The “Thor” star discovered that he is eight to ten times more likely than the ordinary person to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. After wrapping up the press tour for his new Disney+ docuseries “Limitless,” Chris Hemsworth is taking “time off” from acting.
The 39-year-old actor told Vanity Fair that after filming the series’ last episode, which is about mortality and death, he chose to take a vacation from acting to spend time with his family. With their wife Elsa Pataky, 46, he has a 10-year-old daughter India and twin 8-year-old sons, Tristan and Sasha.
“Doing a death episode and facing your own mortality made me go, ‘Oh God, I’m not ready to go yet,'” he explained. “I want to sit and be in this area with a stronger sense of quiet and thanks,” he concluded.
“Then you start talking about kids and family, and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, they’re getting older, they’re growing up, and I keep slapping another movie on top of another movie.’ They’re 18 before you know it, they’ve moved out, and I’ve missed the window.”
According to the Australian native, “It definitely sparked an interest in me to take some time off. And, since we concluded the show, I’ve been finishing all the tasks I was already assigned.”
“Now, when I complete my tour this week, I’m going home and taking some time off to simply simplify. Spend time with my children and my wife.” In the six-part series, Hemsworth pushes his physical and mental limits as he investigates ways to combat aging and live longer.
Hemsworth discovered that he is 8 to 10 times more likely than the average person to develop Alzheimer’s disease while filming the show.
In the sixth episode, he meets with longevity specialist Dr. Peter Attia and is subjected to a battery of genetic tests.
“We have every blood test imaginable,” Attia tells Hemsworth in the show. “You also have two copies of APOE4. A set from your mother and another from your father.”
APOE4 is the gene with the strongest link to Alzheimer’s disease development; nevertheless, little is known about it. “My biggest fear is that I won’t be able to remember the life I lived, or my wife, or my kids,” the “Avengers” star admitted candidly in the episode.
“It’s my belief that if we take every step possible, we can reduce your risk to that of anyone else,” Attia told Hemsworth.
The actor from “Extraction” also disclosed that his grandfather had the condition. “For years, he has either forgotten who we are, his grandchildren, but also his own children. It breaks my heart.”
Hemsworth told Vanity Fair that this realization prompted him to make big changes in his life. He further disclosed that Disney+ offered to remove his test results from the broadcast.
The actor from “Extraction” also disclosed that his grandfather had the condition. “For years, he has either forgotten who we are, his grandchildren, but also his own children. It breaks my heart.”
Hemsworth told Vanity Fair that this realization prompted him to make big changes in his life. He further disclosed that Disney+ offered to remove his test results from the broadcast.
“I thought, ‘No, look if this is a motivator for people to take better care of themselves and understand that there are steps you can take,'” Hemsworth told the outlet.
“My concern was that I didn’t want to manipulate it, overdramatize it, and turn it into some kind of clumsy grab at empathy or whatever for entertainment.”
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