A birthday gag gone wrong? Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky were called out by the parenting police for a prank they pulled while celebrating their twin sons.
The Marvel star, 39, and the model, 46, threw a special bash for Sasha and Tristan, who turned 9 years old on Saturday, March 18. Days later, Hemsworth shared a glimpse of the family’s festivities via Instagram. “Happy 9th birthday to my two little men! Only one way to eat cake in this house and that’s to have mum slam your head into it face first!! ‘Hey mum I don’t like chocolate cake I prefer vanilla’ ‘oh really son, what about now’? @elsapataky,” he captioned the upload.
In the photo, Pataky can be seen pushing one of the birthday boys’ faces into a cake while Hemsworth looks on with a smile. The prank didn’t sit well with some social media users, who took aim at the couple’s means of celebration.
“Why people smash their kids face in the cake is above my understanding but whatever,” one follower wrote in the comments section. Others even called the prank “violent” and “ridiculous.”
While some critics were focused on the children’s safety, one Instagram user had a different gripe entirely. “Please tell me you didn’t waste a whole cake? Lol,” they teased.
Hemsworth and Pataky have yet to chime in on the debate, but they were backed up by a handful of supportive followers amid the backlash. “Violent? It’s a bit of play,” read one fan’s reply, while another added, “Just a bit of basic humor … they look like they are having a good time together.”
Some fans ignored the drama to wish Sasha and Tristan well on their big day. “Always an adventure in your home👏 @elsapataky Blessings to your wonderful family ❤️ Happiest of birthdays! 🎼🎶🎶🎶🎂🎉🎉🎈🎈🎈🎈❤️,” read a glowing message.
The Extraction actor and the Spain native have been married since 2010. Along with their twin boys, the duo share 10-year-old daughter India, who starred with her dad in 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder.
Hemsworth has been candid over the years about balancing his career with his family life. “There [are] times when I’ve thought, ‘Wow, because having kids is more important to me, some of my roles have suffered,'” he told GQ Australia in 2018. “There [are] definitely a couple of films I could’ve put way more energy into but I was like, ‘No, I’d rather be with my kids.'”
When it comes to his parenting dynamic with Pataky, the Aussie actor noted that they value teamwork. “It can’t be a truly individual, selfish endeavor, but we still need to take care of our own,” he explained. “Now my identity is another team, another community — the community being the family. You have to adapt and be malleable. … When I think about my kids, I don’t want them to miss that joy. Elsa and I talk a lot about how we instill that same appreciation and respect for things. I don’t want them to feel like they’re privileged in any way.”
