Chris Hemsworth says health concerns were ‘blown out of proportion’

Chris Hemsworth announced late last year that he had a rare gene called APOE4, putting him at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. The announcement was emotional for Hemsworth and his fans, especially those who watched Limitless. While the actor has not been talking about retirement, per se, he did speak about taking a break. To put some of the rumors swirling around to rest, Hemsworth shared the reason for a pause in his career and clarified news he felt was “blown out of proportion.”

Since his genetic condition was revealed, the actor shared that he would take a break from acting to focus on “those things that make life worth living.” During a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Hemsworth clarified what he meant when he announced his acting break, confirming that the pause in his career isn’t because of the discovered gene but rather to allow him to spend more time with his family.

“It all got a little sort of blown out of proportion. I wanted to take off because I’ve been working for 10 years, and I’ve got three kids that I want to spend more time with.”

Hemsworth discovered his genetic condition while shooting his Disney Plus series, Limitless, making him 8 to 10 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s due to obtaining two copies, one each from his parents. The actor shared what he’s learned after shooting the series and that it made him reflect more on his life choices.

“Doing that show, each episode resonated in such a way that made me realize how life is just flying by, and I wanted to be still for long periods and more often. The information about the predisposition… allowed me to make all the changes — whether it be nutrition, my training, my mental fitness. Which is the point of the series. The whole point for me was to give people access to tools, knowledge, information on how to live a better, longer, healthier life.”

After his time in Thor: Love and Thunder, Hemsworth has been more selective with his following projects. Rather than jumping from one task to another, he wants to “curate” his choices and the opportunities he’s been given.

“I’ve been running from project to project for long time, just to avoid being unemployed or that fear that it’s the last job you’ll get, you know? I wanna be more curated about the choices I make, things I immerse myself in or I’m involved in. I want to have greater value and work with great people.” 

Hemsworth’s next film appearance will be in the upcoming Netflix project Extraction 2, reprising his role as Tyler Rake, a former Australian SAS operator turned black-ops mercenary. Joining him will be his old Thor co-star, Idris Elba, whose role isn’t currently listed as of writing. Extraction 2 is set to be released on Netflix on June 16, 2023.