NME readers can see an exclusive clip of Chris Hemsworth‘s disastrous first drum lesson ahead of his surprise appearance at an Ed Sheeran gig – check it out above.
Last August, Hemsworth joined Sheeran onstage in Romania, and, taking to the National Arena in front of 70,000 people, the Thor actor got behind the drum kit for ‘Thinking Out Loud’ before Sheeran presented him with an award for “drumming excellence”.
The experience was part of the second season of National Geographic show Limitless With Chris Hemsworth, which returns later this month. However, NME readers can watch an exclusive clip from the first episode which features Hemsworth struggling badly on the drums.
Joined by drumming teacher Ben Jordan for a lesson about the “very basics” of drumming, Hemsworth is shown playing a simple beat and finding it “very, very” difficult.
“I’m slowly realising Chris doesn’t have much innate drumming rhythm,” says Jordan. “It’s pretty hard to find something he’s bad at, but I think we’ve found it.”
The first season of Limitless aired back in 2022 and revealed, through genetic tests, that Hemsworth possesses a genetic disposition for Alzheimer’s disease and is eight times more likely to suffer from the condition which can cause memory loss, confusion, disorientation, problems with speech and language and hallucinations.
The first episode of season two follows Hemsworth as he takes up drumming. According to research, learning a new skill can aid memory and cognitive function. “When he is invited to join Ed Sheeran onstage at a stadium concert, Chris has just months to master the instrument and conquer his nerves to perform in front of 70,000 fans. It’s a challenge that pushes him beyond his limits,” reads the episode description.
Limitless With Chris Hemsworth returns August 15 on Hulu (in the US) and Disney+ (in the UK). Episode two is out the same day and will see Hemsworth attempt to climb a 600-foot dam in the Swiss Alps. He also learns from experts how exposure therapy can improve mental and physical health.
Hemsworth previously said that the public’s reaction to his Alzheimer’s news pissed him off. “It felt like I had been vulnerable with something personal [but] no matter how much I said ‘This is not a death sentence,’ the story became that I have dementia and I’m reconsidering life and retiring and so on.”
It’s also been confirmed that Hemsworth is set to return as Thor in Avengers: Doomsday. Despite news that Marvel will be looking to recast several of the OG superheroes following Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027, Hemsworth has said he considers the two films “the start of another chapter of this character”.