Chris Hemsworth is best known as the hammer-wielding Norse god Thor in Marvel's cinematic universe.
But now the Australian actor is trading superpowers for science, introspection and a new set of personal challenges, many of which are far scarier than battling fictional villains.
The 41-year-old is back for a second season of Limitless which sees him confront some of his deepest fears as he explores how to live longer, healthier and better.
"The first season almost killed me," Hemsworth tells the BBC. "And I thought, 'never again.'"
In season one, Hemsworth tackled physical and mental challenges designed to delay aging including free diving, fasting, stress training and walking along a crane 900 feet above the ground.
The actor says he chose to "torture" himself again as he had a burning curiosity to "ask bigger and deeper questions" about aging and the meaning of life.
"It was exhausting but also profoundly rewarding," he says. "But now I do have more questions rather than answers!"
Season two takes a different path as Hemsworth continues to test himself, but not just physically. With the help of Ed Sheeran, he learns to play a musical instrument for the first time and inspired by his children's carefree risk-taking, he climbs a 600-foot Alpine dam.
"Being thrust into unfamiliar environments where you're facing adversity or risk helps you understand how fragile life is and how quickly it can change," he says.
Hemsworth, whose brothers, Liam and Luke, are also famous actors, says he now takes nothing for granted and has learnt to not "settle for the easy route as the greatest lessons come from the more challenging times".
One of the biggest challenges for the actor was in the first season of the National Geographic series when a genetic test revealed he carries two copies of the gene ApoE4, one from his mother and one from his father, making him between eight and 10 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's than those without both copies of the gene.
"That warning sign was further motivation to take care of myself," Hemsworth explains.
"It also felt like a great opportunity to offer up education and a better understanding for people navigating it as Alzheimer's is something a lot of people face."
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