There’s no questioning what a fitness enthusiast Chris Hemsworth is. When the Aussie actor stars as Thor in Marvel movies, he's superhero ripped, and it adds to his portrayal of the God of Thunder. In short, Hemsworth really seems to bring his A-game when it comes to working out. However, the A-list actor also recalled how, years ago, he had to make a change to his physique in order to fulfill a major task for a different role.
After making his MCU debut as the God of Thunder, Chris Hemsworth jumped into a very different cinematic adventure. The actor had to get ready to race in Ron Howard’s Rush. The thought of playing a real-life Formula 1 driver seems challenging enough for a few reasons. As Hemsworth revealed to Men’s Health, though, what was particularly challenging for him was losing enough pounds "just to squeeze" into his ride in the first place:
In Rush, I would say trying to fit into the race car was pretty difficult. I’d just come off Thor 1 and was as heaviest as I’d ever been and had to lose a hell of a lot of weight just to be able to squeeze in there. So, that meant endless amounts of cardio and training and very minimal calories through the day.
Formula 1 cars are slender, so it made sense that the bulky Hemsworth would have to shed some pounds before getting in one. I can't imagine it would be easy to have to incorporate all of these workouts while eating less. The training and eating that Hemsworth has done for Thor, according to his trainer, involves eating 6-8 times a day, totaling 4,500 calories daily. Since the goal for Rush is simply to lose weight compared to gaining muscle, that would mean the combination of burning fat with fewer meals.
Based on accounts that have been given, it's not always easy when actors have to dramatically lose weight for roles. For example, Orlando Bloom said he got “a bit of PTSD” when he shed 30 pounds for The Cut, and Matt Damon lost a lot of weight for The Odyssey by going on walks and cutting off gluten. Chris Hemsworth continued to get real about what made his weight loss experience for a role challenging:
It was my first experience with sort of a dramatic weight loss after going from a dramatic increase. There was some sort of whiplash occurring there with my appetite for training and for food.
Fortunately, the Melbourne native was willing to do what was necessary to fully embody racecar driver James Hunt and fit in that car. It's also worth mentioning that Hemsworth is great in the film, as he flexes his acting muscles as opposed to his actual muscles.
Of course, after Chris Hemsworth jumped into Rush, he returned to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He had to gain muscle for the Thor sequels that would eventually be released. By 2022's Love and Thunder, Hemsworth was apparently the biggest he’d ever been while playing the superhero role. To the hilarious chagrin of his stunt double, the two had to keep eating every two hours. (I don't think the Extraction star will be fitting into any more race cars anytime soon.)
Whether he's gaining weight or losing it, Hemsworth, with the help of his trainers, seems to know how to attune his body to a giving role. On that front, the past year or so has seen him building his biceps for Avengers: Doomsday, and I can’t wait to see the jaw-dropping results thunder when the film hits theaters on December 18th amid the 2026 movie schedule. Until then, feel free to stream Hemsworth's outings as the imposing Thor using a Disney+ subscription.
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