Parkway Drive have released footage showing Chris Hemsworth’s comical attempt to play drums for the Byron Bay metalcore band.
The clip, uploaded to TikTok yesterday (December 17th), originally aired as part of the second series of Hemsworth’s documentary programme Limitless earlier this year.
The footage captures the Thor actor struggling through a rehearsal session with the band, preparing for what was meant to be a collaborative performance with pop star Ed Sheeran. Hemsworth’s timing issues become immediately apparent, forcing the metalcore veterans to restart songs multiple times throughout the disastrous practice session.
The Australian actor chose Parkway Drive specifically because of his friendship with drummer Ben Gordon, praising the musician’s “Zen quality” as a teaching approach. However, Gordon’s supposedly calming influence appears to have had little effect on Hemsworth’s rhythmic abilities during the session.
Guitarist Jeff Ling delivered a brutally honest assessment of the Hollywood star’s drumming performance. “That was pretty sad,” Ling declared at the conclusion of the chaotic rehearsal.
@parkwaydrive Drummer tryouts didn’t exactly go to plan… Throwing it back to earlier this year when Chris Hemsworth took drum lessons from Ben for Limitless on Disney+.
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Hemsworth’s metalhead credentials are well-established, having previously expressed his admiration for Metallica and Pantera. The actor revealed in a 2013 Esquire interview that his passion for heavy music once led to physical injury. “My cousin, who was educating me on heavy metal, bought [Metallica’s self-titled 1991 album, AKA The Black Album] for me. I remember at the age of 11 pulling something in my neck from headbanging – being kind of semi-paralysed from trying to mosh and outdo each other.”
The connection between Hemsworth and Gordon extends beyond their shared musical interests. “He’s a good mate of mine and lives in the same town as me,” Hemsworth explained during promotional material for Limitless series two. “And he’s the drummer for Parkway Drive, one of the biggest metal bands in the world. He’s incredibly talented, but with quite a sort of Buddhist approach to it all. There’s a Zen quality to Ben that I love, which is such a contrast to the music he plays.”
Limitless premiered on National Geographic in 2022, with both series now available on Disney Plus across multiple markets. The programme follows Hemsworth as he explores various methods of healthy living, confronting fears, and potentially slowing the ageing process.
