Chris Hemsworth Says Leaving Los Angeles Was The “Greatest Decision” Of His Life

Chris Hemsworth is making it clear that trading Hollywood for home was no small move. In fact, he now calls it the “greatest decision” he’s ever made. The actor opened up about relocating his family from Los Angeles back to Australia during the Feb. 23 episode of the SmartLess, hosted by Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes.

Reflecting on the move, Hemsworth said the timing felt natural. It came shortly after the birth of his twin sons, Sasha and Tristan, now 11. He and his wife, Elsa Pataky, also share a 13-year-old daughter, India Rose.

“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,” Hemsworth said. “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 living in that space.”

For the Marvel star, who rose to global fame as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the constant attention in Los Angeles began to outweigh the benefits of living in the industry’s epicenter.

He said returning to Australia offered something far more valuable: peace.

“When you come back from work, you want to go on a holiday,” Hemsworth explained. “Coming home, for me, feels like a holiday. We have a big farm and horses and motorbikes and surf.”

Hemsworth and his family now live on a sprawling property in Australia, far removed from Hollywood’s red carpets and flashbulbs. The actor described the environment as grounding, a place where professional life no longer dominates every moment.

The move also brought him closer to his roots. Hemsworth grew up about 20 minutes outside Melbourne with his brothers, Liam Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth. Their childhood was defined by nature and imagination rather than industry connections.

London, United Kingdom – 19 September, 2024: Chris Hemsworth attends the European Premiere of “Transformers One” at Cineworld Leicester Square in London, England.

“We lived about 20 minutes from the main suburban areas in Melbourne up in the hills,” he said. “The nearest neighbor was a kilometer or two away. It was just all bush land and rainforest sort of set up around us. And so we would just have adventures outdoors and playing different characters.”

Those early adventures, he suggested, may have quietly shaped his path into acting.

“I think that’s, to be honest, where the sort of intrigue or interest into that transportation into another [world came from],” he said.

Hemsworth is far from the only high-profile name to walk away from California in recent years. Actors like Matthew McConaughey have returned to their home states, settling in Texas for more space and a slower pace of life. Joe Rogan famously relocated his podcast empire to Austin, while Mark Wahlberg moved his family to Nevada in search of what he called a better environment for his children and business ventures.

Sylvester Stallone has put down roots in Florida, and media figures like Ben Shapiro have also traded the West Coast for the Sunshine State. Even music stars Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton spend much of their time on Shelton’s Oklahoma ranch, far from the Hollywood spotlight. For many, the shift reflects a desire for privacy, lower taxes, family focus or simply breathing room away from the glare of Los Angeles.