In November, actor Chris Hemsworth revealed to Variety he would be taking time off from acting following his discovery he's genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's, the progressive neurological disorder that destroys memory and other functions of the brain.
Hemsworth found out he is eight to ten times more likely to be diagnosed with the disease.
He documented the moment a doctor shared the news with him on the fifth episode of his Disney+ docuseries Limitless.
Hemsworth responded:
"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."
In the following episode, the Thor actor's wife of ten years Elsa Pataky and the Limitless crew decided to help Hemsworth face his "biggest fear."
Patakyβwho is also an actorβdonned prosthetics, a wig and special effects makeup to portray an 87-year-old version of herself.
During the episode, Hemsworth was told he was meeting an elderly fan, but as soon as he caught a glimpse of the woman he knew it was his wife.
"You're still beautiful," he told her with tears in his eyes.
The scene has since gone viral.
\u201cHave you seen the video of Chris Hemsworth & his wife (who dressed as an old lady) bcs she wants him to see the older her so maybe he'll remember her in the future? \n\nThis is after they found out he has high risk of alzheimers & the disease could start to progress anytime \ud83d\udc94\ud83d\udc94\ud83d\udc94\u201dβ zrnhs (@zrnhs) 1673047560
Viewers were also in tears over the moment.
Oh my God! That is so sweet. I hope nothing ever happens to Chris; he is a lovely man.
β AKK (@JacquelineChr1s) January 9, 2023
A moment to remember.
β π ππ¦πͺπΆπ²π° (@baimyus) January 7, 2023
Ok Iβm sobbing
β Not Your Model Minority (@panzywrites) January 7, 2023
my freaking heart :(
β lyss (@LyssaNyssa) January 8, 2023
\u201cit is 3.33am and i am literally in tears in bed because of the video of chris hemsworth seeing his wife looking old that was made solely so that if he gets alzheimer\u2019s he might have an old memory of her elderly face and he might remember her, i am UNWELL\u201dβ i am tired \u270c\ud83c\udffd (@i am tired \u270c\ud83c\udffd) 1672976105
\u201cChris Hemsworth's wife put on movie makeup to make herself old so that maybe when he develops Alzheimer's, he will remember her later and I- \ud83d\ude2d\u201dβ cam (@cam) 1673273650
\u201cchris hemsworth & his wife set up a video where they make her old so he can see her cause he has a high chance of Alzheimer & prob wont remember her bye why did i do this to myself\ud83d\ude2d\u201dβ wanheda (@wanheda) 1672974085
pic.twitter.com/1hQzG0gajy
β shieda (@shiedaart) January 10, 2023
Bro why is it blurry π₯Ή
β Malik (@malikrelic) January 8, 2023
This is such a wonderful and beautiful gesture.
β Shawn Washington (@AfroJoe2000) January 10, 2023
Hemsworth said the moment was revelatory.
"What is quite confronting is approaching that age on my own."
"What makes it less scary is having someone to experience it with."
"Having people around you that you love makes me feel a lot more accepting."
Pataky revealed the experience made her feel "very vulnerable."
She explained:
"Aging is frightening, especially with women and in this society."
"It made me think about how much value we give to youth."
You can watch the full scene from Limitless here:
Elsa Pataky Surprises Chris Hemsworth in Limitless Episode 6 Acceptanceyoutu.be