Dannyka Manangan

Chris Hemsworth takes emotional journey with his father battling Alzheimer’s Disease in new documentary

Article (news)

Alyana De Guzman

Push Team

<p>Chris Hemsworth, known to millions playing one of Hollywood’s strongest superheroes, is stepping into a role that’s far more personal. In his newest documentary, <em>Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip To Remember</em>, the actor trades action scenes and cosmic battles for an unfiltered journey with his father, Craig Hemsworth, who was diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s Disease. </p><p>The documentary follows Chris and Craig on a motorcycle road trip as they revisit places that defined their early life using a therapeutic road trip back in time as part of “reminiscence therapy”. Their emotional journey across Australia is a chance for the father and son duo to deepen their bond, share significant memories, and discover how road trips, love, and nostalgia can be potent medicine. Instead of wielding a hammer, Chris is also opening about his father&#x27;s own cognitive decline, sharing stories that fans have never heard of.</p><p>“He has early stage Alzheimer&#x27;s. I want to do everything that I can to help him. Turns out this experience could help fight the disease,” Chris said in the documentary’s trailer.  </p><p>“I just find myself wanting to spend more time with him,” he added.  </p><div><br/></div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-15" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DP4mgxCEeAZ/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A15%2C%22os%22%3A12271721%2C%22ls%22%3A404946.19999999995%2C%22le%22%3A404952.30000000005%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-15" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>Just days before its release on November 23, Chris shared the documentary trailer online. According to Chris, it has always been an idea for him and his father to take a trip back to the Northern Territory, where their family had lived years ago, but never really had the opportunity to do it. Chris said that the journey they took during the filming was more “profound, moving, and surprising” than he ever anticipated.   </p><div><br/></div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-16" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DRQYxNDk3Aj/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A16%2C%22os%22%3A12271791.8%2C%22ls%22%3A404946.19999999995%2C%22le%22%3A404952.30000000005%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="567" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-16" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>In another post, he described the special screening night of the documentary as a surreal experience, surrounded by family and friends who witnessed a project that was different from anything he had ever worked on.  </p><p>“This project was unlike anything I’ve been a part of for a whole host of reasons and I’m incredibly proud of it.  Very thankful to everyone who poured into it and especially grateful to my parents, Craig and Leonie, who really put themselves out there with such vulnerability and grace,” Chris wrote.  </p><div><br/></div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-17" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRkI-fCkTl1/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A17%2C%22os%22%3A12271811.8%2C%22ls%22%3A404946.19999999995%2C%22le%22%3A404952.30000000005%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-17" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>Chris also shared a clip from the documentary, with showing a childhood photo of him with his dad.  </p><p>“One image, a thousand memories. Time passed in a heartbeat— my childhood, my father, my hero,” he said in the post.  </p><p>Apart from his father, Chris also learned during the first season of his National Geographic docuseries,<em> Limitless</em> that he inherited two copies of the gene variant APOE4, increasing his risk of developing the disease by eight to 10 times. Chris also revealed that one of his grandparents suffered from Alzheimer’s. According to a 2021 study by the National Institutes of Health, about 25% of the population carry a single copy of the gene, but only 2 to 3% have both. </p><p>“There was an intensity to navigating it,” Chris told <em>Vanity Fair</em> in 2022 after learning the medical news. “Whether or not any of this information helps you live longer, it&#x27;s about living better right now,” he added.  </p><p>While Chris had not been diagnosed with the disease, the revelation pushed him to cherish time, preserve memories, and understand his family more deeply.</p>

<p>Chris Hemsworth undergoes reminiscence therapy with his father, Craig, in his newest documentary, ‘Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip To Remember’ to fight Alzheimer’s Disease and relive family memories.</p>

Chris Hemsworth undergoes reminiscence therapy with his father, Craig, in his newest documentary, ‘Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip To Remember’ to fight Alzheimer’s Disease and relive family memories.