How candid feedback keeps Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky’s marriage strong

Chris Hemsworth credits one defining quality for the strength of his nearly 16-year marriage: honesty.

In an exclusive interview with People, the 42-year-old actor says wife Elsa Pataky’s candid feedback, even when it is critical, has been central to their enduring relationship.

“There’s an honesty, the north star of truth, that you’re going to get with Elsa,” Hemsworth says. “I can show something to a bunch of other people, and they might be like, ‘Oh, great work,’ but Elsa will tell me if it sucks.”

Pataky, 49, agrees, adding with a laugh: “I’ll tell him, ‘That’s actually not funny. It doesn’t work.’ ”

According to Hemsworth, directness is rooted in deep mutual understanding.

“This critical sort of assessment is key,” he explains. “She knows who I am, and we know what each other can do.”

The couple first met in 2010 and wed later that year over Christmas weekend in Australia. 

They now share three children: daughter India Rose, 13, and 11-year-old twin sons Sasha and Tristan.

Pataky’s straightforward approach has proven especially valuable when it comes to Hemsworth’s high-profile career.

“Elsa’s honesty is my barometer for whether something works,” he says. “I take that with the films I do, the commercials, whatever. Everyone else can tell me one thing, but I know that I’m going to get the absolute truth from her.”

The actor who recently appeared alongside Pataky in an Amazon Alexa+ commercial that aired during the 2026 Super Bowl adds that her critiques are often delivered with care.

“It’s sometimes dressed up in gentleness from time to time, so that it doesn’t shatter my soul,” he says with a laugh.