Chris Hemsworth is speaking candidly about a chapter his family never expected to confront. The Marvel actor revealed that his 71-year-old father, Craig, has been diagnosed with the active form of Alzheimer’s and has already begun experiencing memory loss and shifts in perception.
Chris first learned about his own heightened risk years earlier while filming the National Geographic series “Limitless,” where he discovered he carries two copies of the APOE4 gene linked to Alzheimer’s.
The finding hit him harder after Craig’s diagnosis, making the possibility of facing the disease himself feel more real.
Inside the Hemsworth Family’s Decision to Share Their Alzheimer’s Journey
With the family now stepping into a new phase, they chose to document the experience on film. Their new hour-long documentary, A Road Trip to Remember, premieres on NatGeo on November 23 and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
“It was an interesting thing to even consider,” Chris said, as per Esquire. “There was a lot of, as you’d expect, apprehension and concern about how will this be perceived or portrayed? I don’t want to feel like I’m manipulating any of it in any sense, so I asked him: ‘What did you think? What are your feelings about this?’ And he expressed a huge amount of enthusiasm to do it.”
Craig Opens Up on Camera About His Changing Reality
For Chris, one of the biggest challenges was asking his father, a quiet and strong-willed man, to speak openly about his changing health. Craig eventually voiced the truth during a campfire conversation captured in the film. He also talked about it on Good Morning America.
“Some days, things are quite clear and I can make sense,” Craig said, as reported by Esquire. “And then some days it’s not so clear. It’s not so correct.”
DisneyAfter a lifetime of caring for others as a father and as a child protective officer, Craig admitted that losing his independence frightens him most. “I can’t look after myself, and [will] be reliant upon other people to make decisions for me. … Being a burden is probably the biggest issue I think.”
Chris said hearing those words was overwhelming. “I remember when he said that,” he told Time. “It was profound and heartbreaking at the same time. We have to keep reminding him: ‘Let us help you here.’”
The Family Adjusts as Craig Resists Asking for Help
GettyChris admitted that Craig isn’t always the easiest patient, something many families navigating Alzheimer’s will recognize. “The resistance to us assisting or taking the burden away or doing it for him, is sort of problematic at times,” Chris said.
“It’s like, ‘Dad, you’ve got to let us step in at this point.’ And as time has gone on, there is a more openness to that. It’s day to day. But it says a lot about his character, his amount of deep integrity and compassion and selflessness.”
Months after filming, Craig is still fighting the effects of the disease, and Chris said he’s doing “well, all things considered.”
Chris Reflects on Fear, Family, and the “Comfort Crisis”
The diagnosis has reshaped how Chris approaches his own life. With a daughter and twin sons with his wife Elsa Pataky, he said his father’s struggles pushed him to live with more awareness, intention, and gratitude.
“For sure, the biggest takeaway for me was the comfort crisis that we’re faced with,” he said, as per Esquire.
“The removal of all the safety nets and actually seeking new adventure is healthy for the mind, the spirit, and the body. We settle for the familiar, even if it’s the wrong decision, because … well, it’s better than the I-don’t-know. And that’s the problem, I think. We become stagnant with that sort of mentality and there is a lack in our growth. To continually push back against that familiar path is where the true lessons come.”
Despite the fear that hangs over any Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Chris said Craig’s attitude continues to shape how he faces the future. “He has a pretty incredible perspective around all of it,” he said. “It causes fear and anxiety, but it’s a motivator to not take any of it for granted and, while he can, capture as many memories as possible and revisit the old ones.”
Chris remains healthy and focused on staying physically and mentally strong, but his father’s diagnosis has made the threat of Alzheimer’s more personal. The documentary, he says, is both a tribute and a reminder of the moments that matter most.
