Chris Hemsworth

Chris Hemsworth never lifted weights until he set out to become Thor. So if you've ever hit the gym, you're already one step ahead

Chris Hemsworth first pushed his limits at age 7, while living in an Aboriginal community in the bush north of Melbourne, Australia. He was the rare white child, there because his parents herded buffalo and ran the local food store, which doubled as the post office. "We'd heard many Aboriginal spiritual beliefs about things. We'd been told there was a cave nearby that had spirits in it," he says.

What's a kid to do? This, naturally: "We built wooden swords and hammered nails into them, and we checked out the cave. My friends and I were convinced we'd meet some ghosts and devils."

All they found were craggy walls that echoed their deep breaths.

Hemsworth still dives into places that challenge him—but now, 20 years later, those spots are more likely to resemble the Santa Monica farmers' market where we've come to walk around. It's the sort of place that was crucial for a man who had to pack 20 pounds of muscle onto his 6'3" frame so he could play the lead in the upcoming movie Thor.