New six-part documentary series Limitless with Chris Hemsworth is now available on Disney Plus, and it sees the Thor star exploring how to combat ageing and discover the full potential of the human body.
The series comes from Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky and sees Hemsworth take on challenges to try and harness the potential of his mind and body to stay sharper, stronger and healthier for longer. These include swimming 800 feet across an Arctic fjord, climbing a 100-foot rope dangling over a canyon, and walking along a crane atop a 900-foot-tall skyscraper.
Throughout the series, Hemsworth works with experts including extreme athlete and sports science author Ross Edgley, longevity physician Dr Peter Attia and professional freediver Tanya Streeter.
Hemsworth and Aronofsky recently spoke with RadioTimes.com and other press about their experience on the series, and when asked whether the show was, in part, exploring the idea that we in western world can be too comfortable, Hemsworth said this was definitely the case.
He said: “Yeah. Ross Edgley talked about smiling in the face of adversity and being comfortable with being uncomfortable and getting familiar with that space that we don’t inhabit very often. So, definitely putting yourself out of your comfort zone has huge benefits in just about any situation.”
Meanwhile, Aronofsky added: “I think kind of knocking yourself out of your homeostasis and out of your comfort zone is probably a few of the underlining themes of some of the techniques that are pitched in Limitless. One of the episodes is called Shock and it’s about kind of introducing resilience to your body as a way of living better and longer.
“And I think the fasting does a similar thing. So, there are certain type of jolts we have to do to our system and the science seems to kind of support that as a way of helping us live healthier lives.”
Asked whether he had any preconceptions before taking part in the series, Hemsworth said: “I came into the show thinking, ‘Obviously this will be fun and I’m fit and healthy and this will be a journey.” And then I realised, ‘Wow, there’s so much more I can be doing.” The internal work in particular, the sort of stress management, sleep habits.
“And also when and how you try different types of training. There’s such an abundance of information now that has become far more popular, which is fantastic. You know, so many people resonate with a lot of the ideas here and they’re not science fiction, they’re far more familiar than they were. So I think it’s perfect timing. And it’s something I want to continue to implement.”
Hemsworth has recently been seen in both Spiderhead and Thor: Love and Thunder, while Aronofsky’s latest film, The Whale, is set to be released in the UK early next year.
Additional reporting by Grace Henry.
Limitless with Chris Hemsworth is available in full now on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 for a year.
Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or find more to watch with our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.