Nearly 70,000 fans inside the National Arena in Bucharest, Romania, got the surprise of their lives during a stop on Ed Sheeran’s The +–=÷× Tour (aka The Mathematics Tour) on Saturday night. Yes, that was Chris Hemsworth playing drums on the track “Thinking Out Loud.”
The unique moment, a first for Hemsworth, was captured for an upcoming episode of the second season of the actor's Disney+ original series on National Geographic. Without limits with Chris Hemsworth. While the episode doesn't yet have a release date, it's expected to air in 2025. “I had Chris Hemsworth teach me how to play the drums for my stadium show,” Sheeran shared on Instagram on Saturday, moments after the show.
In the clip, Sheeran says Hemsworth emailed him to say he was making a documentary about cognitive health and the benefits of learning to play an instrument. “He came over and learned to play the drums.” Hemsworth, who later mimed playing the drums, admits, “I've been thinking about it a lot. It'll be nice to put him to bed.”
On the Without limits series, Hemsworth regularly pushes himself physically and mentally to overcome new challenges as a way to stay sharp and “live better, longer.” Guided by experts, mentors, and spiritual leaders, he has traveled the globe to “unlock some of the world’s best-kept secrets” on that mission.
Tom Watt-Smith and Jane Root serve as executive producers for season two, with Arif Nurmohamed serving as co-executive producer for Nutopia. The executive producing team also includes creators Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel for Protozoa Pictures, and Hemsworth, Ben Grayson, and Brandon Hill for Wild State. For National Geographic, Bengt Anderson and Simon Raikes serve as executive producers with Tom McDonald, executive vice president of Global Factual and Unscripted Content. Season one is streaming on Disney+.
Sheeran's tour kicks off with upcoming stops in Bulgaria, Cyprus and Brazil in 2024, followed by more international dates next year. Hemsworth's Upcoming Titles Transformers One with a vocal role alongside Brian Tyree Henry and Scarlett Johansson.