The other night I was out with some friends and I asked them which Hollywood Chris was the hottest. They both responded “Pratt” and I was so scandalized that I made them pull up photos of all four Chrises on their phones. There was no way they would stick to their answer once presented with the facts, I thought. I was wrong. Then one of my friends made an Instagram poll on her stories, and her friends agreed with me; Pratt came in dead last, and Chris Hemsworth ran away with 52% of the vote. I’m not sure he’s my favorite of the Hollywood Chrises (it’s Evans, I think), but he is the most beautiful. Chris was interviewed by GQ UK this month to promote his new Netflix movie, Extraction 2. I wasn’t expecting that much from the interview, to be honest, but he’s in a reflective mood. Chris talks a lot about how time off has forced him to come to terms with the choices he’s made, and the fact that he’s getting older. The topic of surfing comes up throughout, and he also acknowledges the issues Marvel is facing as a franchise and the disappointing response to Thor: Love and Thunder.
Surfing keeps him grounded: Halfway through production on his latest film, Extraction 2, in Prague, he began flying to Hossegor in south-western France to surf every other weekend. “That got me through,” he says. And you better believe the surfing at home in Byron Bay is epic. Whenever Hemsworth isn’t there – when he’s working, when he’s on press tours, even when he jets off on a holiday – he wonders: why did he ever leave?
“There’s a cleansing every time I get in the water. If I’m having some sort of inner conflict or turmoil, it’s the one place I go.” Hemsworth breathes in. “There’s a feeling of starting again.”
His kids’ friends teased him about the last Thor movie: Even Hemsworth’s kids’ friends were in on it with his most recent Marvel offering, Thor: Love and Thunder. They didn’t hold back. “It’s a bunch of eight-year-olds critiquing my film. ‘We thought this one had too much humour, the action was cool but the VFX weren’t as good,’” he recalls. “I cringe and laugh equally at it.” Released in 2022, Love and Thunder was a hit at the box office but received mixed reviews from the (grown-up) critics. “I think we just had too much fun. It just became too silly,” reflects Hemsworth. He pauses. “It’s always hard being in the centre of it and having any real perspective… I love the process, it’s always a ride. But you just don’t know how people are going to respond.”
He’s aware of Marvel’s creative problems: “That’s the trick: you have to separate all those stories,” Hemsworth replies. “The moment it’s like,” – he does his best trailer voice – “‘Your world is in danger, the entire universe!’ It’s like, ‘Yeah, so [it] was the last 24 films.’ It has to become a bit more personal and grounded.” He is always open to returning to Thor, “seeing what they have to offer creatively, if there is something new” for the character. “But I really wanna do some other stuff for a while.”
He’s feeling the passage of time: “I didn’t want to sit behind a desk and do the same thing every day, and punch in, punch out. I wanted to be on an adventure.” The adventure has lasted now for more than two decades. Hemsworth has a milestone birthday in a few months. “I don’t think I wanna turn 40,” he admits. “I still feel like I’m 25 and I’ve got heaps of time. Now I’m like, ‘Oh, I could be halfway. More than halfway.'”
It’s pretty charming to imagine a bunch of little kids making fun of a handsome movie star, as he describes. I didn’t see Love and Thunder because I got burned out on the Marvel Cinematic Universe years ago. I want to be able to watch a movie and have it tell a standalone story without needing to cross-reference a bunch of other movies to understand what happened. But I did read reviews at the time and it sounded like other people are getting burned out, too. Chris is clearly pretty over it at this point. I’ve always thought that he had great comedic timing as Thor, and is born to be an action star. I wasn’t sure if he had the depth to be effective in more serious roles. But he goes pretty deep in the interview, talking about how the death of his grandad (who had Alzheimer’s) and discovering his own elevated risk of Alzheimer’s, has made him reevaluate his life and career. Now I think he could get away with a more dramatic role, but Hollywood is so deeply in a doom-loop of sequels, superheroes, and remakes that I’m not sure the right project is out there for him. He seems to be enjoying his time off, and after working basically non-stop for ten years, he’s earned it.
The quotes about surfing are the first time I really related to Chris. I grew up surfing and haven’t been able to in the past couple of years because of an injury. But the way he talks about surfing is right on point. It’s an experience like nothing else. In the water you’re constantly making split-second decisions, and you have to learn to trust your gut. You have to act without thinking. It’s blissful, not thinking. It’s the most restorative experience I’ve ever known. Now I want to know if people out surfing with Chris ever recognize him. Surfers are very territorial and competitive if it’s crowded, and if he’s surfing Byron Bay it’s definitely crowded. And there’s a clearly defined hierarchy in the lineup. Obvious newcomers are boxed out of everything. If you’re a woman, like me, you will get cut off by very aggressive dudes. Greybeards like my dad are shown deference. Do people let Chris claim their waves because he’s Thor? Where does he stand in the hierarchy? I wonder.
I thought Love and Thunder was great fun.
I very much enjoyed the fun while also ranking it third in my Thor movie preference list.
We have Disney+ so I’ve probably watched it twice at this point and it will go on again sometime.
I thought love and thunder was horribly cheesy. The holiday special was terribly cheesy and just plain awful.
I love Chris Hemsworth though. I thought limitless was amazing and I learned a lot from it. I turn the shower to a cold blast at the end for as long as I can stand it. I haven’t gotten sick since I started doing that. It was incredible what he went through and the final episode was a heavy one for me.
He’s my 2nd fave Chris (after Fine Pine) and my fave Hemsworth brother – TBH he’s the Hemsworth that should have taken over as Geralt in The Witcher.
YES!!! Totally agree – he would make an acceptable Geralt replacement. Also my fave Hemsworth and 2nd best Chris after Pine. I wish he wasn’t married to Elsa (heard some nasty stories about her and tend to believe them), but if he’s happy…
I liked this interview. Contemplating your own mortality is seldom fun, but can give you depth and perspective. I wish him all the best.
Bale’s kids had parts in it and I think Taika’s daughter was in it too.
Yes, Pine is my favorite, but Hemsworth is the hottest.
Thor L&T was quite silly considering it also had terminal illness as a storyline.
Chris Pine all day, every day but I like Hemsworth.
I don’t know if it’s everyone who hits middle age or if it’s a post-Covid mentality but a lot of us are looking at the working working working life and thinking we really need to make time now to enjoy life.
I rewatched Love and Thunder a couple weeks ago, and it’s honestly not as bad as it was made out to be. It would have been better if the humor and goofiness was tempered. Some of the actors were hamming it up too much (looking at you Russell Crowe). It suffered from the same pacing issues that a lot of Marvel movies suffer from. But, overall, it got a disproportionately bad rap from the incel contingent.
Love your articles, Carina! And I appreciate you setting your friends straight on the Chris hierarchy!!
Kudos to carina for recognizing Evans as the best Chris. I also have to name him in looks over Hemsworth too though none of the better chrises (Evans, Hemsworth, pine) would get kicked out of bed. I’ve met Evans though and the man’s eyes are so pretty. And he smells good!
Ugh, Chris Pratt!? Absolutely not on anyone sane’s watch. I think all the Chrises other than The Worst are handsome and charming to be honest. Who would I be stuck on a desert island with? Eh… probably Evans. But I wouldn’t feel sorry for myself stuck with any of them! (Other than The Worst of course, he can GTF off my island)
At first glance I read, “Do people let Chris claim their wives because he’s Thor?”
I’m a fan of Thor L&T. The opening scene with Christian Bale breaks my heart every time I watch it and several scenes are masterfully lit, shot, directed. I laughed & I shed a few tears, something only Endgame also accomplished (of the superhero movies). And yes, Hemsworth is my favorite Chris (although I like them all).
Ugh, I tried 2 times to watch this movie and just could not get through it. I like the others and the other Marvel movies I’ve seen. As for the Chris debate, Hemsworth is my #1 because I’m 5’9″ and Pine is not tall enough for me!
Is anyone else having problems with the ads popping up and wiping out everything you have typed? This is my fourth attempt at writing on the thread.
Hemsworth can act and was great opposite Daniel Bruhl in Rush and his Kevin was the reason t see Ghostbusters. His comic timing is unmatched.
The Thor comics were my favorite as a kid and I think Hemsworth is perfect. That said, Thor: Love & Thunder was a silly mess that needed some serious editing by someone, anyone, not named Taika Waititi. A great heartbreaking villain played by Christian Bale was lost in the mess, almost like he was in a completely different film. There should have been more of Bale and his characters’ story, more Jane, more Lady Sif, who was completely marginalized, and a lot less Korg and the screaming goats. It’s as if Taika’s huge ego decided that Thor didn’t need the back story and familiar characters that have supported him for decades, so he jettisoned the Warriors Three, Lady Sif, Eric Selvig, SHIELD & the rest of the MCU, Thor’s family, Heimdahl, Loki, and replaced them all with ALL KOrG ALL THE TIME. I cheered when Korg seemed to be gone, only to be annoyed when he reappeared and wouldn’t shut up.
When and if Thor appears, it will likely be part of an Avengers ensemble film, hopefully directed by someone not named Taika Waititi. Thor also needs to have a reunion with Loki or a Loki variant. Thor needs to meet Alligator Loki. Yes, I know that’s silly too but that’s where Hemsworth brilliant comic timing would work so well.
Regarding ads: Depends on what device I’m using, my phone is the worst! Next worst is my oldest kindle.
Chris H is definitely the hottest Chris. Hands down. Even his voice is sexy. L&T was silly, but it had Christian Bale who is always a pleasure to watch act. It also had Natalie Portman who ruins every movie she is in for me. His daughter was adorable, though, and it was harmless fun. As a side note, I thought he wasn’t doing any more Thor movies when he decided to do L&T. I assumed it had something to do with casting his daughter. His sons also had minor roles, IIRC.
I think he doesn’t want to do anymore solo Thor movies but, if it’s a good take, he’s not against reprising Thor in a group movie.
Have to say I don’t deep dive into most films. If they entertain me to the point where I close off the rest of the world for a couple of hours, I’m good. I suppose that’s my “surfing” time.
So just to say I loved Thor L&T, it’s silliness, it’s action, it’s Thor. Keep going Chris H!
There are worse movies out there, but Love and Thunder is not one of them IMO. Yes, as times it was a little too humorous, but it was still a pretty good movie, considering. Christian Bale was creepy, Natalie Portman was heartbreaking, and Chris H was great. I liked all the Thor films and I loved the romance between the Asgard king-god and the geeky, somewhat awkward Earth scientist. The only thing I wish more of was Tessa Thompson. She’s great as Valkyrie and I feel her and Thor’s chemistry if he can’t be with Jane. Ah well. Just my wish for the Marvel Universe.
I think one thing about critics is that they see missed potential so clearly. Tessa Thompson had so little to do that it felt like she was being punished somehow. Considering the photos of her with Waititi during filming, I would really like to know what went down.
Also, it revealed that the Thor movies really do need Loki. Thor doesn’t work as well when he’s not having to deal with his POS brother. Strong indications some boy shit went down between Hemsworth and Hiddleston, and the films are the worse for it. The Loki TV series was good, but felt a bit untethered.
Love and Thunder was straight garbage, as is most of Hemsworth’s films. I would say that’s actually what he’s grappling with, given his recent diagnosis — how meaningless most of his work is. I’m glad he has fun in the Thor films, but I suspect that like surfing, it’s just a place where he can turn is brain off.
People debate about the Hottest Chris (It’s Pine) all the time, but not often enough about which Chris has the best filmography (also Pine.) In that rating, Hemsworth is last. That’s got to be a sobering thought when you’re facing your own mortality as he is.
Gotta respectfully disagree on pine having the best filmography. I go with my #1 Chris—Evans—there.
All 3 Captain America movies and 4 avengers movies, knives out, Snowpiercer, Scott pilgrim, gifted, sunshine.
I remember the first time I saw him on screen in the Nu-Trek film. I turned to my friend and said right away, wow, who’s that?! And normally I feel more drawn to the personality of a character then just looks alone.
Definitely my #1 Chris (then Evans), and he always comes across as pretty sincere, funny, and thoughtful in the interviews I read.
I, too, get what he’s saying about surfing. I don’t surf, but I love to swim, I can do it for hours on end. Unfortunately, I don’t have an ocean to jump into, but once I’m in the local swimming pool, I can leave the world behind.
I don’t like beefy guys but he was so hot as Chris Pine’s dad in Star Trek; that was before he beefed up.
He’s a great looker with a limited acting range, so I’d guess he’ll stay with this franchise forever. I would, but then acting is not my passion (maybe not his either).
I enjoyed Love & Thunder, and thought it was poignant and well-done, but I also haven’t kept up with any of the other Marvel movies so I guess I’m not burned out yet. I’ve only seen a handful.
In my books Hemsworth is hunky but not hot but he’s fine as Thor. I didn’t like the third one much despite the general view that it was hilarious and didn’t bother seeing the fourth. They lost me when the trickster god lost his life trying to…stab someone in the ankle? Really?