Why Elsa Pataky didn’t become a ‘Hemsworth’ after marrying Chris: Spanish actress hints at the reason why she kept her unique surname
She married Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth in 2010 after a whirlwind romance of less than a year.
But Elsa Pataky has kept her unique surname and doesn’t go by ‘Elsa Hemsworth’.
This fact was noted by KIIS FM radio hosts Jackie ‘O’ Henderson and Kyle Sandilands during a discussion about the famous couple on Thursday.
Mystery: So Elsa Pataky (L) didn’t change her surname? Radio stars have addressed why the Spanish beauty isn’t known as a ‘Hemsworth’ after nearly a decade of marriage Chris (R)
‘Why didn’t she change her name to Elsa Hemsworth?’ asked Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, who was dumbfounded by the actress’ decision.
Jackie said she would be ‘going straight to the RTA’ (Australia’s version of the DMV) to update her driver’s licence if she married a Hemsworth.
There is no definitive answer for why Elsa, 43, hasn’t taken her husband’s surname, and it may simply be a matter of personal preference.
Mystery solved: Elsa was actually born Elsa Lafuente Medianu, with her adhering to the Spanish tradition of taking her parents surnames as one name
However, the mother-of-three did shed some light on her possible reasons for keeping her own surname during an interview with Herald Sun in June last year.
Elsa was actually born Elsa Lafuente Medianu, adhering to the Spanish tradition of taking her parents’ surnames as one name.
‘That’s my Spanish name. We actually have two surnames as one, which is weird – your mum’s and your dad’s,’ she said.
Alias: As her career started to get traction, she then changed her public name to ‘Pataky’ which was an ode to her beloved grandmother.
As her acting and modelling career started to take off in Spain, Elsa adopted the professional surname Pataky in honour of her grandmother Rosa Pataky.
She added: ‘My grandfather was a theatre actor and I admired him so I started to act as well. I thought, “You have to have something that really sounds different.”
‘My grandma’s surname in Spanish was a little different, so I took it from her and I love it. Pataky – it’s actually Hungarian but everybody think it’s Greek.’
‘ My grandfather was a theatre actor and I admired him so I started to act as well. I thought, ”You have to have something that really sounds different”,’ Elsa has said
It is not known if Elsa has legally changed her surname to Hemsworth.
Elsa and Chris, 36, moved to Byron Bay – a bohemian town on Australia’s east coast – in 2014, after spending several years living in Los Angeles.
The live in a $20million mansion with their three children, daughter India Rose, seven, and twin sons Tristan and Sasha, five.
Changes: Elsa and Chris moved to Byron Bay – a bohemian town on Australia’s east coast – in 2014, after spending several years living in Los Angeles