By Shawn Smith
This might be Chris Hemsworth’s most demanding role yet as Season 2 of National Geographic’s LIMITLESS: LIVE BETTER NOW is set to premiere next month.
“Filmed across six countries over two years, Chris tests his limits by drawing from cutting-edge science and the wisdom of elders to push himself like never before,” a Disney+ press release stated.
The three-part series from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa, Jane Root’s Nutopia and Chris Hemsworth and Ben Grayson’s Wild State will have the Marvel star face challenges that will stretch him physically and mentally.
The first episode, “Brain Power,” has Hemsworth learn the drums to later perform with singer Ed Sheeran as he sings his hit “Thinking Out Loud” at a concert in front of 70,000 people.
In the trailer, Sheeran tells Hemsworth, “I think this actually might be the most difficult thing you do.”
The Australian native found the performance “kind of an out of body experience…equally as terrifying as it was exhilarating.”
“I was just sort of sailing along with the crowd in unison with 70,000 people, and was quite…a special experience,” he said of the moment once he got over the initial anxiety.
“I’ve always worked very hard on my physical fitness,” Hemsworth said in the trailer. “But I’m realizing that I need to put as much work into my brain as I do for my body.”
This need became more apparent to the actor when in the first season he discovered that he received the APOE4 gene from both his parents that meant that he has a higher risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease.
He recalled that when he was given the option of airing the part of the episode where they talked about the discovery or not, he realized sharing the information would be beneficial to the audience.
Related: Disney+ Announces Season 2 of Chris Hemsworth’s LIMITLESS
“I thought, ‘No, look, if this is a motivator for people to take better care of themselves and also understand that there are steps you can take – then fantastic,” the THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER star said. “My concern was I just didn’t want to manipulate it and overdramatize it and make it into some sort of hokey grab at empathy or whatever for entertainment.”
Of course, LIMITLESS will also include physical challenges as Hemsworth attempts to climb a 600-foot-high dam in the Swiss Alps.
“Inspired by his children’s carefree risk-taking, Chris learns from experts how exposure therapy and Flow — a state of hyperfocus — can improve mental and physical health, showing how taking risks as adults can lead to a happier, healthier life,” the press release described the episode “Risk.”
In the third episode, “Pain,” Chris takes part of South Korean Special Forces training where he suffers through electrocution and pepper spray as he learns to deal with his chronic pain.
Hemsworth says that the series has been a “life-changing journey.”
“I’ve discovered so much about my own health, resilience and what it really means to live well,” the 41-year-old said. “I hope this next chapter inspires audiences to step outside their comfort zones and embrace challenges, because the impact it’s had on my life has been truly profound.”
LIMITLESS: LIVE BETTER NOW will be available for streaming Aug. 15 on Disney+ and Hulu and airs on National Geographic on Aug. 25.
Read Next: Chris Hemsworth on the Importance of Family: ‘I’d Rather Be With My Kids’
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