In recent months, Chris Hemsworth has been venturing out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), starring in Limitless for Disney+. In the docuseries, the Thor star travels all over the world in the hopes of unlocking the secrets to a healthier and longer life.In doing so, Hemsworth took on several grueling physical challenges (and even confronted his own health risks). And while these can be too much for some, it seemed like just another day in the office for Hemsworth. That said, one part of the show proved to be seriously troubling for the action star as Limitless director Darren Aronofsky has discovered.
Darren Aronofsky Said Hemsworth Wasn’t ‘An Obvious Choice’ For Limitless
Hemsworth may be the embodiment of physical fitness, but that didn’t necessarily make him the ideal celebrity for Limitless. And that’s why Aronofsky thought he would be perfect.
“Well, I like the Chris Hemsworth choice because it's not an obvious choice,” the director explained.
“He is incredibly focused in his life on health and fitness, and he seems so far away from any issues of end of life or should even be wondering and thinking about longevity. But actually, what the show points out is that there’s no time too early to start thinking about these questions.”
He also admires Hemsworth’s willingness to open up in front of the camera. “He was really vulnerable, and he really gave a lot of focus to it and a lot of access to it, and it's rare that you find a movie star who is so willing to be human,” Aronofsky noted.
On The Show, The Actor Endured Several Physical Challenges
On the show, Hemsworth set out to discover the “six pillars of longevity” and that meant taking on some extreme physical challenges. These include scaling a Sydney skyscraper, swimming in the Artic, and climbing up a 100-foot rope.
Of these challenges, the Artic swim proved to be the most grueling. Sure, Hemsworth had swum in the ocean before but never in temperatures this frigid.
“I've done a few ice baths here and there but in Australia in warmer temperatures and breathing in warm air,” he explained. “And then we arrive in Norway and we get there and it's literally snowing and there's ice all on the edge of the body of water I was going to swim in.”
The actor was also not prepared for the physical pain that came with swimming in icy waters.
“It's one thing to be swimming in an ice bath with your head out of the water, but once I put my head in, and I'm swimming and going for it, it was one of the worst pains I've ever felt,” Hemsworth continued. “This sort of ice cream headache.”
Not to mention, Hemsworth also found himself swimming away from his crew. “It was about a 300-meter swim and I got about 100 meters into it and I realized I was swimming off course and there were a couple of camera guys in the water going, ‘No no it's that way,’” the actor recalled.
“So I added a little distance to my swim. I felt dizzy, I felt like I was going to throw up at one point. My arms and legs became like lead balloons.”
In the end, however, Hemsworth did it and Aronofsky was seriously impressed. “The Artic swim was truly a monumental feat.”
Among All His Challenges, This Is What Scared Christ Hemsworth The Most
Hemsworth is certainly a man who is up for anything, and he proved that on the show. And while he handled the physical challenges quite well, the actor wasn’t exactly prepared when he was asked to fast for four days.
“Probably very few people out there on the planet have on purpose, fasted for four days,” Aronofsky explained.
“And anyone who's gone a few hours missing a meal can get an inkling of how rough that might be. But the four days was, I think probably the thing that might have scared Chris the most.”
Now, the actor has gone through drastic weight loss in the past, but that is nothing compared to fasting for four days straight. During the fast, Hemsworth couldn’t consume anything but water. And considering his typical diet, that’s not really substantial.
“I knew that was going to be tough because the amount of calories he takes in to play Thor,” Aronofsky noted.
Meanwhile, after filming all the episodes for the series, Hemsworth also revealed that he’s now practicing some of the things he learned at home. “I do a lot of ice baths now, a lot of saunas,” the actor revealed.
“The memory episode and looking at brain health and reducing stress became very, very important for many reasons. That's something that I've now been implementing day to day whether it be meditation or taking moments and having quieter moments throughout my day and taking pause and sitting in stillness as opposed to just jumping from one thing to another.”
As for fasting, Hemsworth is surprisingly also doing a little bit of it, although there are limits. “I did a bit of intermittent fasting for a while there,” he said. “I haven't done another four-day fast, that was pretty excruciating.”
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