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Chris Hemsworth embarked on a personal and physically demanding journey for his new series "Limitless" that ultimately led to a sobering discovery.
The "Thor" actor, 39, learns in one episode of the limited Disney+/National Geographic series -- which shows him exploring ways to enhance his longevity and combat aging -- that he has two copies of the APOE4 gene, one from each of his parents, meaning he has a heightened predisposition for developing Alzheimer's disease.
"They took all my bloodwork and did a bunch of tests and the plan was to on-camera tell me all the results and then talk about how you can improve this and that," Hemsworth shared with Vanity Fair in an article published on Thursday. "And Peter Attia, who is the longevity doctor in that episode, and overseeing a lot of the show, called ["Limitless" creator] Darren [Aronofsky] and said, 'I don't want to tell him this on camera. We need to have an off-side conversation and see if he even wants this to be in the show.' It was pretty shocking because he called me up and he told me."
Upon learning the news, Hemsworth said he "had a bunch of questions," later adding that he "didn't really know what to think. I was like, 'Am I supposed to be worried? Is this concerning?'"
He also said that the show then "became even more relevant and important for me, even more poignant than I ever thought it would be," adding that APOE4 is "not a pre-deterministic gene, but it is a strong indication. Ten years ago, I think it was more thought of as determinant."
The new information, which Hemsworth said makes him "eight to 10 times more likely" to eventually develop Alzheimer's disease, naturally caused him to reflect on death and his own mortality.
"There was an intensity to navigating it. Most of us, we like to avoid speaking about death in the hope that we'll somehow avoid it," he told Vanity Fair. "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 which is going to happen, the reality of it sinks in."
"Limitless," which shows the Marvel star engaging in various stunts and practices to prolong and enhance his life, in fact deals with facing death in the final episode.
"I think that's my favourite episode. That's where I worked with the death doula and people who worked in palliative care and end of life care and then spoke to a number of people who were at the end of their days or coming upon them -- even younger people that were diagnosed with cancer and didn't have long to live," he shared.
"Doing an episode on death and facing your own mortality made me go, 'Oh God, I'm not ready to go yet,'" he later added. "I want to sit and be in this space with a greater sense of stillness and gratitude. And then you start talking about kids and family and going, 'Oh my God, they're getting older, they're growing up and I keep slapping another movie on top of another movie.' Before you know it, they're 18 and they've moved out of house, and I missed the window."
In preparing the show for air, Hemsworth also mentioned that he was "offered a version of the episode where we didn't talk about [his discovered genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's]," but that the prospect of helping others helped him to get over any hesitation.
"I thought, 'No, look, if this is a motivator for people to take better care of themselves and also understand that there are steps you can take -- then fantastic.' My concern was I just didn't want to manipulate it and overdramatize it, and make it into some sort of hokey grab at empathy or whatever for entertainment."
Hemsworth, who most recently appeared as the MCU's God of Thunder in his fourth solo outing in this summer's "Thor: Love and Thunder," is next set to appear in another sequel, next year's "Extraction 2." He is also wrapping up a yet-to-be-revealed role in 2024's "Furiosa," co-starring Anya Taylor-Joy, set in the universe of "Mad Max."
Thousands of Canadians have been displaced as fires burn in Alberta, B.C. and Manitoba. Here are the latest updates.
Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren 'Dutch' Dutchyshen, one of Canada’s best-known sports journalists, has died. He was 57. His family says 'he passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones.'
A ‘lifetime of abuse’ led Dallas Ly to snap and repeatedly stab his mother inside their Leslieville apartment in 2022 but he never intended to kill her, his defence lawyers argued during at his murder trial in Toronto on Thursday.
A Montreal father who kidnapped his daughter who has autism and lied to police when they asked where she was should serve three years in prison, a Crown prosecutor said.
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. said Thursday it's ready to sign on to the grocery code of conduct, paving the way for an agreement that's been years in the making.
To give Canadians a break on their summer road trips, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to suspend all gas and diesel taxes from Victoria Day to Labour Day.
A medical examiner says a Massachusetts teen who participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge died from ingesting a substance 'with a high capsaicin concentration.'
Ontario’s so-called ‘Crypto King’ Aiden Pleterski was soliciting new investors as recently as February – a year-and-a-half after he was petitioned into bankruptcy for allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million - police alleged on Thursday.
Many Canadians found a message from the Canada Revenue Agency this week as they received their first direct deposit for the Canada Carbon Rebate.
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.
ALS patient Mathew Brown said he’s hopeful for future ALS patients after news this week of research at Western University of a potential cure for ALS.
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.