Chris Hemsworth Learns of Health Risk While Making Show

Chris Hemsworth got an unwanted surprise when participating in the National Geographic series Limitless on Disney+. Blood tests revealed that the then-37-year-old Thor star has roughly 10 times the average risk of developing Alzheimer's because both his parents have a gene known as APOE4. "It was initially pretty scary," Hemsworth tells Nat Geo. "But now, because of this information, there's an opportunity to live an even better life." Regular exercise, good sleep, and keeping stress under control might help mitigate the risk, a doctor on the show tells the actor.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hemsworth, now 39, calls the revelation his "biggest fear." He tells VF that show creator Darren Aronofsky decided to inform Hemsworth in person instead of on camera, and then left it up to the actor whether to include the news in the series. Hemsworth decided to do so, in part to raise awareness. "It really triggered something in me to want to take some time off," he adds. "And since we finished the show, I've been completing the things I was already contracted to do. ... I'm going home and I'm going to have a good chunk of time off and just simplify. Be with the kids, be with my wife." Hemsworth and wife Elsa Pataky have three children. (More Chris Hemsworth stories.)