Chris Hemsworth pushes the boundaries of what his body can do in his new six-episode Disney+ original series from National Geographic, and PEOPLE has an exclusive First Look!
In Unlimited with Chris Hemsworth39 year old man Thor The actor meets with world-class experts to learn about groundbreaking new research and long-standing traditions that can help people live healthier, smarter, and longer lives.
Hemsworth undergoes a series of extraordinary challenges designed by experts in an effort to understand the limits of the human body – tests like “drowning resistance”, a special forces resilience training technique in which the hands and feet are bound as they are tasked with completing a series of underwater tasks like doing somersaults, swimming laps and floating.
“The goal is to kick off the bottom 20 times, giving me just a split second to give myself enough air,” Hemsworth explains in an exclusive clip from the episode, which airs Nov. 16.
“There’s all kinds of stupid stuff going through my head,” he says in the clip. “Now I’m starting to think, what if I drown? »
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If that sounds terrifying, that’s because it is. In fact, his whole goal is to increase Hemsworth’s stress level so he can practice positive self-talk, a psychological technique to help reframe his mindset.
That’s easier said than done, even for Hemsworth. “I think I find myself stressed out in situations that I couldn’t prepare for,” Hemsworth says in the clip.
“Of course I know I’ve got enough oxygen, I know these guys aren’t going to let me drown, but I can feel my heart rate quickening…stress building…I can feel my lungs start burning…” he adds. “It’s brutal, and it gets harder and harder. I can’t even lift my head enough to catch my breath. That’s when the panic starts.”
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Hemsworth ends up failing his first test attempt, though viewers will have to watch the full episode to see if he improves. Social psychologist Dr. Modupe Akinola guides Hemsworth through his Stress-Proof essay.
“Modupe has a way of smiling at you and making you look nice when she asks you to do something horribly awful!” says Hemsworth.
As a Columbia Business School stress and resilience expert, Modupe “has studied extensively why some people thrive under stress while others crumble,” the statement said. “His research shows that changing our understanding of stress, recognizing our power to master it, and even harnessing its performance-enhancing benefits rather than trying to dodge it, means we can reduce the risk of stress-induced diseases. that affect so many of us, especially as we get older.”
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Unlimited with Chris Hemsworth is created by Darren Aronofsky and produced by Jane Root’s Protozoa and Nutopia.
Along with the physical challenges, the series promises to show Hemsworth’s emotional side, which “reveals a deeper, vulnerable and honest side when confronted with some of life’s most difficult realities.”
All episodes of Unlimited with Chris Hemsworth hitting Disney+ on November 16.
