Chris Hemsworth has never been one to shy away from a challenge. But this one was different. No costumes, no rehearsed lines: just a drum kit, two sticks, and a deadline that gave him only weeks before stepping out in front of tens of thousands of people. His goal was to hold the rhythm alongside Ed Sheeran on a stadium stage. For a man who had never played the drums, it was an audacious leap. He knew exactly who to call. Ben Gordon, the driving force behind Parkway Drive’s thunderous sound, also happened to be an old friend from their Byron Bay days. Years of friendship meant Gordon didn’t need much convincing. The idea was strange but appealing: watching one of Hollywood’s biggest names start at square one.
At first, the plan was simple: keep it low-key, just the two of them, working through the basics. But life has a way of making side stories the main event. Cameras rolled, and before long, the lessons became part of Limitless: Live Better Now, Hemsworth’s new documentary series capturing his attempts to push both body and mind into new territory. Across six countries, he tackled feats ranging from climbing sheer rock in the Swiss Alps to enduring military-style training in South Korea. The drumming challenge opened the very first episode, fittingly titled “Brain Power.”
The early footage was far from glamorous. Hemsworth’s first attempts were shaky, his timing adrift. Gordon later laughed about it, recalling how his student arrived with “no rhythm” and “no clue” but plenty of grit. It wasn’t an overnight transformation. The process was repetitive, frustrating at times, but Hemsworth kept showing up. Slowly, the beats began to land where they should. The pauses tightened. His grip settled into something more natural.
The breakthrough didn’t happen in a single triumphant moment. It was a gradual shift: one session blurring into the next until the kit no longer felt foreign. When Hemsworth finally found himself in the pocket, Ben Gordon didn’t need to say much. A quiet glance was enough.
By the night of the performance, the nerves were there, but so was the work. Under the glare of stadium lights, with Sheeran’s voice soaring above the crowd, Hemsworth kept his place in the rhythm. The sticks moved in steady arcs, each strike grounded in weeks of unseen effort.
For Gordon, it was more than just teaching a friend to play. It was seeing someone step right into discomfort and come out the other side with a new skill, and a memory neither of them will forget. For Hemsworth, the lesson was simple: in music, as in life, you find the beat by living through the silences between.