hemsworth45:35

        It's nice.

    20. JSJay Shetty45:35

        And, and I love that too is I, I feel like, you know, I, I have a, I have a WhatsApp group with all my best mates back in London.

    21. CHChris Hemsworth45:41

        Yeah.

    22. JSJay Shetty45:42

        And all we do is just roast each other all day long.

    23. CHChris Hemsworth45:45

        Yeah.

    24. JSJay Shetty45:45

        So whether someone posts something on social media or-

    25. CHChris Hemsworth45:47

        Yeah

    26. JSJay Shetty45:47

        ... send this video out, whatever it is, and I think that that's such a good test of friendship.

    27. CHChris Hemsworth45:52

        Oh, for sure.

    28. JSJay Shetty45:52

        And, and when we-- when me and my, my wife's from London too. When we moved to America, we-- me and my wife roast each other just as you would roast one of your boys, and everyone on my team would just think we were having a massive argument-

    29. CHChris Hemsworth46:03

        [laughs] Yeah

    30. JSJay Shetty46:04

        ... because they just weren't used to it. So they thought we hated each other.
15. 54:11 – 57:41

    Realizing How Precious Time Truly Is

    1. CHChris Hemsworth54:11

       to be vulnerable, allowing each other to talk about their fears and their concerns and help navigate it together as opposed to, again, having blinkers on and sort of burying our heads in the sand, you know?"

    2. JSJay Shetty54:23

       Yeah. I feel like this is-- You know, it's, it's almost-- It's such a big thing, and it's such a hard thing that it's hard to be like, oh, when we've had b- hard things happen in the family before, we talk about it. This is-

    3. CHChris Hemsworth54:35

       Yeah

    4. JSJay Shetty54:35

       ... this is different to that.

    5. CHChris Hemsworth54:37

       Mm-hmm.

    6. JSJay Shetty54:37

       Even though everyone's an adult now-

    7. CHChris Hemsworth54:39

       Yeah

    8. JSJay Shetty54:39

       ... you know, your family and everyone's grown up, it's, it's a difficult conversation to have, and it's-- Have you, as a family, always had open conversations and emotional conversations and difficult conversations, or has there not really been a need to have one and-

    9. CHChris Hemsworth54:52

       N- no, we, we, we have, but there hasn't been a need as, um-Uh, as, as I guess as-

    10. JSJay Shetty55:00

        Mm

    11. CHChris Hemsworth55:00

        ... as important as this one. You know? It wasn't as personal. Like we, we've obviously had, you know, people die and, and situations occur, and things that we're all, you know, confronting and, and, and the u- you know, human experience of tragedy and, and, and, and so on. But it wasn't as in front of us as this was. And the interesting, or the complex thing about, I think, dementia and Alzheimer's is it's when the f- signs first start to show, they're very subtle. So you still sort of think, "Oh, we can manage this," you know? And, um, and then it gets over time a little worse. And de- depending on the regression, you know, some people it happens in six months, and they're in a sort of vegetable catacon- catatonic state. Whereas, um, and then some people it's a, it's a slower, um, regression. And, and, and so again, there's, there's an easy, um, option to sort of ignore those subtle changes. And I, and, and I think this experience made it, um, far more prominent for all of us, and we had to pay attention to it. And even my mom had said, you know, my dad did the interview. She's like, "I've never even heard him talk like that. I didn't even know he felt that. I didn't know he was experiencing that." And because he didn't wanna put that burden upon someone else. And, and, and, um, and so yeah, I, I, I, I guess I'm thankful for the opportunity to, to [laughs] be able to embark on this sort of journey with him and how, as far as the documentary went because it, it ignited something in, in I think all of us in my family to, to be a lot more proactive and a lot more present and, and a lot more connected because, you know, we're watching sort of memories disappear in front of us.

    12. JSJay Shetty56:49

        The first time you're going through it, you d- like, and same as it, my experience, like before the pandemic, before he did pass away, I would go back to see him.

    13. CHChris Hemsworth56:56

        Yeah.

    14. JSJay Shetty56:57

        And every time I'd go back, I'd notice, especially because I was living in LA, so every time I'd go back, I'd notice big changes than the people who were with him every day.

    15. CHChris Hemsworth57:06

        Mm-hmm.

    16. JSJay Shetty57:06

        And it was like, I'd go back maybe every four months to see him or whatever it was, and it's like the first time he'd, he'd still remember my name, but he'd forget that I was there after like 10 minutes-

    17. CHChris Hemsworth57:17

        Mm

    18. JSJay Shetty57:17

        ... and then say hello again. And then the next time I'd go, he'd remember my name, but then he'd only, he'd forget me every 30 seconds or whatever it was. And then, you know, you just, I saw that decline because I wasn't with him every day. And-

    19. CHChris Hemsworth57:28

        How long between when he was-

    20. JSJay Shetty57:29

        Oh my gosh

    21. CHChris Hemsworth57:30

        ... diagnosed to when he passed?

    22. JSJay Shetty57:31

        Maybe like, I think I'd have to check the exact time, but maybe like three to four years.

    23. CHChris Hemsworth57:34

        Wow. Yeah.

    24. JSJay Shetty57:35

        Yeah, like three to f- yeah.

    25. CHChris Hemsworth57:36

        Yeah.

    26. JSJay Shetty57:36

        Yeah.

    27. CHChris Hemsworth57:37

        It's, it's, w- my, the same time my dad was diagnosed, um,

16. 57:41 – 1:01:55

    Witnessing Your Parents Grow Older

    1. CHChris Hemsworth57:41

       the, a friend of ours was diagnosed, and my dad's actually i- in a remarkable position compared to that, that friend of ours who-

    2. JSJay Shetty57:51

       Yeah

    3. CHChris Hemsworth57:51

       ... who s- who can barely speak and v- that glazed, vague look of sort of confusion cons- 24/7. Um, my dad, it's the short-term memory, you know? And, and it's, the older memories are still very strong and evident, and he can sit here and recognize people. But there's some re- repetition now occurring more than there was. But, um, you know, I'm thankful that it's hasn't happened as fast as a, a, a lot of instances, you know? Yeah.

    4. JSJay Shetty58:18

       Yeah. Yeah.

    5. CHChris Hemsworth58:18

       Well, it was about probably four, maybe even five years ago, you know?

    6. JSJay Shetty58:22

       Yeah. That's, yeah-

    7. CHChris Hemsworth58:23

       Yeah

    8. JSJay Shetty58:23

       ... no, I'm happy to hear that too, and it was, it's beautiful to watch you go back to your childhood home, like rebuilt-

    9. CHChris Hemsworth58:29

       Yeah

    10. JSJay Shetty58:29

        ... rebuilt, redesign, and-

    11. CHChris Hemsworth58:30

        [laughs]

    12. JSJay Shetty58:30

        ... when everyone watches it, they'll know what I mean when I say that. But just like-

    13. CHChris Hemsworth58:33

        Yeah

    14. JSJay Shetty58:33

        ... it's such a special thing to do. Like I, I, I can't imagine what it felt like for him and for you-

    15. CHChris Hemsworth58:38

        Yeah

    16. JSJay Shetty58:38

        ... to even go back there as like a-

    17. CHChris Hemsworth58:40

        Yeah. It's funny-

    18. JSJay Shetty58:41

        ... fully grown adult 'cause he was an adult when he was there last.

    19. CHChris Hemsworth58:43

        Yeah.

    20. JSJay Shetty58:43

        But, you know.

    21. CHChris Hemsworth58:44

        No, and it was, um, uh, the reminiscence therapy is what it was called, about, you know, the, this basically, um, stimulating old memories in the hippocampus and, and, and triggering memories that held a great amount of or l- larger, um, emotional responses. So whether it be exhilarating, exciting, nerve-wracking, those intense memories to stimulate those via looking at old photographs, talking to old friends from the past, discussing things that happened in the past. What we did was a very elaborate, supercharged version [laughs] of that.

    22. JSJay Shetty59:16

        [laughs]

    23. CHChris Hemsworth59:16

        We, you know, we had a, a film crew with us and a production, and, and they basically took the house that we grew up in and stripped all the furniture out and somehow sourced u- furniture and posters and DVD players and whatever, you know, that we had as kids and set the house up the way it was when we lived there. And it was, um, beyond sort of comprehension that when I first walked in, I was struggling to sort of articulate how I felt about it because my brain didn't know what to do with it. And, um, and it was remarkable sort of seeing my dad sort of come to life in moments and, and, and it trigger all of his other memories and, um, but it-- And then my mum going through the house, and it triggering a different experience for her, you know, as a reminder of the passage of time and the memories she had then, but the memories we may not have, you know, in, in a few years' time or that is disappearing. Uh, but it was, um, yeah, a pretty wild experience for sure.

    24. JSJay Shetty1:00:18

        Yeah. Yeah. It's, it just fully takes you back, and it's, uh, I, I imagine that while you're doing this, because you're doing the supercharged version, there's a sense of, I wonder how your thoughts on how making memories has changed.

    25. CHChris Hemsworth1:00:31

        Mm.

    26. JSJay Shetty1:00:32

        Because we say that as humans, like, "Oh, we should make, let's make memories."

    27. CHChris Hemsworth1:00:36

        Mm-hmm.

    28. JSJay Shetty1:00:36

        But I don't know if we really think about it as profoundly as you do when you're faced with-

    29. CHChris Hemsworth1:00:42

        Yeah

    30. JSJay Shetty1:00:42

        ... not knowing how many more you can make and how many have departed. So how has, how has your thought process on, like, make, the idea of making memories been impacted?
17. 1:01:55 – 1:06:50

    Honoring the People Who Raised You

    1. CHChris Hemsworth1:01:56

       wow, th- they've been the authority and now they're looking to us.

    2. JSJay Shetty1:01:59

       Mm.

    3. CHChris Hemsworth1:02:00

       And what that does to the ego and all-- A- and it's, it's, it takes a great amount of grace and humility to go, "Oh, I now have to seek support where I used to lead the way. And I, and I don't have the answers to that. And now, you know, um, my kids may be the authority [laughs] on a lot of these subjects." [laughs] You know, even though we thought we were, you know, all through our-

    4. JSJay Shetty1:02:23

       [laughs]

    5. CHChris Hemsworth1:02:24

       ... our e- egoic youthful [laughs] times. But the, um, that sort of transition. And so for him, that was really... You know, I looked at that, making the documentary as a-- I thought, I was very thankful for watching him. And a lot of the crew said this, "Wow," as the days went on, he really sort of took charge-

    6. JSJay Shetty1:02:41

       Yeah

    7. CHChris Hemsworth1:02:41

       ... and felt like he was in the driver's seat again. And I think that's really important for, for people to remember, is to still give them some agency and still, as much as there is a lack of control. But I don't know, i- i- allowing them to embody some authority and narrative on their life as opposed to like, now you just have to sit in this space and, and, um, have your hand out and be supported.

    8. JSJay Shetty1:03:03

       Yeah. Yeah. You think you're helping, but actually you're hurting.

    9. CHChris Hemsworth1:03:06

       Yeah.

    10. JSJay Shetty1:03:06

        Right.

    11. CHChris Hemsworth1:03:06

        It, it's like you g- And I try and, you know, I sh- ask my dad questions I know the answers to, but just to, that I know he, he will feel like he has, um, [laughs] hopefully, hopefully he doesn't hear this 'cause then [laughs]

    12. JSJay Shetty1:03:21

        [laughs]

    13. CHChris Hemsworth1:03:21

        He'll forget it anyway.

    14. JSJay Shetty1:03:21

        Yeah. [laughs]

    15. CHChris Hemsworth1:03:22

        Um, but, uh, you know, I- I- I'll ask him things just to sort of stimulate some, again, agency and-

    16. JSJay Shetty1:03:28

        Yeah

    17. CHChris Hemsworth1:03:28

        ... and authority in his, his thinking. But-

    18. JSJay Shetty1:03:30

        Yeah. I mean, it must've been pretty amazing to see him ride a motorcycle, like that-

    19. CHChris Hemsworth1:03:34

        Yeah, I mean, he still rides motorbikes

    20. JSJay Shetty1:03:34

        ... even that, like yeah.

    21. CHChris Hemsworth1:03:35

        Yeah.

    22. JSJay Shetty1:03:35

        That's pretty impressive. Like-

    23. CHChris Hemsworth1:03:36

        No, he's-

    24. JSJay Shetty1:03:36

        When I saw that, I was like, wow, that's-

    25. CHChris Hemsworth1:03:38

        Yeah

    26. JSJay Shetty1:03:38

        ... that must feel great for him to get, because he used to be a-

    27. CHChris Hemsworth1:03:41

        Yeah

    28. JSJay Shetty1:03:41

        ... you know. It, it just, to me, that, that also must feel like some agency for him to still be so active in that way.

    29. CHChris Hemsworth1:03:47

        For sure.

    30. JSJay Shetty1:03:47

        Because-
18. 1:06:50 – 1:10:18

    The Rare Feeling of Getting It Right

    1. CHChris Hemsworth1:06:50

       but the master interviews that I watched after and thought, oh my God, I had no idea th- that those were the things he was considering, but also the sense of humor he had with it, and the, the humility and the sort of self-deprecating sort of nature that he, he had e- even in discussing the most difficult things, you know?

    2. JSJay Shetty1:07:08

       Yeah. It must be really special that you have all those tapes

    3. CHChris Hemsworth1:07:11

       Yeah, absolutely. I had, um-

    4. JSJay Shetty1:07:12

       Yeah

    5. CHChris Hemsworth1:07:13

       ... I think you said this at, at, at the start of our chat, but he... I, I had a friend of mine say, 'cause I was really concerned about doing this, and even through it, and even after we'd finished, I was talking to the director, and I was like, "Oh, it's just a good thing if I, you know, I, I, again, I don't wanna feel like this is exploiting any of this." And, and he said, "You know, I lost my father really suddenly and never had a chance to have these conversations. And the fact that you've been able to have this experience and force these conversations out of one another, um, what a gift." And then so many people who were at the screening, the premiere a few weeks ago said, "I wish I had done this," or, "I now am gonna do this. I'm now gonna reach out to my parents or that loved one or friend that I hadn't said these things to," because, um, it was just a reminder of the fleeting nature and, and, of, of all of it, you know?

    6. JSJay Shetty1:08:05

       Yeah. Well, that's, that's what's amazing about it, that it, it doesn't have to be awesome. It's like, you know-

    7. CHChris Hemsworth1:08:10

       Yeah, no

    8. JSJay Shetty1:08:10

       ... it, it's just about-

    9. CHChris Hemsworth1:08:12

       Yeah

    10. JSJay Shetty1:08:12

        ... having time and space to reconnect-

    11. CHChris Hemsworth1:08:14

        Yeah

    12. JSJay Shetty1:08:14

        ... and see your parents for who they-

    13. CHChris Hemsworth1:08:16

        Yeah

    14. JSJay Shetty1:08:16

        ... are and who they didn't show you because they were protecting you and-

    15. CHChris Hemsworth1:08:19

        Mm-hmm, yeah

    16. JSJay Shetty1:08:20

        ... who they didn't want to or they weren't ready to. And, and it's hard because we all have, everyone has different relationships with their parents-

    17. CHChris Hemsworth1:08:26

        Yeah

    18. JSJay Shetty1:08:26

        ... and everything. But there's, there's something beautiful about being able to just sit there and see them, and them being-

    19. CHChris Hemsworth1:08:31

        Sure

    20. JSJay Shetty1:08:31

        ... uh, them allowing you-

    21. CHChris Hemsworth1:08:32

        'Cause even, like, th- i- making the documentary was like, on one hand, I sort of... We're, you know, we're, we're out to sort of understand Alzheimer's or dementia and, and, and find the fix, find the silver bullet, you know? Um, look into reminiscence therapy, look into different medications, look into different modalities and approaches on how to handle it. And then by the end of it, it was exactly that. It was like, oh, wow, this is about connection. This is universal to all of our experience. This isn't just about Alzheimer's. This is about supporting one another and being there for one another and being part of a family and a community, and that interconnected nature of all of it, as opposed to one lane with dementia or Alzheimer's, cognitive health. It, it was about, it was about love and support and, um, and connection. And that, for me, was the biggest takeaway, I think, you know. Or as equally as sort of beneficial as the connection with my dad was about what it meant universally to all of my relationships.

    22. JSJay Shetty1:09:27

        Mm. What did, what did you learn about yourself that you weren't aware of or that you hadn't come across before?

    23. CHChris Hemsworth1:09:33

        You know, I felt just that I was doing something right, [laughs] I think. And I know this sounds kinda strange, but I, I, I had so much doubt and criticism and concern about it.

    24. JSJay Shetty1:09:42

        Mm.

    25. CHChris Hemsworth1:09:42

        And then I was sitting at, at the premiere, and my dad kept, like, holding my hand, and he's never done that, you know? And he was both emotional and laughing and, and, and I thought, "Oh, wow, this is like, out of all the things I've done and things I've put on screen and the, and the things I've made, this feels profoundly important and, and, and deeply personal, but special and unique to probably anything I'll ever do again." And, um, and I don't know. It, it, it...

19. 1:10:18 – 1:13:57

    Messages for Your Younger Self

    1. CHChris Hemsworth1:10:18

       Little bit of what we were saying before, but I, I, I don't walk around thinking I've sort of, um, I am the thing I guess I pr- [laughs] try and present of having figured it out and having this sort of, um, you know, being entirely in control of things. I've more doubt than, you know, I don't know. Or as much doubt as anyone or more doubt than anyone. [laughs] I don't know. But, but I have a lot of inner criticism and, and so on. And this, I don't know, I, I felt a real lift in, in that. And I felt like there was plenty... That there, there are plenty more opportunities, or should be, to do things that have a deeper message and, and, and can resonate, um, on a larger scale, and they can mean something. It doesn't just have to be purely entertainment. It doesn't just have to be... It, it can have a deeper message, you know?

    2. JSJay Shetty1:11:09

       Yeah.

    3. CHChris Hemsworth1:11:09

       And, um, I don't know. I cut myself some slack, I guess.

    4. JSJay Shetty1:11:13

       [laughs]

    5. CHChris Hemsworth1:11:14

       [laughs] I was like-

    6. JSJay Shetty1:11:15

       I love that

    7. CHChris Hemsworth1:11:16

       ... I felt a sense of sort of pride that I hadn't felt before.

    8. JSJay Shetty1:11:19

       Yeah, I love hearing that. I'm, I'm glad you're finally g- you know-

    9. CHChris Hemsworth1:11:22

       Yeah

    10. JSJay Shetty1:11:22

        ... giving yourself some credit. [laughs]

    11. CHChris Hemsworth1:11:23

        And I'm not saying I'm kind of, you know-

    12. JSJay Shetty1:11:25

        Yeah

    13. CHChris Hemsworth1:11:25

        ... disapproving of everything I've done and, you know-

    14. JSJay Shetty1:11:27

        Yeah

    15. CHChris Hemsworth1:11:27

        ... walk i- But, but I don't know, it resonated on a different level to me.

    16. JSJay Shetty1:11:31

        Yeah.

    17. CHChris Hemsworth1:11:32

        Um...

    18. JSJay Shetty1:11:33

        I think that's real. I, I, I think-

    19. CHChris Hemsworth1:11:34

        Yeah

    20. JSJay Shetty1:11:34

        ... it's real. I think, I think that's... They just feed different things, right?

    21. CHChris Hemsworth1:11:38

        Yeah.

    22. JSJay Shetty1:11:38

        In, in the same ways that you can make something purely entertaining that makes people have the best time and laugh and whatever it is, making something that personal-

    23. CHChris Hemsworth1:11:46

        Yeah

    24. JSJay Shetty1:11:47

        ... there's, there's nothing like it. Like, I'm sure it was almost more gratifying watching your dad watch himself-

    25. CHChris Hemsworth1:11:53

        Oh, 100%

    26. JSJay Shetty1:11:53

        ... than it was ever seeing any-

    27. CHChris Hemsworth1:11:54

        Yeah

    28. JSJay Shetty1:11:54

        ... of your movies.

    29. CHChris Hemsworth1:11:55

        Yeah.

    30. JSJay Shetty1:11:55

        Because that's how we're designed. Like-
20. 1:13:57 – 1:19:39

    Staying Connected to Your Childlike Self

    1. CHChris Hemsworth1:13:57

       of emotions. I don't know why, but, uh, I would like to appease and remove some of that, if I could, to my younger self by saying, "Don't worry. Just trust in the, in the process and go with the flow a little more," you know? But then again, as I said, I, I'm, I wouldn't change anything, so [laughs] -

    2. JSJay Shetty1:14:15

       It would ... Yeah

    3. CHChris Hemsworth1:14:16

       ... I wouldn't wanna steer myself off the path.

    4. JSJay Shetty1:14:17

       [laughs] Yeah. It's like-

    5. CHChris Hemsworth1:14:19

       Yeah

    6. JSJay Shetty1:14:19

       ... almost if you went back and did that, then you wouldn't be-

    7. CHChris Hemsworth1:14:21

       Yeah

    8. JSJay Shetty1:14:21

       ... doing what you're doing today and-

    9. CHChris Hemsworth1:14:23

       I want the same outcome-

    10. JSJay Shetty1:14:24

        [laughs]

    11. CHChris Hemsworth1:14:24

        ... but I want it to be less challenging. [laughs]

    12. JSJay Shetty1:14:27

        Isn't that all of us? That's so funny. That-

    13. CHChris Hemsworth1:14:29

        Yeah

    14. JSJay Shetty1:14:29

        ... that's literally it.

    15. CHChris Hemsworth1:14:30

        Yeah. Yeah.

    16. JSJay Shetty1:14:30

        It's like that's-

    17. CHChris Hemsworth1:14:31

        [laughs]

    18. JSJay Shetty1:14:31

        ... that would, that is everyone's desire in life.

    19. CHChris Hemsworth1:14:34

        Yeah.

    20. JSJay Shetty1:14:34

        And it's almost like-

    21. CHChris Hemsworth1:14:35

        Yeah

    22. JSJay Shetty1:14:35

        ... never the case. It's al- even this, even you making this documentary, it was, it was uncomfortable.

    23. CHChris Hemsworth1:14:40

        Yeah.

    24. JSJay Shetty1:14:41

        And now you're sitting back reflecting, going-

    25. CHChris Hemsworth1:14:43

        Yeah

    26. JSJay Shetty1:14:43

        ... "I'm really proud of it. It made me feel good my, you know, sitting with my dad," like.

    27. CHChris Hemsworth1:14:46

        Mm-hmm.

    28. JSJay Shetty1:14:46

        But it was an uncomfortable journey of-

    29. CHChris Hemsworth1:14:48

        Yeah

    30. JSJay Shetty1:14:48

        ... do I make it? Do I not? Is it, how's it gonna look? And so it's such a, the discomfort to joy-
21. 1:19:39 – 1:22:30

    Lessons We Learn From Our Children

    1. CHChris Hemsworth1:19:39

       Yeah.

    2. JSJay Shetty1:19:39

       And so we pressure down or suppress our childlike self-

    3. CHChris Hemsworth1:19:43

       Yeah

    4. JSJay Shetty1:19:44

       ... because we- we're scared we might get childish, and it's-

    5. CHChris Hemsworth1:19:46

       Mm-hmm

    6. JSJay Shetty1:19:46

       ... the intelligent self sees the childish part and goes, "Oh, whatever."

    7. CHChris Hemsworth1:19:50

       Yeah.

    8. JSJay Shetty1:19:50

       But, but it's the childlike self that we know exists and has that power. There's this, uh... When I'm doing workshops, I have this thing called the 30 Circles Test. It's basically an A4 piece of paper-

    9. CHChris Hemsworth1:19:59

       Mm-hmm

    10. JSJay Shetty1:19:59

        ... with 30 circles on it, and I'll do this with executives across the world and big companies and all the rest of it, and I'll say, "You've got 30 seconds to uniquely complete 30 circles." That's the only instruction they get, and they all have a pencil.

    11. CHChris Hemsworth1:20:11

        Right.

    12. JSJay Shetty1:20:12

        So everyone starts scribbling. There's a timer, and then the time starts going down, and then I go, "Five, four, three, two, one. Time's up." Some of them keep scribbling, like, you know, trying to get some more time in, and then they stop, and I ask them what they've done. And the top five answers are always someone wrote the numbers one to 30 in every circle. The second answer is people wrote A to Zed and then A, B, C, D. And then people do squiggles, people do emojis and little smiley faces, sad faces, footballs, pizzas, all that kind of stuff. And that's pretty much it, and these are, like, the smartest executives, CMOs, CEOs, whatever, of all the big, you know, Fortune 500 companies and all the rest of it. And then I've done the same thing with kids, and with 10-year-olds usually, and I learnt this from the person who built the 30 Circles Test. And, uh, the kids just come up with these amazing things.

    13. CHChris Hemsworth1:21:01

        Mm.

    14. JSJay Shetty1:21:01

        So this one boy, he put a line around it, put a little sign on top, and then put lines on the circles. And when I asked him what it was, he said it was a bag of tennis balls and-

    15. CHChris Hemsworth1:21:13

        Oh, wow

    16. JSJay Shetty1:21:13

        ... because he plays tennis. And then there was this other girl who, she did all this intricate line work, like straight lines on each piece and different things, and then when I asked her what it was, she said it was a bird's-eye view of a chessboard and, and 'cause she, she loves playing chess. And then my favorite one, I always remember this one. There's this little girl who did intricate circles and curves and all this kind of stuff, and when I asked her what it was, she held the paper like this. She goes, "It's bubble wrap."

    17. CHChris Hemsworth1:21:35

        [laughs]

    18. JSJay Shetty1:21:36

        And it was just like this really-

    19. CHChris Hemsworth1:21:37

        Yeah

    20. JSJay Shetty1:21:37

        ... like childlike, you know? And you never get an adult doing any of those-

    21. CHChris Hemsworth1:21:40

        No

    22. JSJay Shetty1:21:41

        ... because we just hear, "30 circles, 30 seconds."

    23. CHChris Hemsworth1:21:43

        Mm.

    24. JSJay Shetty1:21:44

        "Get the job done."

    25. CHChris Hemsworth1:21:45

        Yeah.

    26. JSJay Shetty1:21:45

        And you get, you get these kids who just have this little bit of freedom still-

    27. CHChris Hemsworth1:21:49

        Yeah

    28. JSJay Shetty1:21:49

        ... where they haven't got trained to-

    29. CHChris Hemsworth1:21:51

        Yeah

    30. JSJay Shetty1:21:51

        ... shut that out, but-
22. 1:22:30 – 1:28:12

    Being Fully Present With Your Partner

    1. CHChris Hemsworth1:22:30

       and-

    2. JSJay Shetty1:22:30

       India, right?

    3. CHChris Hemsworth1:22:31

       Two... Yeah.

    4. JSJay Shetty1:22:31

       You're right.

    5. CHChris Hemsworth1:22:31

       Yeah.

    6. JSJay Shetty1:22:31

       Yeah, yeah. So she's 13, yeah.

    7. CHChris Hemsworth1:22:33

       Yeah.

    8. JSJay Shetty1:22:33

       What would you say your kids have taught you, uh, that you didn't anticipate they would?

    9. CHChris Hemsworth1:22:39

       Um, oh, it... [laughs] I'd like to say they taught me patience. They're attempting to teach me patience.

    10. JSJay Shetty1:22:45

        [laughs]

    11. CHChris Hemsworth1:22:45

        You know? 'Cause I don't know that I've figured it out.

    12. JSJay Shetty1:22:47

        Yeah.

    13. CHChris Hemsworth1:22:48

        I mean, it, it... Talk about the ways you kind of, you know, can be in control and be in authority in spaces and, and, and have it all figured out, and then you-

    14. JSJay Shetty1:22:56

        [laughs]

    15. CHChris Hemsworth1:22:56

        ... that door opens, and it's just chaos, and it's like I'm failing on ev- at every [laughs] single component of this. The, again, the importance of, of, of time, you know? And, and the things that I thought were gonna bring great joy, and the things that I was gonna provide and give comfort, security, it's far simpler than that. It's attention, you know. They want your presence. They want your, your space. They want your focus. And, um, and we overcomplicate it so often with the, the attempts at sort of more extravagant experiences and things, and y- yet they just want your time, you know? And that, for me, has been terrifying at times r- realizing how quick it's gone, you know? And I think I'll get to that, and then a year goes by, and I've done a couple of films or whatever and gone, "Oh, wow, what, which part of their, um, [laughs] you know, brief childhood have I, have I missed?" And so the, the, the, they've taught me a greater awareness around the importance of this moment because their personalities change every second and every day and every week and every month and, and you're kind of... You're mourning a version of that child every month because they're, they're gone, you know? You look at the sort of the, the three-year-old, and you think, "Oh, wow, this is it, and can't wait till they're out, they're out of nappies and doing this." And then all of a sudden they're four and five, and they're out of nappies, and you've put the stroller away, and you're like, "Oh, God, I wish I had that version back." And then so you're constantly saying goodbye to little versions of these people.

    16. JSJay Shetty1:24:34

        Mm.

    17. CHChris Hemsworth1:24:34

        And, um, so just pay attention. Just be here, be present. And they don't care about the, the things, the, all the sort of larger achievements and, you know, an award or a big film or this and that and the other, you know. They do momentarily. "Oh, that's cool. Whatever." Pfft, gone.

    18. JSJay Shetty1:24:52

        [laughs]

    19. CHChris Hemsworth1:24:52

        They just want you there.

    20. JSJay Shetty1:24:53

        Yeah.

    21. CHChris Hemsworth1:24:53

        And, uh, and that's comforting, I find, you know, because there's so... The pressure you put on yourself about those, those, you know, more superficial sort of accomplishments and things, um, are important on one hand but, but not as important as just being there.

    22. JSJay Shetty1:25:07

        Yeah. Yeah. What, what's been the... What's been the key to 15 years together?

    23. CHChris Hemsworth1:25:12

        Um, having fun, I think, you know. Uh, both having a sort of an adventurous spirit, um, making time for one another. I think the, the complicated times have been when it's been all work, all kids, and all of a suddenThe us in the relationship is, is what is sort of the non-existent. You know, you're, you're, uh, you're just kind of managing a household or the, the, the, the work family schedule, and Elsa will be off from work, and then I'll be off from work, and then it's chaos at kids and the kid, kid time and, and so it's sort of, um, removing ourself from all of that and just having time for the two of us and making space for each other rather than the rest of the world that can be so, um, all-consuming, you know?

    24. JSJay Shetty1:25:58

        Yeah. That must be so hard though, right? With your schedule.

    25. CHChris Hemsworth1:26:00

        Yeah. It, it, it is. It is. It's, it's, um... I think it's just hard to sort of f- for anyone really.

    26. JSJay Shetty1:26:07

        Yeah.

    27. CHChris Hemsworth1:26:07

        You know? The, it's, it's all relative and, you know, we-- Yeah, it's challenging, but we also have opportunity to make it work. We have no excuse as far as like how, um, how much time we can make for each other due to the support we can get and due to our situation. So, um, yeah, just h- just making each other laugh, you know?

    28. JSJay Shetty1:26:28

        Yeah.

    29. CHChris Hemsworth1:26:28

        Just kind of because there's so... The- there's so much over sort of focus on these kind of the importance and the intense sort of things and the big decisions and then it's the same with the kids. It's like the, the stuff that really resonates and when you really get along and you really kind of feel like you're just here in this space is when there's, there's humor involved-

    30. JSJay Shetty1:26:50

        Yeah, yeah, yeah
23. 1:28:12 – 1:31:18

    Helping Children Understand Alzheimer’s

    1. JSJay Shetty1:28:12

       when you still don't know each other, like you're still getting to know-

    2. CHChris Hemsworth1:28:15

       Yeah

    3. JSJay Shetty1:28:15

       ... like that's, that's I think such a beautiful thing of like you're- you still believe-

    4. CHChris Hemsworth1:28:20

       Yeah

    5. JSJay Shetty1:28:20

       ... there's more to know about this person-

    6. CHChris Hemsworth1:28:23

       Yeah

    7. JSJay Shetty1:28:23

       ... that you see every day-

    8. CHChris Hemsworth1:28:25

       Yeah

    9. JSJay Shetty1:28:25

       ... and live with, and you still believe, no, there's more to know. I don't know them fully.

    10. CHChris Hemsworth1:28:29

        Yeah.

    11. JSJay Shetty1:28:29

        And that, that keeps it fresh and new and exciting because there's an acceptance, whereas as soon as you think, oh, I know them-

    12. CHChris Hemsworth1:28:36

        Yeah

    13. JSJay Shetty1:28:36

        ... and I know their habits, and I can kind of predict everything they do.

    14. CHChris Hemsworth1:28:39

        Yeah.

    15. JSJay Shetty1:28:40

        And there is a part of that, and that's a helpful thing.

    16. CHChris Hemsworth1:28:42

        Yeah.

    17. JSJay Shetty1:28:42

        Like, oh, I know when they're tired, and I know when they need space, and I know when they're hungry or hangry or whatever it may be.

    18. CHChris Hemsworth1:28:48

        Yeah.

    19. JSJay Shetty1:28:48

        And that's helpful. Of course it is. But then it's also the acceptance of I actually don't know them because they're changing-

    20. CHChris Hemsworth1:28:53

        Yeah

    21. JSJay Shetty1:28:53

        ... and they're growing, and I haven't seen the mother version or the mother of three or the mother... You know.

    22. CHChris Hemsworth1:28:57

        Yeah.

    23. JSJay Shetty1:28:57

        There's, there's all these iterations that we almost think, well, no, people stay the same.

    24. CHChris Hemsworth1:29:02

        Yeah. Yeah, and it is, and, and it's having a sort of, um, allowance for that and a bit of compassion around w- you know, do we ever even know ourselves entirely? You know, how, how could we ever entirely know somebody else? And, and, but you have to keep reminding yourself to be curious and to sort of embody the humility to go, "Oh, I don't e- entirely understand or know that, but that's okay. I don't have to, um, I don't have to." You know [laughs] I, I don't have to entirely, you know... Th- there's sort of a pattern recognition, and you have your expectations and so on. But having a little more openness to, um, and then, and then, and, and curiosity, enthusiasm to understand what is it that makes you tick today versus tomorrow versus yesterday, you know, as opposed to thinking, "I know all of your tricks."

    25. JSJay Shetty1:29:56

        [laughs]

    26. CHChris Hemsworth1:29:56

        "You know all of mine." [laughs]

    27. JSJay Shetty1:29:57

        Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    28. CHChris Hemsworth1:29:58

        It takes away the sort of presumption, I guess, that we have around each other, which is, you know, I- I- is often cause for complication, I think. You know?

    29. JSJay Shetty1:30:09

        Mm.

    30. CHChris Hemsworth1:30:09

        I know why you did that. I know why you're gonna do this, and I know... It's just like then comes the eye roll and the contempt, and then-
24. 1:31:18 – 1:34:24

    Appreciating the Beauty in Life

    1. CHChris Hemsworth1:31:18

       I've-- I was-- It was very important for me to have them understand what was happening and articulate what this meant and also what it meant for me, you know, rather than, I guess, protect or, you know, um-Avoid that situation for them or that discomfort. I, I, I was kind of ... It was very important. And, and so when I would talk to them about it, initially they would be like, "Oh, okay, what does that mean?" "Yep, he's gonna forget his memories." "Okay." And then they'd go and see him, they'd go, "Oh, Dad, he's fine. Yes." And, and then they would come to me go, "Oh, he, he, he asked me this three times." And I said, "Well, this is what it is, and now you might have to look after me one day." And this is what we do, like this is family, and this is the importance of, you know, th- this connection, the support we have for one another, and having compassion for, um, you know, our vulnerable challenging times. And, um, and they've been great with it. You know, they have, they have big hearts, my, my, my kids. I'm so thankful for that, you know. And there is an, uh, um, an abundance of sort of compassion there, and they're like, "Okay, cool. What do you need from us?" You know, "Yep. Okay, cool." And they'll rally and go around, and I ... You know, they'll ask dad questions and things and talk about old memories and things I've talked about with them and, um ... Yeah. And then they'll also be little maniacs and-

    2. JSJay Shetty1:32:29

       [laughs]

    3. CHChris Hemsworth1:32:30

       [laughs] ... not care about any of it on other occasions, but for the most part, they've, they've been really good. And it ... My son a- one of my boys actually at the screening was g- really emotional. And it really kinda ... I was really surprised. And then he was, like, in the car on the way home, like, got really upset, and he said, "I just, I just love Craigy so much." And I said, "Well, he's still here, you know, go make sure you tell him." And, and he said, "I am. I, I wanna go around there more, and I wanna, you know, have more barbecues and ride motorbikes with him." And, and it was this great kind of, I think sort of awakening for him, you know. It was real, but until he s- saw that, the documentary, it wasn't as real.

    4. JSJay Shetty1:33:08

       Yeah.

    5. CHChris Hemsworth1:33:08

       And, um, and his brother who isn't probably as articulate with his sort of emotions, was ... It was still affecting him, you know. And both were like, and he was sort of agreeing, "Yep, yep. Let's, let's, let's go and be with him more, and let's, you know, let's make the most of this opportunity." So.

    6. JSJay Shetty1:33:25

       Yeah, that must've been amazing seeing their, their reaction to it as well with his-

    7. CHChris Hemsworth1:33:28

       Yeah. It was. It was. And it was ... I wasn't even focusing on it. You know, they're, uh, it was, I was sort of right there with my dad. And at the end of it, they were there and in the car on the way home talking, and I thought, "Oh, wow." I was sort of just focused on this moment, but now this is the next generation, [laughs] uh, you know, coming, and that sort of, the, the transference from one to the other and the experience that my dad had sort of had and passed to me, and now I pass to my kids and ...

    8. JSJay Shetty1:33:55

       Yeah. It's, uh, it, it's also the power of just media and storytelling in a way that if we could all personalize in a world where you're not a movie star-

    9. CHChris Hemsworth1:34:06

       Mm-hmm

    10. JSJay Shetty1:34:06

        ... and you're not making a documentary, and it's almost like I went to two friends' 70th birthday parties this year.

    11. CHChris Hemsworth1:34:14

        Mm.

    12. JSJay Shetty1:34:15

        And I've not known them ... I've known them both separately, two, two different people, and I've probably known them both for maybe the last 10

25. 1:34:24 – 1:38:47

    Knowing When It’s Time to Slow Down

    1. JSJay Shetty1:34:24

       years, if that. So I've not known them for, like, 60 years of their life.

    2. CHChris Hemsworth1:34:27

       Yeah.

    3. JSJay Shetty1:34:27

       I've got to know them in the last 10. And these birthday parties were filled with people they've known for, you know, nearly 70 years. And it was old friends, and of course, their kids and grandkids and families and ... You know, they, they weren't huge parties, but they were, they were big in that there were lots of very close people there. Teachers and, you know, um, business partners and just, just everyone. And, and it was so beautiful. Like, it was-

    4. CHChris Hemsworth1:34:53

       Yeah

    5. JSJay Shetty1:34:53

       ... it was such a special thing to attend as someone who's not-

    6. CHChris Hemsworth1:34:57

       Yeah

    7. JSJay Shetty1:34:57

       ... 70 years old.

    8. CHChris Hemsworth1:34:58

       Yeah.

    9. JSJay Shetty1:34:58

       And go, "Wow," like, "What an incredible life these two people have lived. How amazing it is to see them celebrate it, and how ... And they're not movie stars. And, and how amazing it is for their families to have made media about them."

    10. CHChris Hemsworth1:35:11

        Yeah.

    11. JSJay Shetty1:35:11

        So whether it's, like, a little homemade video of their highlight reel for 70 years or whether it's messages-

    12. CHChris Hemsworth1:35:17

        Yeah

    13. JSJay Shetty1:35:17

        ... from over the years. And I was just like the pow- And, and it's like I've only known them for the last 10 years, but I'm, like, weeping at these videos. Not ... And I haven't even been there for that long-

    14. CHChris Hemsworth1:35:25

        Yeah

    15. JSJay Shetty1:35:25

        ... like, compared to everyone else in the room.

    16. CHChris Hemsworth1:35:27

        Mm.

    17. JSJay Shetty1:35:27

        But there's a power to that and how connected we feel when you see someone's story being told.

    18. CHChris Hemsworth1:35:31

        Yeah. Yeah.

    19. JSJay Shetty1:35:32

        And it, and it makes you wonder how much more we can all do that for our families and-

    20. CHChris Hemsworth1:35:35

        Mm

    21. JSJay Shetty1:35:35

        ... the people we love.

    22. CHChris Hemsworth1:35:37

        Yeah.

    23. JSJay Shetty1:35:37

        Even if it's not on a big sc- You know, you're not going to a premiere or anything like that.

    24. CHChris Hemsworth1:35:41

        Yeah.

    25. JSJay Shetty1:35:41

        But how much of a need there is for celebrating people at milestones.

    26. CHChris Hemsworth1:35:45

        Yeah. For sure.

    27. JSJay Shetty1:35:46

        And, and kind of taking a moment to create storytelling around them so other people can appreciate them better too.

    28. CHChris Hemsworth1:35:52

        Yeah. It is. It's, uh, it's I think the most important thing to, to see one another and, and to be seen and to recognize in other, others the, the, the beauty and, and what they have represented, what they have given you. We, we don't often, you know ... I mean, at the milestones, the parties, and the birthdays and so on, we might, you know, offer that up. But I don't think we do it enough, you know. And, and the, it, the, it's, it's incredibly important because you ... You know, without that recognition from someone else, we don't really know kind of our effect on the world. We don't really ... You know, we, we can assume and, and think this or that, but for the most part, it's a sort of imagined s- uh, experience, you know? And the actuality of it, the reality of it when someone else taps you on the shoulder and says, "Hey, this is incredibly important what you've done, and this is incredibly memorable, and it had this, in- amazing, profound effect on me what you said this one time," we, um, we don't, we, yeah. We, I don't think we're as comfortable saying it or we don't sort of do it as often as we should.

    29. JSJay Shetty1:36:56

        Yeah. Yeah. And then, yeah, it's a good ... It's, this, this was definitely a good reminder of that-

    30. CHChris Hemsworth1:37:00

        Yeah
26. 1:38:47 – 1:42:30

    Who Takes Care of the Caregiver?

    1. CHChris Hemsworth1:38:47

       on the, the outcome of it, you know? And just be there for the experience and be there for the, the joy and the thrill and the adventure and, and, and have a greater curiosity around it without being consumed with the what if it goes wrong [chuckles] portion of things, you know? But it's a strange thing because as we've discussed a few times, you know, well, can you have one without the other? [laughs]

    2. JSJay Shetty1:39:12

       [laughs]

    3. CHChris Hemsworth1:39:13

       Um, but I, uh, you know, I-- and i- I have-- this has made me slow down a lot th- you know, with my dad recently and I'm looking at next year and I have films to do, but I've turned down a lot of things just so I can be here with him more and-- because I know I'm not gonna get 10 years down the track and go, "I'm glad I did those extra three or four films." I'm gonna say, "I wish I spent more time with him," and with my mum, you know? Um, and with my brothers and my wife, my kids, and family and friends and-- because it's, it's, uh, you know, you wake up and another 10 years has gone by [chuckles] and it's like it's been fun, but a lot of it has-- feels like a sort of a blurred Polaroid photograph. You know, I'm like, "God, I just can't even remember that," you know? And, but it was sort of all-consuming and so busy and such intensity and such high emotions and, and, and such sort of r- big risk, big reward, big payoffs, big, big loss, you know? And, and that's fun and there's a sort of, um, excitement to that, but I found-- I find sometimes i-- there's just pure exhaustion as well.

    4. JSJay Shetty1:40:18

       Mm.

    5. CHChris Hemsworth1:40:19

       And I just would like to kind of reset a bit and recharge and-

    6. JSJay Shetty1:40:22

       Mm

    7. CHChris Hemsworth1:40:22

       ... have a, a greater amount of sort of stillness and not want so much from a situation. Just kinda, just be here.

    8. JSJay Shetty1:40:30

       Yeah.

    9. CHChris Hemsworth1:40:31

       You know?

    10. JSJay Shetty1:40:32

        Is that why coming back here was so important instead of being in LA as well and-

    11. CHChris Hemsworth1:40:36

        Yeah, definitely.

    12. JSJay Shetty1:40:37

        Yeah.

    13. CHChris Hemsworth1:40:37

        Definitely. And it was right when I had kids, um, we were in LA, and we had a big beautiful house there and-- but it just didn't feel like home, and it was chaotic, and every time I'd leave the house I was reminded of work and reminded of what I was doing or what I wasn't doing and, and, um-

    14. JSJay Shetty1:40:52

        Mm

    15. CHChris Hemsworth1:40:52

        ... and that was, you know, documented by paparazzi and then plastered across sort of various news outlets and so on and, and it didn't-- it wasn't fulfilling on a sort of a personal soul level, you know? It didn't feel nourishing at all. And we came back here just for, just for a holiday, but in a sort of, um, a subtle attempt from me to [both laugh] sort of, you know, convince my wife to move here. And, uh, it was-- it wasn't, it wasn't a hard, uh, you know-

    16. JSJay Shetty1:41:20

        Hard sell

    17. CHChris Hemsworth1:41:20

        ... moment. No, it wasn't a hard sell at all. She was instantly like, "Oh, this will do. This is pretty special."

    18. JSJay Shetty1:41:25

        Yeah. Is your, is your dad's transition most hardest on your mum? Do you, do you see that?

    19. CHChris Hemsworth1:41:29

        Yeah, for sure. Yeah. That's the one that I... Hmm. Has become really complicated, um, because it's sort of... [lips smack] It-- What, what's scary is she has the same two copies of the APOE4. Um, I think there's a higher probab- probability of women getting it-

    20. JSJay Shetty1:41:51

        Oh, interesting. I didn't know

    21. CHChris Hemsworth1:41:52

        ... as opposed to men. So she's in an even higher risk category. Um, and the stress and the, um, the concern that she carries i- i- is, is, is incredibly dangerous, you know? Um, and detrimental to her health. And so my brothers and I, you know, big attempt to sort of offload that as much as we can. Um, a- and also watching... You know, you don't wanna be in, in a sort of romantic, loving relationship and then one have to be a carer and one have to be a patient, you know?

    22. JSJay Shetty1:42:28

        Mm-hmm.

    23. CHChris Hemsworth1:42:28

        It's, it's such a tragedy. And I

27. 1:42:30 – 1:53:01

    Chris on Final Five

    1. CHChris Hemsworth1:42:30

       think at times, um, that's where, that's where the roles have been assigned. And there's good days and bad days, but I think y- y- not being able to do the things that they used to do and not having the same connection and the same conversations that they used to have and, and that, um, there's a beautiful connection and love there, but there isn't the same depth to some of the conversations and the interactions they have now.

    2. JSJay Shetty1:42:57

       Mm.

    3. CHChris Hemsworth1:42:57

       There isn't the same, um, support and, and, n- you know, obviously no one's fault, but just there's sort of an inability or an incapacity to, to be there and provide that now because the, the memory isn't as, you know, strong as it was, and it's, and it's... In the short term, things are, um, rapidly sort of declining. So, um, yeah, m- we're sort of trying to implement a lot of things currently for her health and for his, but also trying to allow there to be some autonomy in my mum's life as well and, and a bit of agency in her space so she doesn't have to feel like she is, you know, the carer.

    4. JSJay Shetty1:43:38

       Yeah. It's, it's such a strange one, isn't it? It's like you're caring for the person who's actually unwell-

    5. CHChris Hemsworth1:43:43

       Yeah

    6. JSJay Shetty1:43:43

       ... and then caring for the person who's caring for the person who's unwell-

    7. CHChris Hemsworth1:43:46

       Yeah

    8. JSJay Shetty1:43:46

       ... who's often gets forgotten sometimes, isn't it?

    9. CHChris Hemsworth1:43:48

       Peter Attia said it to me-

    10. JSJay Shetty1:43:50

        Yeah

    11. CHChris Hemsworth1:43:50

        ... um, when my dad was first diagnosed. He said, "How's your mum?" I said, "Oh, yeah, she's good. She's fine, yeah." He goes, "She's the one I'd be concerned about."

    12. JSJay Shetty1:43:56

        Yeah.

    13. CHChris Hemsworth1:43:56

        You know? Because your dad, you know, we, we can slow the regression of Alzheimer's sometimes. Um-We're yet to sort of reverse it, you know? But once it starts, that's the path you're on. He said, "Your mum isn't there yet, isn't, isn't, you know, doesn't have sort of cognitive decline." But he goes, "But this is the environment where it will, it will promote or, uh, that is, is, is the stress and the sleepless nights, the increase in cortisol, um, and that anxiety and concern." He said, "All of those are like that's the environment for her to now sort of be forced down that path." So he said, "We've gotta pay attention there." And that, that was a, a beautiful reminder from him. And he said it a number of times. I keep in contact with him a lot and, and says, "How's your mom doing? How's your mom doing?" Um, yeah, she's definitely a, a big focus.

    14. JSJay Shetty1:44:45

        Yeah. Love that. Uh, Chris, it's been such a joy talking to you. Uh-

    15. CHChris Hemsworth1:44:49

        Thank you. You too.

    16. JSJay Shetty1:44:50

        Uh, truly just, just y- it's, it's beautiful feeling let into someone's life and heart in this way because it, it just, you know, puts so much into perspective for all of us to hear you kind of be so vulnerable and so open. Uh, it can't be easy. And of course seeing the documentary you just see how much you're letting everyone in and we end every episode with a final five.

    17. CHChris Hemsworth1:45:10

        Yeah.

    18. JSJay Shetty1:45:10

        These questions have to be answered in one sentence maximum. Often we go off-piste 'cause I get-

    19. CHChris Hemsworth1:45:14

        [laughs]

    20. JSJay Shetty1:45:15

        ... enthusiastic and excited. Uh, but Chris Hemsworth, these are your final five. Uh, we ask these to everyone on the show, or at least a few of these. Uh, so question number one, Chris, what's the best advice you've ever received?

    21. CHChris Hemsworth1:45:28

        [inhales] Best advice I've received. Um, I remember being asked this when I was doing Home and Away, this soap opera many years ago, a- and my answer was, "Be kind." And I remember the journalist at the time mocking me and saying, "Oh, it's like something you'd read on a teddy bear," or whatever. But that advice that was given to me by my mum is just be kind to people, be compassionate, has stayed true and been my North Star through everything I've ever done. And i- and in its simplicity is some-- there's some profound wisdom to it, you know. Be kind to yourself, be kind to others. That's about as, uh, you know, if we embody just that one thing, I think we'll, we'll do okay.

    22. JSJay Shetty1:46:12

        Yeah. I love that. Uh, second question. What is the worst advice you ever heard or received?

    23. CHChris Hemsworth1:46:18

        [laughs] I don't know. It's ... You asked me what I was afraid of and what, uh, makes me nervous. This.

    24. JSJay Shetty1:46:25

        [laughs]

    25. CHChris Hemsworth1:46:26

        [laughs]

    26. JSJay Shetty1:46:26

        I love that. Of all the-

    27. CHChris Hemsworth1:46:27

        All, all those tricks I was trying to [laughs]

    28. JSJay Shetty1:46:29

        Yeah. [laughs]

    29. CHChris Hemsworth1:46:30

        This is good anxiety, Chris. This is-

    30. JSJay Shetty1:46:31

        Yeah, exactly

Episode duration: 1:53:01