Chris Hemsworth discovers he has genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s
Chris Hemsworth discovered his genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s disease while filming “Limitless.”
The actor spoke to Vanity Fair on the “intensity [of] navigating” his test results in an interview published Thursday.
“Most of us, we like to avoid speaking about death,” the “Thor: Love and Thunder” star, 39, explained. “Then to all of a sudden be told some big indicators are actually pointing to this as the route which is going to happen, the reality of it sinks in. Your own mortality.”
Because the Aussie’s DNA has two copies of the gene APOE4, he is “eight to 10 times more likely” to battle the progressive disease, which is characterized by mental deterioration.
Hemsworth, along with only two to three percent of the population, has a copy of the gene from both parents.
He noted that his grandfather, who he hasn’t seen in “a few years,” was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and often “slips in and out of Dutch,” English, a “mash-up and then maybe some other new words as well.”
While the predisposition news was “confronting initially” to Hemsworth, it has turned into a “self-deprecating sort of joke,” he told the outlet.
“I feel like my memory’s getting worse,” the Marvel actor noted. “It’s a placebo effect — or it’s taking place! … It’s my excuse now.”
In addition to being pickier about his projects and spending “outdoorsy and adventurous” time with his wife, Elsa Pataky, daughter India, 10, and sons Sasha and Tristan, 8, Hemsworth is now taking preventative measures against the dementia.
“I feel thankful that I have in my arsenal the sort of tools to best prepare myself and prevent things happening in that way,” he said. “The benefit of preventative steps is that it affects the rest of your life.
“When you have predisposition to … anything — it’s all about sleep management, stress management, nutrition, movement fitness,” Hemsworth continued. “It’s all kind of the same tools that need to be applied in a consistent way.”
By sharing his story, Hemsworth is hoping to influence others “to take better care of themselves.”
He added that his intention was never to “manipulate” and “overdramatize” the news as a “hokey grab at empathy or whatever for entertainment.”
In addition to his memory, Hemsworth’s Disney+ series features a longevity doctor, a death doula and more.
“It is way more widely acceptable to talk about health and wellness than it was when I was growing up,” he said. “There’s way more science and awareness of it and there’s a greater enthusiasm for it.”
