Chris Hemsworth is opening up about a trying chapter in his family's journey, as revealed in his new documentary, Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember. In the film, which debuted on Disney+ and Hulu on November 24th, per US Weekly, he shares that his father, Craig Hemsworth, along with his brothers Liam and Luke, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
"It's so easy to take our parents for granted," the 42-year-old actor, father to kids India Rose, 13, and twins Sasha and Tristan, 11, with wife Elsa Pataky, reflects in the documentary. "I feel I've been so busy that I haven't spent as much time with my dad as I would have liked, and then there was the diagnosis."
While his father is in the "early stage" of the neurodegenerative disease, there are "good days and bad days," which prompted Chris to plan the road trip explored in the documentary. "I want to do everything I can to help him," he explains. "So my dad and I are going on a road trip. It's something we've been talking about for years."
The Marvel star, who shared in 2022 that he possesses two copies of the APOE4 gene—which increases the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease—notes that the trip could help his father fight the disease. "If it helps, fantastic," he says. "But I'm just looking forward to spending time with my dad."
While filming his docuseries Limitless in 2022, Chris learned he had a "strong indication" of developing Alzheimer's later in life. While it wasn't a strict diagnosis, he subsequently shared how he processed this news about his health. "There was an intensity to navigating it," he told Vanity Fair in 2022. "Most of us like to avoid speaking about death in the hope that we'll somehow avoid it. We all have this belief that we'll figure it out. Then to all of a sudden be told some big indicators are actually pointing to this as the route it's going to happen, the reality of it sinks in. Your own mortality."
Despite the jarring feeling upon hearing the news, Chris is relieved he knows his chances. "Whether or not any of this information helps you live longer, it's about living better right now," he adds.
