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Chris Hemsworthis opening up about his decision to reveal his heath risk.
TheThorstar learned that he hastwo copies of the gene APOE4, which has been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's, as he was making his National Geographic documentary seriesLimitless With Chris Hemsworthin 2022. He estimates that his genetic makeup makes him eight to 10 times more likely to develop the disease later in life.
The actor recently reflected on how he thought going public with that information might affect his career.
"I wondered if I was letting people too far in," HemsworthtoldThe Guardian. "Are they no longer going to believe in the action star or the Marvel character? And do I want people to know my fears and insecurities to this level?"
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Hemsworth's father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, which prompted the actor to star in another National Geographic documentary,Chris Hemsworth: Road Trip to Remember, with him in 2025. "It was so deeply personal," the actor said of the doc. "It was a love letter to my father. It empowered him for a period, and stimulated memories that were being taken away from him."
TheBlackhatstar added that strangers have talked to him about Alzheimer's since he released the documentaries. "People like to pretend it's not happening, because it's so uncomfortable for them, so you suffer in silence," he said. "People talk to you about the footy and the weather and stuff, and no one actually says, 'How are you doing? Are you scared? Are you afraid?'"
Hemsworth slowed down the momentum of his acting career after his father was diagnosed. "My appetite for racing forward has really been reined in," he explained. "I've become more aware of the fragility of things. You start thinking, 'My dad won't be here forever.' And my kids are now 11 and 13. Those nights where they'd fight over sleeping in our bed — suddenly they're not happening anymore."
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TheThorstarclarifiedthat his reduced screen presence wasn't connected to his own genetic testing in an interview withEntertainment Weeklyin 2023. "I decided to take some time off because I was exhausted, and I wanted to be home with my family," he said. "It was interesting, because those two headlines got coupled together, that I was taking time off because of the genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's."
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Hemsworth acknowledged thatLimitlessshifted his perspective on his life at the time. "That experience and that show made me go, 'Oh, wow, none of us are invincible,'" he recalled. "It kind of slams you into the moment. You start asking bigger questions, and you think, 'I need to slow down and just experience this moment now and not have the years race by.'"
"It was a positive in that sense, but it got a little overdramatized, like I was potentially retiring because of this thing," he added. "Which just isn't the case."
Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
