Chris Hemsworth opens up about biggest fears after Alzheimer’s discovery

Chris Hemsworth has shared why he was reluctant to open up about his family's history of Alzheimer's disease after learning there's a high risk he'll develop the neurological disorder.

Hemsworth, who is best known for playing Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will be reprising his role as the 'God of Thunder' in Avengers: Doomsday this year, revealed last year that his father had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

Last year, he released a documentary with his dad Craig titled A Road Trip to Remember as a means of making memories with his father.

"It was an interesting thing to even consider," Chris told Esquire ahead of the National Geographic doc's release. "There was a lot of, as you'd expect, apprehension and concern about how will this be perceived or portrayed?"

He went on: "I don't want to feel like I'm manipulating any of it in any sense, so I asked him: ‘What did you think? What are your feelings about this?’ And he expressed a huge amount of enthusiasm to do it."

A Road Trip To Remember is the second project Chris has done with National Geographic. In 2022 he released his series Limitless where he researched longevity. On the show he looked into his family's history of Alzheimer's disease as his maternal grandfather had the neurological disorder.

He went on to reveal on Limitless that he was eight to 10 times more likely to develop the it because of a genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s disease.

Now, speaking to The Guardian, Chris said he wasn't 'an easy decision' to open up about it all.

The Rush actor shared: "I wondered if I was letting people too far in. Are they no longer going to believe in the action star or the Marvel character? And do I want people to know my fears and insecurities to this level?"

Chris Hemsworth said he was worried to open up about his risk of getting Alzheimer's (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

Chris, 42, went on to label his recent documentary as 'a love letter to [his] father'.

"It empowered him for a period, and stimulated memories that were being taken away from him," the actor said.

Elsewhere Chris – whose brothers are The Hunger Games' Liam Hemsworth and Westworld star Luke Hemsworth – discussed slowing down his career following his father's diagnosis to spend more time with him, as well as his own kids.

"My appetite for racing forward has really been reined in," he said. "I’ve become more aware of the fragility of things. You start thinking, ‘My dad won’t be here for ever.’ And my kids are now 11 and 13. Those nights where they’d fight over sleeping in our bed – suddenly they’re not happening any more."

If you've been affected by dementia or Alzheimer's and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact the Alzheimer's Association via 800.272.3900 open 24 hours seven days a week.