In interviews leading up to the release of Extraction 2, Chris Hemsworth, while acknowledging the achievements of action legends like Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone in the back of his mind, expressed his desire for action heroes to endure more than just physical blows. He emphasized that, unlike the apparent lack of real consequences in the performances previously done in the genre, he aimed to portray a hero who faced genuine risks and consequences on screen.
In an interview with Collider, he talks about how he aims to go beyond the artificial excitement of choreographed fights and stunts, focusing instead on bringing a genuine sense of risk and authenticity to his performances. That’s what makes it even more fun for the audiences according to him.
Chris Hemsworth Is Against Choreographed Action Sequences
In an interview with Collider, the action hero and Hollywood star, Chris Hemsworth expressed his opinion on how an action hero should be or rather should prepare to connect better with the audience. Although the viewers are aware of the fact, that each of the enthralling action sequences that they witness on screen is highly choreographed and none of the punches pose any real threat to the actor, it hinders the audience’s experience to absolutely immerse themselves in the story as the makers intended, according to the actor. He said,
“Again, we talked about this a lot. It kind of bugs me when I see people in an action film, chaotic action, you know, 10-minute sequence fight, and they’re still sort of nose breathing and posing at the end of it. I don’t feel any jeopardy there. If I’m not concerned, as in me on camera, and I’m not going through hell, I think it’s hard for the audience to empathize with that or understand that the stakes are high, you know?”
To a certain degree, Hemsworth’s perspective holds merit. Legends like Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis, along with numerous other renowned action heroes, often relied on meticulously staged action sequences that were primarily designed for visual spectacle.
These sequences often ended with picturesque poses symbolizing the triumph of the hero in a somewhat clichéd manner. Moreover, in many instances, the exploration of an action hero’s character remained superficial, providing audiences with only a surface-level introduction and nothing more. Hemsworth wanted to break all those ‘outdated’ molds with the latest installment in the Extraction franchise.
How Did Chris Hemsworth Prepare for Extraction 2?
The actor, Chris Hemsworth then further delved into the ways he often opts to make an action movie great, and the stakes real. And the key is to keep it authentic, in the same Collider interview, he stated,
“I understand the kind of wanting to present a movie star, a strong sort of image, but I enjoy the exhaustion, the grit, the pain being registered, the sweat, the blood, all of it. Dirtying it up, I think, gives it far more integrity and truth, and I think it allows an audience to be on the edge of their seat because they see what you’re going through as opposed to looking at something that’s kind of pretty and proper while doing some fight scenes.”
According to the Thor actor, the actor must go through hell in order to sell that their character is going through the same to the audiences. That’s what makes it extra spicy for the viewers. Sam Hargrave, the director of the new movie, also shared, how he made Hemsworth a believable action hero for the audiences to root. In a separate interview, he said,
“In Extraction, we did not want Chris to be just a big guy who kicks and punches but to dive into the character.”
Therefore, the actor-director duo promised the viewers that the movie will pack more than just a powerful punch, and as it turns out it did not disappoint, since it received an overwhelming amount of positive response from critics upon its release on the 16th of June.
Extraction 2 is now available on Netflix to stream.
Source: Collider
