Chris Hemsworth says being set on fire eight times for film sequel Extraction 2 was ‘terrifying’

LOS ANGELES – Chris Hemsworth’s stellar stunt work in the action thriller Extraction – Netflix’s most-watched original film when it came out in 2020 – won rave reviews from critics, even those who did not care for the rest of the movie.

And the Australian star is reprising his role as Tyler Rake, a special forces operative-turned-mercenary, in the sequel Extraction 2, which debuts on Netflix on Friday. In it, Rake is tasked with breaking a gangster’s family out of jail.

But 39-year-old Hemsworth,

who plays the Norse god Thor

in superhero blockbusters such as the Thor (2011 to 2022) and Avengers (2012 to present) films, admits that physically demanding parts such as this are getting harder with age.

Speaking to The Straits Times and other media at a Zoom press event, the actor says: “I’m a little older now, so it hurts a bit more when you make mistakes.

“I remember in my 20s doing things and not even warming up. You just smash yourself around and (go), like, ‘Yeah, no worries.’

“All you want to do is impress the stunt coordinator, the director or whoever, and it’s head first into everything.”

The father of three – who also says he gets lots of joint pains – adds that in hindsight, he would have handled some of the action work earlier in his career differently, because that attitude “doesn’t really lean into the longevity of it all”.

“There are injuries I’ve had over the years that could’ve been prevented with a bit more intelligence and a different approach – and also being honest and saying, ‘this doesn’t quite feel right’.”

Before, his gung-ho spirit sprang partly from fear, adds Hemsworth, who was praised for his portrayal of the late British race-car driver James Hunt in sports biopic Rush (2013).

“It’s the fear of letting someone down and being ready to do whatever anyone says, because you’re so thankful for the job that you do some silly things.”

Now, he recognises the importance of “speaking up when I think there could be a better way of doing it”.

He also focuses on getting better rehearsal time and more functional training – “having my movements in training mimic what I’m going to be doing in the film, as opposed to just lifting weights”.

That said, Hemsworth and Extraction 2 director Sam Hargrave did not hold back when it came to the big action set pieces in the new movie, which was written by American film-maker Joe Russo.

Russo and his brother Anthony produced Extraction 2. The duo had previously directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

And Extraction 2 – which co-stars Olga Kurylenko and Idris Elba – “is even bigger and larger and a lot more exciting” than the first, says Hemsworth.

In an ambitious 21-minute one-shot sequence, he is set on fire as a helicopter lands on a train moving at 80kmh.

“I was on top of the train,” Hemsworth adds. “It’s snowing, we’re in the Czech Republic and there’s a helicopter in front of me flying backwards.”

Being set on fire was equally terrifying. “It was real fire. There was a lot of therapy, but I’m over it now,” Hemsworth jokes.

Overall, there was a larger component of risk in this film compared with the original, he says.

“But we all knew the elevated risk was going to give us an elevated performance and an elevated effect – and a cool poster,” adds the actor.

He is married to Spanish actress Elsa Pataky, 46, with whom he has an 11-year-old daughter and nine-year-old twin sons.

Hargrave, who was both director and stunt coordinator, says Hemsworth and the stunt team pushed the envelope, especially for that 21-minute shot.

“It takes a lot of preparation, as we rehearsed for three to four months to get all the elements in place,” says the 40-year-old American film-maker, who has worked with the Russo brothers as a stunt coordinator on several Marvel movies.

And Hemsworth is unmatched when it comes to dedication to the stunt work, agreeing to be lit on fire eight times for that one scene, Hargrave reveals.

The actor was “putting himself on the line day after day”, adds the director, because he wanted to make a bigger and better film for the audience.