Chris Hemsworth comes as a package deal these days! The superstar actor has been inseparable from his wife and three children since learning he has a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease and, in spite of the bad news, he hasn’t been this happy in years.
Friends say Chris, 41, has completely overhauled his world to focus on his wife Elsa, 48, and their beloved kids, India, 12, plus 11-year-old twins Sasha and Tristan. These days, it takes a very special project to lure him away from their tight family unit.
“They’ve spent the past two years living each day like it’s his last,” says a longtime friend.
“That diagnosis changed him. He no longer just takes on any movie role. It has to be something pretty incredible to get him on a plane to LA. And expect him to arrive with his kids if he does.”
During the 2020 filming of his documentary Limitless, the Thor actor underwent tests that revealed he had two Alzheimer’s genes. He is eight to 10 times more likely to develop the disease than the general population.
It would be two years before he would reveal this publicly. In November, 2022, he declared, “Facing your own mortality really triggered something in me to want to take some time off. I’m going to have a good chunk of time off and just simplify. To be with the kids, be with my wife.
“I’m a bit more choosy with when I work and how I work. It better be worthwhile to take me away from them.”
Thankfully, as one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most lucrative stars, Chris can pick and choose whatever projects he wants. Already he’s reportedly backed out of a Hulk Hogan biopic.
“His priorities have changed and he wants less-stressful projects that are kid-friendly and politics-free,” adds the close friend.
“His priority is his health and his family, and he wants to make every moment with them count.
“He and Elsa even worked out a system that would ensure he gets to spend quality one-on-one time with each kid to make special memories and connection. Now they’re older, he can travel solo with them too. However, he and Elsa want to give them as many experiences as possible while still keeping them grounded.
His friend tells, “His recent trip to LA with Tristan wasn’t about work – Chris had all kinds of father-and-son plans, from off-roading in the desert to a theme park. Last April, he went camping with India, then he took Sasha to a jiu-jitsu camp.
“He has no idea how long he’s got with his health and body in good shape, but he’s not letting it take over, nor is he dwelling on the negative.
“If anything, he’s turning it into something that saves him. What gives him the greatest joy is his family and that’s his focus now.”
As Chris once said, “My dream would be for them to talk about me as a parent one day and say that he was always there – he played with us, he was present, he listened and he paid attention.”
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