Actors star in Alzheimer’s films

Samuel L Jackson, Bryan Cranston and Christopher Eccleston feature in a new campaign to show the physical impact that diseases like Alzheimer’s have on the brain.

Through a series of award-winning films by Aardman Animations, the three leading actors are helping Alzheimer’s Research UK to challenge misconceptions about dementia.

During World Alzheimer’s Month in September, they have played leading roles in the charity’s #ShareTheOrange campaign to highlight that dementia is not an inevitable part of ageing.

The films counter fatalism about the condition and show hope lies in research. Each video features an orange gradually stripped away to demonstrate how the diseases that cause dementia physically attack the brain.

The brain of a person with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, weighs around 140g less than a healthy brain – about the weight of an orange.

According to Alzheimer’s Research UK, one in five people believe dementia is an inevitable part of ageing. The films help counter this belief and show dementia is caused by physical diseases that could be slowed, and ultimately stopped, through research.

The charity claims people with dementia have been particularly hard hit by Covid-19, with figures suggesting a quarter of those dying from Covid-19 have also had dementia.

‘People with dementia are bearing the brunt of Covid-19,’ said Director of Communications Tim Parry, ‘and the future of dementia research is under threat from the pandemic.’

Legal & General is supporting the charity as it reaches new audiences with this important message. ‘Dementia causes untold heartache to families across the globe,’ said Tim Parry. ‘Our #ShareTheOrange campaign shows that through research we can change this picture.’