Chris Hemsworth may be in unbelievable shape — superhero shape, even — but he's coming to terms with the fact that he too shall die, like the rest of us.
Sorry if that intro was a little bleaker than you were ready for, I really do hope you're having a nice day, and by all means feel free to get that head buried back in the sand. But in new docuseries Limitless with Chris Hemsworth, the star is tackling his own mortality head on.
Watch a clip of Hemsworth attempting to play ping pong in an age simulation suit here:
The show sees the Thor actor take on a series of daunting challenges, designed to help him live better for longer, and over the course of the six-part series, he explores ways to regenerate damage, maximise strength, build resilience and supercharge his memory.
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However, in the final episode — entitled 'Acceptance' — rather than do everything in his power to fight ageing, he tests the theory that the best way to combat ageing and fear of mortality might not be to fight it, but accept it.
In order to do this, the 39-year-old becomes the guinea pig in a 'truly unique experiment', whereby art and science is combined to create an immersive world for Hemsworth - an immersive world in which he is an octogenarian at a retirement home.
As if this didn't already sound bizarre enough, Hemsworth is then 'killed' after three days in the home.
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The challenge was designed by Dr BJ Miller, a world-renowned palliative care physician, whose works centres around the transformative power of accepting ageing and death.
In the episode, Hemsworth is made to don an age simulation suit -—designed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) — which aims to replicate what it would feel like to be 50 years older by restricting movement, making him unbalanced, adding weight, and reducing hearing and vision.
On top of this, he is moved into Sunset Pines retirement village, which is inhabited by a load of elderly residents, while the staff are all actors, who treat Hemsworth as though he is no different to the rest of them.
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The immersive experiment comes to a dramatic conclusion when Hemsworth is put through a reenactment of his final moments, culminating with him taking part in a death meditation.
It's a somewhat unexpected finale to a show which, until the final episode, focused on health, fitness and longevity; but the philosophical closer is littered with emotional moments, and more than likely you'll come away from it with a renewed desire to live every day to the fullest.
Producers explain: "What if you could combat ageing and discover the full potential of the human body?
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"Global movie star Chris Hemsworth explores this revolutionary idea in the new National Geographic original series Limitless with Chris Hemsworth, created by Darren Aronofsky.
"New scientific research is shattering conventional wisdom about the human body and offering fascinating insights into how we can all unlock our body’s superpowers to fight illness, perform better and even reverse the ageing process.
"This science is put to the test by Hemsworth, who, despite being in peak superhero condition, is on a personal mission to learn how to extend our health, strength and intellect further into our later years.
"Undergoing a series of epic trials and extraordinary challenges in order to understand the limits of the human body, he'll learn firsthand how we can live better for longer by discovering ways to regenerate damage, maximise strength, build resilience, supercharge memory and confront mortality.
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"Entertaining, immersive and life-changing, Limitless will rewrite the rulebook on living better for longer."
You can watch the series now on Disney+.
Topics: Chris Hemsworth, Film and TV, Health, Science
Jake Massey