A big screen superhero, an ex-Playboy bunny and an Oscar-winning superstar all spent part of the summer vacation in Costa Rica.
The Immigration Administration told the daily La Nación that muscle-bound “Thor” actor Chris Hemsworth and his Spanish wife Elsa Pataky have been in the country since last Wednesday.
Kendra Wilkinson, a former Playboy bunny and reality TV star, also arrived in the country on Wednesday. She’s here with her husband Hank Baskett, a former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, and son Hank Baskett Jr. (Despite rumors of an affair and the dissolution of the couple’s marriage).
Matt Damon, who won an Academy Award for the screenplay “Good Will Hunting,” which starred himself alongside the late Robin Williams, spent the last several weeks in Costa Rica. He left Saturday, according to La Nación.
On Monday, Hemsworth posted a video of himself taking the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge,” which raises awareness for the lethal neuromuscular illness also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He appeared to take part in the fundraiser while in the middle of the Costa Rican jungle.
He promised to donate money to charity for not taking the challenge within 24-hours of being nominated by his “Avengers” co-star Robert Downey Jr. Then, someone off-camera doused the not-terrible looking Australian actor with a bucket full of ice water. Hemsworth, shaking off the splash of water and displaying his not-tiny muscles, subsequently volunteered Hollywood actors Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo and Chris Evans for the challenge.
Celebrities have played an enormous role in the campaign’s viral success. Participants include Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah Winfrey, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Ben Affleck.
The campaign has raised more than $15 million, according to Time magazine:
The extremely viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has led to record donations to the ALS Association, raising some $15.6 million in contributions to the group and and its national affiliates since July 29 — compared with less than $50,000 in the same period last year.
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The total has been boosted by a flood of celebrities participating in the Ice Bucket Challenge, in increasingly creative ways. Project ALS, another charity dedicated to combatting Lou Gehrig’s disease, said it experienced a surge in fundraising after Ben Stiller and Ricky Gervais took the Challenge and asked people to contribute to that organization specifically. The charity raised $96,000 over a single weekend, compared to just a few thousand dollars in the first weeks of August 2013.
In 2012, the organization brought in $19 million in contributions during the entire year. But the Ice Bucket Challenge has proven to be a summer sensation. And there’s no escaping, not even while concealed within the Costa Rican rainforest.
Hemsworth’s brother Liam — who visited the country last year with then-girlfriend Miley Cyrus — arrived with Chris over the weekend. The “Hunger Games” actor, who also is not-grotesquely looking, was spotted by a Costa Rican fan before leaving the country Saturday.
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