Chris Hemsworth Shared The Emotional Truth About His Oldest Daughter’s Name
Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky have really got it made. He’s freakin’ Thor and she’s a star of the Fast & Furious franchise, after all. They have also been married since 2010 and have three wonderful children together. Seriously, who could want any more? Speaking of their kids, though, Hemsworth has explained the true inspiration behind the name of their eldest child – and why it’s super meaningful to the couple.
Hemsworth and Pataky tied the knot back in December 2010 – a mere two months after making their red carpet bow as a couple. They had reportedly met earlier that same year, so the relationship was quite the whirlwind. In 2016 Hemsworth explained to Good Morning Britain, “There was no great plan to any of it, to be honest. We were on holiday, and we said, ‘Why don’t we get married, too?’”
The whirlwind continued when their first daughter was born in May 2012 – followed by twin boys Sasha and Tristan two years later. In 2018 Pataky told Vogue Australia, “We did everything very quickly. It puts a lot of pressure on a marriage, but we came out good because there is a lot of love between us…”
In 2015 the couple moved from Los Angeles to Byron Bay in Chris’ homeland of Australia. He told Traveller magazine, “The locals in Byron treat us just like locals. It’s more relaxed than L.A., less intense, and just more conducive to raising our three children.” As a proud Aussie boy, perhaps it’s unsurprising that Hemsworth wanted to return there to raise his family.
Hemsworth grew up in Melbourne with two passions in life: acting and surfing. As a young man, he snagged a role in iconic Aussie soap Home & Away. Then after three years on that show, the actor left to follow his Hollywood dreams. Hemsworth’s first major U.S. role was in the opening scene of JJ Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek reboot – playing Captain Kirk’s father.
Soon after this, Hemsworth landed the role that would change his life. He became Marvel Comics superhero Thor in the eponymous 2011 Kenneth Branagh film. Amazingly, Hemsworth beat out his younger brother Liam to the role, as they both auditioned for it. The latter went on to star in The Hunger Games franchise, while older brother Luke also scored a big part in Westworld.
Hemsworth would go on to play Thor a number of times in a host of Marvel Cinematic Universe films – including The Avengers movies and two Thor sequels. Plus, he starred in the reboot of Ghostbusters and the sequel Men In Black: International. The star didn’t just do blockbusters, mind you. He also took the lead in the Ron Howard dramas Rush and In the Heart of the Sea.
As of 2021 Hemsworth is a true A-lister in Hollywood with around $130 million to his name, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He reportedly took home $30 million as a base salary for 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok and also negotiated a percentage of back-end money based on box-office takings. No amount of riches is a replacement for a happy family life, though, and the actor certainly has that in spades.
For some people, having kids can introduce certain elements of strain into a relationship. But Hemsworth told Who magazine that the children simply brought him and Pataky closer together. He revealed, “Watching her be a mother made me fall even more in love with her. Once we had kids we were like, ‘We’re in it, this is it.’”
“All of sudden I had a greater appreciation for my wife,” Hemsworth went on. “[Pataky] kind of came into her own when we had kids. She certainly keeps me sane. I complain about things; she gets on with it.” Hemsworth then admitted that having children totally changed his mind set and overall approach to life.
Hemsworth continued, “It’s not about you anymore, which is refreshing, and my kids are hilarious and insane and crazy. It’s good. You go from press tours and work and then straight back into reality and you’re handed a child with a nappy.” If anything, having kids appears to have helped Hemsworth keep fame from going to his head.
When he spoke with GQ Australia in 2018, Hemsworth pondered the nature of his career since he became a husband and father. The star said, “I do wonder sometimes, if we hadn’t met, what my career would look like. Have I made decisions based on that? How has that influenced me?”
The screen superhero then confessed, “There’s times when I’ve thought, ‘Wow, because having kids is more important to me, some of my roles have suffered.’ There’s definitely a couple of films I could’ve put way more energy into, but I was like, ‘No, I’d rather be with my kids.’ I don’t regret that, but I’m aware.”
Being with the kids must have been on Hemsworth’s mind while he was on the promotional tour for Men In Black: International in 2019. This is when the actor revealed the special meaning behind their eldest daughter’s name: India Rose. Speaking to the news agency IANS, he said, “My wife spent a lot of time in India and that was where the name originally came from.”
Hemsworth continued, “I love the place and the people.” He then described what it was like filming his action-packed Netflix movie Extraction in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The excited star explained, “Shooting there… there were thousands of people on the streets every day and I have never experienced that on set.”
“It was sort of intimidating, as it was exciting because there were so many people,” Hemsworth admitted. The fanfare of shooting in front of what was effectively a live crowd was not something actors usually get on set. The Aussie talent explained, “After every take when the director called ‘cut,’ there was a loud cheer. We felt like rock stars in a stadium.”
“But the warmth and support we got while shooting there, no matter how disruptive we were to their daily lives, it was so good,” Hemsworth said. “People were so positive. I have huge appreciation to that.” In fact, the star revealed he enjoyed the experience so much that talks about working on Bollywood movies had occurred.
Fast forward to April 2020, and Hemsworth again spoke to IANS about the release of Extraction. He’d been scheduled to be in India to promote the film but ended up appearing virtually instead. In a video that was also posted to Netflix India’s Instagram account, the smiling star said, “Namaste, India. Chris Hemsworth here, all the way from Australia...”
“As you may have heard, I was incredibly excited to come to India and celebrate this movie where it was filmed,” Hemsworth continued. “My time in your country during production was unforgettable and I was looking forward to returning.” The actor then confessed that he had to be safe – like everyone else across the globe – so was unable to come back to the country in-person.
Despite this disappointment, though, Hemsworth left the people of India with a positive message. He said, “It was an absolute honor to work alongside some of your best local talents to make this movie possible. I can’t wait for you all to see it. Sending you lots of love and good thoughts to everyone around the world.”
