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Chris Hemsworth is confronting his mortality in his new TV series.
The 39 year old actor talked about his series “Limitless,” where he and a group of scientists explore the limits of human’s mental and physical health. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hemsworth talked about discovering that he has higher odds than the rest of the world of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
“Most of us, we like to avoid speaking about death,” he said. “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. Your own mortality.”
Hemsworth has two copies of the APOE4 gene, something that he shares with 2 or 3 percent oft the world population, making him eight to 10 times more likely to experience Alzheimer’s.
Despite the scary news, Hemsworth shared that he now uses it as a joke and as a valid excuse to turn to. “I feel like my memory’s getting worse,” he said. “It’s a placebo effect — or it’s taking place! … It’s my excuse now.”
A clip shared by “Good Morning America” shows the moment where Hemsworth receives the news and his biggest fear of developing the disease later on in his life. “The idea that I won’t be able to remember the life I’ve experienced or my wife, my kids, this is probably my biggest fear,” he said.
While Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t have a cure, Hemsworth says that being informed is the best tool for prevention, allowing him to prepare ahead of time and maximize the health of his brain for as long as possible.
“I feel thankful that I have in my arsenal the sort of tools to best prepare myself and prevent things happening in that way,” he said to Vanity Fair. “The benefit of preventative steps is that it affects the rest of your life.”