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Chris Hemsworth is getting candid about his relationship with Elsa Pataky, and it’s not all plain-sailing.
The Thor star opened up about the “complicated times” he and his Spanish actress wife have navigated during their 15-year marriage – and how they’ve been able to keep the spark alive.
In an interview on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast, the 42-year-old star revealed that “having fun” together was a major part of his and Elsa’s recipe for success.
“Both having a sort of adventurous spirit, making time for one another,” he shared. “I think the complicated times have been when it’s been all work, all kids, and all of a sudden the ‘us’ in the relationship is sort of non-existent.”
Talking about those complicated times, Chris revealed they came when “you’re just kind of managing a household or the work-family schedule”.
“Elsa will be off at work, and I’ll be off at work, and then it’s chaos with kid time, and so sort of removing ourselves 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 all-consuming,” he said.
“We have no excuse as far as how much time we can make for each other due to the support we can get due to our situation,” he went on, adding that he and Elsa want to remain curious about each other.
“There’s always that spark and that attraction, but what it comes down to is friendship and companionship at the end,” he said.
“The moment you run out of things to talk about, you lack that curiosity and interest in one another; that’s when it’s concerning. I think that’s kept us in check.”
It’s not the first time that the Hemsworths have spoken openly about the challenges in their relationship.
In April 2025, Elsa opened up about the couple’s union in an interview with Hello.
“Marriage needs constant work, and you learn a lot from the rough patches,” she told the outlet.
“You have to try to keep growing together, making sure that your paths carry on crossing.”
Echoing Chris’ comments about the need for “fun” she said it was about “enjoying little moments and remaining curious about each other”.
“You have to be ready to adapt, and because there are situations that separate you, you need to know how to find each other again,” she said.
Chris, meanwhile, has shared that his thoughts about family have been reshaped by his father Craig’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and the knowledge that he, himself, carries two copies of a gene linked to an increased risk of suffering from the memory-robbing condition.
Speaking to Jay Shetty, Chris recalled his father’s reaction when he learned his son was at risk of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis later in life.
“I remember vividly that conversation of him sort of telling me not to be concerned about it,” Chris explained. “And then about two or three years later, my mum saying to me, ‘I think we’ve got to get Dad checked because there’s these signs and things I’m concerned about’.”
Chris went on to film A Road Trip to Remember, a documentary following a motorbike trip with his father across Australia, revisiting places from their past.
“He says it in the documentary, but his biggest concern was being a burden. And that was heartbreaking to hear and consider,” Chris said of his father. “And I had never even, up until we shot the documentary, I didn’t know even how he felt about it, you know, because I hadn’t asked him.”
Chris told Jay Shetty that the experience had “ignited something” in his family – a desire to be more present – because, as he says – “we’re watching memories disappear in front of us”.
