Chris Hemsworth to take ‘time off’ from acting after discovering Alzheimer's risk
Chris Hemsworth has announced he'll be taking a break from acting after discovering he’s at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
The Australian star who is best known for his role as Thor made the announcement after filming a poignant episode of his documentary series, Limitless.
Chris discovered he is genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s, which led him to confront his ‘own mortality’ during filming.
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He said he would have a ‘good chunk of time off’ to spend with his wife Elsa Pataky and their three children – 10-year-old India and twin boys Sasha and Tristan.
“Doing an episode on death and facing your own mortality made me go, ‘Oh God, I’m not ready to go yet’,” he shared with Vanity Fair.
“I want to sit and be in this space with a greater sense of stillness and gratitude. And then you start talking about kids and family.
“It really triggered something in me to want to take some time off. And since we finished the show, I have been completing the things I was already contracted to do.”
The 39-year-old revealed that a test had shown he had two copies of the gene APOE4, which has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
“They took all my blood-work and did a bunch of tests and the plan was to on-camera tell me all the results and then talk about how you can improve this and that.
“And Peter Attia, who is the longevity doctor in that episode, and overseeing a lot of the show, called [Limitless creator] Darren [Aronofsky] and said, ‘I don’t want to tell him this on camera. We need to have an off-side conversation and see if he even wants this to be in the show.’
“It was pretty shocking because he called me up and he told me.”
The Marvel star added: “It’s not a pre-deterministic gene, but it is a strong indication. Ten years ago, I think it was more thought of as determinant.”
Hemsworth's grandfather has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
In the final episode of Limitless, Hemsworth delves into end-of-life care and the prospect of facing death.
Hemsworth most recently starred in the fourth film in the MCU’s Thor franchise, titled Thor: Love and Thunder.
He is also set to star in the second Extraction film and George Miller’s upcoming Mad Max film Furiosa, which finished shooting earlier this month.
Limitless is available to watch on Disney+ now.
Topics: Celebrity, Health, TV And Film
Gregory Robinson