Chris Hemsworth prioritizes his health. In an interview with Vanity Fair published on November 18, the Marvel actor said that he will be taking a hiatus from acting after learning that he had genes that may lead to Alzheimer’s disease. According to the site, he discovered two copies of the gene APOE4, one from each of his parents, after undergoing genetic tests while filming his new Disney+ reality program Limitless, which the National Institute on Aging labels the “strongest risk factor gene for Alzheimer’s disease.” Hemsworth’s grandpa has been diagnosed, demonstrating how serious his danger is.
“I’ve been finishing the tasks I was already contracted to accomplish since we completed the program,” he explained. “Now that I’ve completed this tour this week, I’m going home and taking a significant chunk of time off to just simplify.” “Be with the kids and my wife.” Hemsworth, who has a 10-year-old daughter, India, and twin sons, Tristan and Sasha, all 8, with wife Elsa Pataky, said discovering he inherited the gene made him realize how much time he was missing with his family due to his work schedule.
“Doing a death episode and facing your own mortality made me think, ‘Oh God, I’m not ready to die yet,'” he explained. “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 putting another movie on top of another movie.” They’re 18 before you realize it, and they’ve moved out, and I missed the opportunity.”
Hemsworth’s doctor warned him in the episode that the APOE4 gene makes him eight- to ten times more likely to acquire Alzheimer’s. The actor, however, took care not to embellish the issue or make it appear like he had been diagnosed. “I was given a version of the program in which we didn’t discuss anything,” he explained. “I told myself, ‘No if this is an incentive for people to take better care of themselves and understand that there are actions you can take—terrific.’ My fear was that I wouldn’t twist it, overdramatize it, and turn it into some sort of clumsy attempt at empathy or something for entertainment.
While he is taking a break from acting, Hemsworth will be back on the big screen soon, since he has already finished filming Netflix’s Extraction sequel and the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa. “It’s not like I’ve been handed my resignation,” Hemsworth said. Rather, he’s utilizing this health information to prioritize what’s important to him, and he encourages people to do the same. “You never know when your time is over, and you never know what tomorrow brings,” he explained. “Whether or not any of this information helps you live longer, the point is to live better right now.” “Whatever you do right now to improve your future self has a significant advantage over your current self.”