Chris Hemsworth, best known for his role as Thor in the Marvel cinematic universe, insists that the truth be known – Reports of his Hollywood departure due to Alzheimer’s fears have been greatly exaggerated.
While working on a docuseries about aging and decline for National Geographic in 2022, Hemsworth underwent genetic testing which resulted in his “biggest fear” being realized.
The DNA testing yielded evidence of two copies of the APOE4 gene, a marker indicating that the 40 year-old star is 8 to 10 times more likely than the average person to develop Alzheimer’s.
News of the genetic testing was released around the same time Hemsworth was taking planned time off from acting. The combination led many to believe he was leaving Hollywood or worse, that he had already shown signs of having the disease.
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Hemsworth ‘P—ed Off’ Over Alzheimer’s Rumors
Hemsworth, in an interview with Vanity Fair, intimated that the rumors of his leaving Hollywood due to Alzheimer’s fears made him angry.
In fact, he tells the outlet that he is clarifying the issue “once and for all.”
“It really kind of pissed me off because it felt like I had been vulnerable with something personal and shared this,” he said. “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.”
Hemsworth, the Australian actor who rose to prominence via the television series Home and Away, did manage to find some level of amusement in the Alzheimer’s rumor mill situation.
“I did read a really funny comment at the bottom of one article,” he said. “‘I hope Chris forgets he’s retiring and comes back.’”
His Next Project
Hemsworth is currently involved in several projects. He will be seen in the upcoming movie Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, in which he plays a villain, marking a departure from his usual heroic roles.
This movie is set to be released in the United States toward the end of May.
In the film, Hemsworth plays Dementus, who Vanity Fair describes as “the charismatic leader of a biker horde.”
Apart from Furiosa, Hemsworth has also been working on a commercial for Clash of Clans, which was filmed in Los Angeles on April 29th.
The commercial harkens back to the humor of the latter stages of the Thor series. Hemsworth is seen with a notable cast including Christina Ricci, Will Arnett, Ken Jeong, Dolph Lundgren, and Auli’i Cravalho.
There are also plans for Chris Hemsworth to film a second season of Limitless, the aforementioned National Geographic docuseries that led to the Alzheimer’s risk revelation.
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