Chris Hemsworth is setting the record straight about being predisposed to developing the type of dementia.
The man behind Thor is not hanging up his hammer anytime soon.
Two years after revealing his increased risk for developing Alzheimer's, Chris Hemsworth is hoping to put any confusion to rest. In a new interview with Vanity Fair, he addresses any false claims that he's been formally diagnosed with the type of dementia and is retiring.
"It really kind of pissed me off because it felt like I had been vulnerable with something personal and shared this," the Marvel star tells the magazine. "No matter how much I said 'This is not a death sentence,' the story became that I have dementia and I’m reconsidering life and retiring and so on."
Chris, 40, first learned of his risk of the disease when he underwent genetic testing for an episode of his Disney+ and National Geographic series, Limitless. The show follows the actor as he tackles episodic challenges in the name of longevity and aging better. In one episode, it was shared on-camera that the dad of three carries two copies of the APOE4 gene, which puts him at an eight to 10 times higher risk of developing the disease than someone in the general population.
While the star took issue with those who confused the discovery with an actual diagnosis, he is able to find a bit of humor in the ordeal. "I did read a really funny comment at the bottom of one article," the Furiosa star tells Vanity Fair. "‘I hope Chris forgets he's retiring and comes back.'"
"It all got a little sort of blown out of proportion," he previously told ET in 2023 of the mix-up around his break from acting. "I wanted to take time off because I've been working for 10 years, and I've got three kids that I want to spend more time with. The information about the predisposition... allowed me to make a whole bunch of other changes... from nutrition to my training to my mental fitness."
Alzheimer's is a matter close to home for the Hemsworth family. According to Vanity Fair, his late grandfather, who fought the disease, carried the gene, as does his dad, Craig. "Craig has begun confronting early signs of the disease," Vanity Fair's article reads.
Chris tells the magazine, "I know my dad is going through a transition of acceptance around 'I'm not this big, strong man with all the answers who everybody looks to for guidance now.'"
Dementia has been at the forefront of Hollywood headlines as of late following Bruce Willis and Wendy Williams' frontotemporal dementia diagnoses.
"To all the families, there really is hope that we can do something about this disease," Dr. Allison Reiss, an Alzheimer's Foundation of America's Medical, Scientific and Memory Screening Advisory Board Member, told ET of frontotemporal dementia. "... I have so much belief in the research community and the new technologies that, if we put our minds to it and if we put our energies and efforts to it, we can find things. It's not impossible and I just want it to get done."
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