A father and son's journey back through time is the subject of Chris Hemsworth's new documentary, A Road Trip to Remember, where the star takes his dad on a radical exploration of his progressing Alzheimer's disease.
The Thor actor opened up about his family's experience with the neurodegenerative illness in an interview for Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast, where he promoted the new film and detailed the first signs of his dad Craig's condition.
Hemsworth shared how he had found out on his previous series, Limitless, that he had two copies of the Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene that signifies a higher likelihood of developing Alzheimer's, but his dad told him not to worry.
Speaking to Shetty from his home in Byron Bay, Australia, the 42-year-old said: "I remember vividly that conversation of him sort of telling me not to be concerned about it.
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"And then about two or three years later, my mom saying to me, 'I think we've got to get dad checked because there are these signs and things I'm concerned about'."
The first signs of the disease's progression spotted by the family were some of the most common red flags for Alzheimer's.
"The obvious one memory and slight mood changes and shifts and forgetfulness and so on," Hemsworth shared, saying that tests showed both parents shared the same genetic indicator for the disease.
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This means that all three of their children, Liam, Luke, and Chris, also have two copies of the APOE gene.
At first, Craig treated it as 'no big deal', the Marvel star said, but then his condition began to worsen. That was when Hemsworth began thinking of 'doing something around brain health' with his dad.
Rather than fearing sharing his health issues with the world, Craig was all in, saying he hoped that it would help 'shed some light' on Alzheimer's - and that the pair might 'learn something along the way.'
"He says it in the documentary, but his biggest concern was being a burden. And that was heartbreaking to hear and consider," Hemsworth detailed for Disney Plus. "And I had never even, up until we shot the documentary, I didn't know even how he felt about it, you know, because I hadn't asked him."
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The Road Trip documentary would evolve into a motorcycle journey involving Craig and Chris, with the pair investigating the disease and a radical approach to Alzheimer's therapy.
Traveling from Melbourne to the Northern Territories, the pair try out extreme reminiscence therapy with help from the University of New South Wales, exploring and recreating areas that have been important in Craig's life.
Using their production budget to the fullest, the Hemsworths go back to a near-perfect recreation of their first family home, including Point Break posters and old jars of that Australian staple, Vegemite.
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While it is believed to help people living with Alzheimer's to practise 'retrieving memories from the past', there are also several heartbreaking moments in the new doc.
When examining their old Melbourne home, Craig asks his son 'Where’s Leonie? She coming?' Referring to his wife. He then clearly slips and asks again moments later, with a devastated look clear on Chris' face.
On Shetty's podcast, he detailed how caring responsibilities had meant the star had 'turned down a lot of things' so he could spend more time with his dad.
He said: "I know I'm not going to get 10 years down the track and go, 'I'm glad I did those extra three or four films.' I'm going to say, 'I wish I spent more time with him, and with my mom, and with my brothers, and my wife, my kids, and family, and friends."
Topics: Chris Hemsworth, Mental Health, Australia
William Morgan