The concept of aging is not one society finds comforting. Still, Spanish actress Elsa Pataky was willing to see herself in a new light as an elder woman to surprise Chris Hemsworth months after he revealed his genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s.
In the fifth episode of the Australian actor’s docuseries on Disney+, Limitless, he visited a doctor who revealed he has an “increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease…about 8-10 times higher than that of someone in the general population.”
The shocking news led Hemsworth to take a break from Hollywood to focus on his health and family, increasing his fears of aging and death.
“You’re constantly thinking you’re going to live forever, especially as a young individual, then to all of a sudden be told this may be the thing that might take you out, floored me,” he shares in the docuseries.
He continued, “I’ve spent most of my life paying detailed attention to my health and wellness and looking at how I can be stronger and healthier, but I’ve never really focused on the health of my brain. This news changes things.”
“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,” the Thor star shared.
Although her husband portrays the mighty god of thunder in Marvel films, Pataky turned to the power of love to ease his very human fears in the sixth episode of the show titled “Acceptance.”
In the episode, Pataky worked alongside the Limitless team to help her transform herself into a much older woman so Hemsworth could remember her this way as well.
Thinking he was meeting up with an elderly fan at a dance, Hemsworth walked up to Pataky, who was sitting at a table, and discovered it was his wife. Shocked and tearful, they embraced each other and later shared a dance.
“Aging is threatening, especially with women in this society, it made me think how much value we give to youth,” Pataky during a behind-the-scenes clip of her during her prosthetic transformation. “Looking at myself is so confronting and surreal. I felt really vulnerable and I’m not sure I want Chris to see me like this.”
Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky at “Thor” Premiere.
Reflecting on the experience, she continues, “I think this moment we will remember forever, it was so deep and so unexpected. I felt safe, it was so beautiful.”
Hemsworth came to the realization that his fears were assuaged by the fact that he has people around him who love him and will support him through difficult moments.
“I think what is quite confronting is approaching that age on my own,” he said. “What makes it less scary is having someone to experience it with, having people around you that you love. It makes me feel a lot more accepting.”
Source: news.yahoo.com
