Chris Hemsworth is opening up about his break from acting and how much a genetic test revealing a high risk of Alzheimer’s was a contributing factor.
“It all got a little sort of blown out of proportion,” he told Entertainment Tonight in an interview Wednesday. “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.”
Last year, Hemsworth spoke to Vanity Fair about the genetic test he took during an episode of the Disney+ docuseries “Limitless.” The test revealed that the Avengers star’s DNA contains two copies of the APOE4 gene, making his chance of developing the progressive neurologic disorder eight to 10 times higher than the average person’s.
The result “really triggered something in me to want to take some time off,” the Avengers star, 39, told Vanity Fair. “Now when I finish this tour this week, 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.”
In response, headlines last year had declared that “Chris Hemsworth Changed His Life After an Ominous Health Warning” and “Chris Hemsworth taking acting break after Alzheimer’s risk.”
However, Hemsworth is now clarifying that the test was only one factor in his decision-making.
“Doing (‘Limitless’), 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,” he said. “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.”
“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?” he added. “I want to 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.”
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One of those “great people” is Hemsworth’s “Thor” co-star Idris Elba, who also stars alongside him in their new film “Extraction 2” out on Netflix Friday.
“Idris is a really good friend of mine, and we’ve talked about working together,” Hemsworth said. “He brings out something very different in these characters, something a bit more that I think people will love.”
