Chris Hemsworth is starring in a new documentary that hits close to home. “Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember” follows the actor and his father, Craig Hemsworth, on a motorcycle trip across Australia after Craig’s diagnosis with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. The film shows their emotional journey revisiting important places from their past.
The documentary premieres November 23 on National Geographic and begins streaming November 24 on Disney+ and Hulu.
Why Chris Hemsworth Made This Documentary
Chris Hemsworth decided to create this personal film after learning his father had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. This came after Chris discovered during his series “Limitless” that he carries two copies of the APOE4 gene, which significantly increases his own risk of developing Alzheimer’s in the future.
Chris explained that after sharing his genetic risk publicly, he received positive feedback from many people affected by dementia. When discussing with his father the idea of documenting their experience, Craig was enthusiastic about helping raise awareness.
“It was an interesting thing to even consider,” Chris said. “There was a lot of, as you’d expect, apprehension and concern about how will this be perceived or portrayed? I asked him: ‘What did you think? What are your feelings about this?’ And he expressed a huge amount of enthusiasm to do it.”
The documentary gave Craig a sense of agency in facing his diagnosis. Chris noted that before this project, they hadn’t spoken much about the Alzheimer’s diagnosis, not out of avoidance but uncertainty about how to approach the subject.
The Science Behind Their Road Trip
The journey across Australia wasn’t just a casual vacation. Chris and his father were practicing reminiscence therapy, a scientifically supported approach to helping people with dementia.
Under the guidance of Dr. Suraj Samtani, a dementia specialist and clinical psychologist at the University of New South Wales Centre for Healthy Brain Aging, the Hemsworths visited meaningful locations from their past to stimulate Craig’s memory and brain function.
“We know that revisiting past experiences by talking to someone about it, even using objects from the past or places from the past, is a great way to boost our cognition,” explained Dr. Samtani. “This is what we call reminiscence therapy. For Craig, in living with dementia and trying to cope with the changes that he’s facing, sharing his life stories through the power of reminiscence therapy is going to be really beneficial for his brain.”
Reminiscence therapy works by stimulating the hippocampus, the same area of the brain that Alzheimer’s disease attacks. By actively recalling memories, patients can help build resilience in this vulnerable brain region.
Emotional Moments from the Journey
The documentary captures several powerful moments between father and son. In one particularly moving scene around a campfire, Craig opens up about his fears regarding his diagnosis.
“Some days, things are quite clear and I can make sense,” Craig tells his son. “And then some days it’s not so clear. It’s not so correct.” He also shares his concern about becoming a burden to his family, saying “Being a burden is probably the biggest issue, I think.”
Chris responded emotionally to his father’s vulnerability, reassuring him that the family would support him through his journey with the disease.
The road trip took them to significant locations from their family history, including their former family home in Melbourne and the Northern Territory outback where Craig once worked as a wild bull wrangler. They even recreated a childhood photo of Chris and his dad at a specific bend in a creek.
One-on-One Time for Father and Son
Beyond the therapeutic aspects, the documentary provided rare one-on-one time for Chris and his father. Chris noted that with his two brothers in the family, their time together had usually been as a group.
“If nothing else, he and I got to have this little road trip away together to do something we had talked about for a lot of years,” Chris said. “I have two brothers, and we’ve had this great childhood and upbringing, but it’s always been sort of all of us together. That one-on-one time is special.”
The filming presented unique challenges for the crew. Jim Jolliffe, the documentary’s Director of Photography, described using vintage lenses and wide-open apertures to create an intimate, organic feel. He noted the importance of blending into the background to capture authentic moments between Chris and Craig.
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Craig Hemsworth’s Current Condition
Months after filming completed, Chris reports that his father continues to battle the disease. Recent brain scans show physical evidence of Alzheimer’s, and medical evaluations indicate “a definite decline,” though there have been some unexpected positive fluctuations in his cognitive abilities.
“Funny enough, he had a cognitive test recently and there was an increase in some of his ability and memory-based exercises,” Chris shared. “Some dropped. The spectrum around the signs is quite vast and diverse. We are just trying to stimulate as much connection in his life as possible.”
The family is focusing on keeping Craig socially connected and engaged rather than isolated. Chris has embraced the lesson of valuing every moment with his father, regardless of what the future holds.
“It became less about the reminiscence therapy and the science around it,” he reflected. “What we came away with was connection. Whether we have another 20 years, or whether it’s another 20 days, it’s like: Hang on to every single moment. And connect on a deeper level as often and as frequently as you can.”
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