National Geographic’s Limitless, starring Chris Hemsworth, will premiere exclusively on Disney+ on November 16th.
Chris Hemsworth pushes the limits of his body in his new six-episode Disney+ original series from National Geographic, and PEOPLE has an exclusive First Look related to him!
Thor actor Chris Hemsworth
In Limitless Chris Hemsworth, the 39-year-old Thor actor meets with world-class experts to learn about revolutionary new research and long-held traditions that can.
Hemsworth goes through a series of extraordinary challenges devised by experts in order to better understand the limits of the human body, including “drownproofing.”
a Special Forces resilience training technique in which one’s hands and feet are bound while they perform underwater tasks such as flips, swimming laps, and floating.
“The goal is to kick off the bottom 20 times, giving me only a split second to give me enough air,” Hemsworth says in an exclusive clip from the episode, which airs Nov. 16.
“There’s all kinds of stupid stuff going through my head,” he says in the video. “Now I’m beginning to wonder, what if I actually drown?”
It’s terrifying, and that’s because it is. In fact, its sole purpose is to raise Hemsworth’s stress levels so that he can engage in positive self-talk, a psychological technique that will assist him in re-framing his mindset.
Even not for Hemsworth, this is easier said than done. “I think I find myself being stressed in situations for which I haven’t been able to prepare,” Hemsworth says in the video.
“Of course, I know I have enough oxygen, and I know these guys aren’t going to let me drown,” he continues, “but I can feel my heartbeat racing… the stress rising… my lungs starting to burn…” “It’s brutal, and it’s only getting worse. I can’t even lift my head to take a breath. That is when the panic sets in my mind .”
Hemsworth fails his first attempt at the test, but viewers will have to wait until the end of the episode to see if he improves. Dr. Modupe Akinola, a social psychologist, guides Hemsworth through his Stress-Proof trial.
“Modupe has a way of smiling at you and making you feel nice while asking you to do something excruciatingly horrible!” Hemsworth says.
Modupe, a Columbia Business School stress and resilience expert, “has researched extensively why some people thrive under stress while others buckle under it,” according to the release. “Her research shows that changing our understanding of stress and recognising our ability to master it can help us.”
It means we can lower our risk of stress-related illnesses, which affect so many of us, especially as we age.”
Darren Aronofsky created Limitless, which stars Chris Hemsworth and is produced by Protozoa and Jane Root’s Nutopia.
The series promises to show Hemsworth’s emotional side, which “reveals a deeper, vulnerable, and honest side when confronted with some of life’s most difficult realities.”
On November 16, all episodes of Limitless with Chris Hemsworth will be available on Disney+.