Chris Hemsworth has been grabbing headlines for his relationship with wife Elsa Pataky for a while now – but he is currently garnering attention based on a very candid confession about his father’s health.
The 42-year-old Thor: Love and Thunder actoropened up about his father’s Alzheimer’s disease during an emotional appearance on the Jay Shetty On Purpose podcast. The candid conversation comes after his 2025 documentary, A Road Trip To Remember, which follows Chris and his father revisiting his childhood homes across Australia. Keep reading to find out more…
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What Did Chris Hemsworth Say About His Father's Alzheimer's Disease?
The Transformers One actor said the diagnosis was a "real shock to the system" for his family – which also includes brothers Liam Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth.
Recalling the moment he first realized something might be wrong, Hemsworth told Shetty: "I remember vividly that conversation of him sort of telling me not to be concerned about it. And then about two or three years later, my mom's saying to me, 'I think we've got to get dad checked because there's these signs and things I'm concerned about.'"
The Extraction 2 star went on to explain some of the early Alzheimer's symptoms the family noticed, saying: "The obvious one's memory and sort of slight mood changes and shifts and forgetfulness and so on."
Chris Hemsworth Said The Family Tried To Remain Positive
At first, Hemsworth said that the entire family tried to keep things in perspective and remain positive, convincing themselves that any severe symptoms were still far off in the future. But that optimism quickly faded as his father's condition progressed and the weight of the situation became impossible to ignore…
"I was immediately hit with the reality of what that meant for him because I had just gone through 'Ah it's a long way down the track, don't worry, push it aside.' Then all of a sudden it was right in front of us and it was confronting, but again, I think 'we'll figure it out mentality' was still very prominent," Hemsworth confessed.
He added: "But then as it began to get worse it became a real sort of shaking into the moment and a real sort of shock to the system. Everything we thought was solid and true and consistent was gonna dramatically change and shift."
Chris Hemsworth On His Likelihood Of Developing Alzheimer's
In 2022, during an episode of his Disney+ series Limitless, the father-of-three learned that he is eight to ten times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease after discovering he carries two copies of the APOE4 gene variant – one from each parent.
Explaining how the testing unfolded, the Spiderhead actor said: "So he went and got tested and found out he had two copies of the APOE4, as did my mom. So then by default, me, Luke, and Liam all have two copies of APOE4. So this sort of anomaly of genetic combinations."
The revelation inevitably made him reflect on both his future and his career. Speaking to The Guardian at the end of last year, he admitted that he initially questioned whether he had shared too much and whether his career, as he knew it, would change forever…
"I wondered if I was letting people too far in," Hemsworth confessed. "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?"
That said, he also acknowledged that his career may look different moving forward – but it will be on his own terms. He admitted his father's diagnosis has played a role in his decision to slow down professionally, explaining: "My appetite for racing forward has really been reined in. I've become more aware of the fragility of things."
"You start thinking, 'My dad won't be here forever.' And my kids are now 11 and 13. Those nights where they'd fight over sleeping in our bed – suddenly they're not happening anymore."
Chris Hemsworth Doesn't Like The Way The Media Initially Reported On His Genetic Risk
In a 2024 interview with Vanity Fair, the Avengers: Endgame actor admitted that he was frustrated by how parts of the media framed his openness about his genetic risk and his father's diagnosis – particularly when some outlets speculated about his future and career…
"It really kind of [expletive] me off because it felt like I had been vulnerable with something personal and shared this," Hemsworth said at the time.
He added: "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."
