Chris Hemsworth to take break from acting after discovering risk of Alzheimer’s

MANILA, Philippines – Thor star Chris Hemsworth said that he will be taking a “break from acting” after discovering his genetic predisposition to develop Alzheimer’s Disease. 

In the fifth episode of his Disney+ series Limitless, the 39-year-old actor talked to longevity specialist Dr. Peter Attia, who revealed to Hemsworth that he has an 8 to 10 times higher risk of getting Alzheimer’s due to a discovered genetic predisposition.

Attia explained that Hemsworth has two copies of the gene APOE4, one from each parent, which studies have linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s, which is the most common type of dementia and is uncurable.

In the episode, Hemsworth described the situation as “his greatest fear” of potentially forgetting the life he spent with his wife and his kids. 

Because of this, the actor told Vanity Fair that he plans to “take a break” from acting. After his Limitless press tour, he said that he will be spending more time with his wife and kids. However, Hemsworth clarified that this is not him “handing in a resignation letter.”

When approached by Disney with the option to remove the emotional scene from the series, the actor told Vanity Fair that he refused.

“If this is a motivator for people to take better care of themselves and also understand that there are steps you can take – then fantastic,” the Australian actor said. The actor noted how he wanted the situation not to be overdramatized as a “hokey” piece of entertainment. 

Limitless is a six-part TV show for National Geographic that documents Hemsworth in a series of intense challenges testing the extremes of the human body to discuss the science of longevity. It is also available to stream on Disney+. – Rappler.com