Thor star Chris Hemsworth opens up about relocating from L.A. to Australia

Chris Hemsworth recently shared on the SmartLess how moving his family from Los Angeles to Australia was the “greatest decision” of his life. 

Speaking while promoting his latest Amazon MGM film, Crime 101, Hemsworth explained that living in L.A. during his Marvel career had become increasingly stressful.

Hemsworth and his wife, Elsa Pataky, made the move around the time their children were born, citing constant paparazzi and low production activity in Los Angeles as key factors. “Nothing was shooting there… you’d come home and paparazzi and all the sort of trappings of living in that space,” Hemsworth said.

He described life in Australia as a personal retreat, sharing, “When you come back from work… it feels like a holiday. We have a big farm and horses and motorbikes and surf.” Hemsworth emphasized that relocating did not negatively affect his acting career, as he frequently traveled to other locations for film projects.

The actor’s departure from Hollywood predated the COVID-19 pandemic and coincided with a significant decline in L.A. production days. As of 2025, production volume in the city was roughly half of what it had been in 2019, continuing a trend of reduced filming activity.

Hemsworth first gained international recognition as Thor in 2011 and has since appeared in multiple Marvel films, including The Avengers and Thor: The Dark World. He is set to reprise his role as Thor in December’s upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.