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From a hunky fairy-tale huntsman in Snow White and the Huntsman to a Formula One racing champ in Rush, now comes a unique role for Hemsworth playing Owen Chase, the first mate of the ill-fated whaling ship Essex, whom he plays in his new movie, In the Heart of the Sea.

The film, directed by Ron Howard, is based on the true seafaring saga that inspired novelist Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick. 

“I got swept up in the story,” Hemsworth, 32, told Parade. “Humans tested to absolute extremes: It was a big challenge.” Excerpts from the interview with Parade writer Dotson Rader, below.

On working with director Ron Howard for the second time (Hemsworth portrayed race car driver James Hunt in 2013’s Rush):

“He’s the greatest! Our two films taught me why people put themselves in situations with a high probability of death. I love the questions stirred up within me. As long as I can be a part of films that force me to ask bigger questions, then fantastic!… This was the first film that gave me an opportunity to take a risk, to be who I want to be. It really was the first film where I just let it happen. It came from inside me.”

On filming In the Heart of the Sea, which took place mostly on small boats on the ocean:
“Once we’re in the whaleboats, we couldn’t get off and on. We developed real love for one another. There was such camaraderie in that and a sort of gallows humor, like in war. I’ve never left a film and missed a cast so much.”

On why he and actress wife Elsa Pataky have moved to Phillip Island in Australia with their three small children:

“In the space of three years, we had our kids and simultaneously my career was happening, and everything changed. We’d leave the house and there would be six paparazzi out in front. In L.A., more than anywhere else in the world, paparazzi are everywhere, 24/7. We felt suffocated. The agitation you feel from the paparazzi rippled in the house.”

On his life near his parents in Australia:

“It’s just a quiet little surf town with a lot of farming, an hour and a half outside of Melbourne. There are other things in my life now—family, kids. I don’t want to have to be in the position where I care if the phone stops ringing. I’m OK about potentially not acting. That just may be me trying to convince myself in case it does happen, but I’ve always been weirdly aware of that.”

On ‘the happiest moment’ of his life:
“Last week, we were in the car driving somewhere and my little girl was in the back seat with me. I was really tired, and I leaned over and I put my head on her lap… And she started patting my head and singing a song through her pacifier… There’s the idea that we as parents spend all this time protecting our children. No, I think they’re protecting us. Sitting in the car with my head on her lap and her singing to me, there was this understanding of, ‘Wow she’s looking after Dad, and that’s her job.’ You know? And that was such a joy. Oh, there’s nothing better! It was the happiest moment of my life.”