Chris Hemsworth discussed on the SmartLess podcast his decision to move his family from Los Angeles to Australia in 2015, citing a lack of film productions in the city and intrusive paparazzi as key factors. The actor, who was at the peak of his Marvel fame, described the relocation as the greatest decision for his personal life. Despite the move, his career in Hollywood continued uninterrupted.
Chris Hemsworth shared insights into his family's relocation during an appearance on the SmartLess podcast, where he was promoting Amazon MGM's Crime 101. He and his wife, actor Elsa Pataky, had been married for five years when they left Los Angeles for Australia around the time their boys were born.
Hemsworth explained the challenges of life in L.A.: "It was right around the time my boys were born, and it was just, we kind of were set up in L.A. and not enjoying it, you know? Like nothing was shooting there. We were filming kind of everywhere else and then… you’d come home and paparazzi and all the sort of the trappings of, you know, living in that space."
The move, which occurred in 2015, predated the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent Hollywood strikes that further diminished local productions. As reported, Los Angeles saw production days for film, TV, and commercials drop 12.3% in the final quarter of 2025 compared to the prior period, continuing a decline from 2022. For the full year of 2025, production volume was about half of 2019 levels.
Hemsworth called the decision the greatest one he made, noting it did not hinder his acting career as he traveled for shoots. He described returning to Australia as feeling like a holiday: "You know, when you come back from work, you wanna go on a holiday? Like coming home for me is — it feels like a holiday. We have a big farm and horses and motorbikes and surf."
His Hollywood journey began with the 2009 Star Trek reboot as George Kirk, followed by his 2011 Marvel debut as Thor. By 2015, he had starred in The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Post-relocation, he appeared in 2016's The Huntsman: Winter's War and Ghostbusters. Hemsworth is set to reprise Thor in December's Avengers: Doomsday.