The Extraction 2 Scene That Terrified Chris Hemsworth To Film
Making an action film is hard work. Fights must be painstakingly choreographed to avoid stray punches doing damage, stunts must be carefully prepared for, and every person on the set must be protected against explosives, high falls, or weapons used in a scene. With all of that in mind, can anyone really blame Chris Hemsworth for feeling a little scared about performing his own stunts for "Extraction 2"?
Speaking with Associated Press Entertainment in June on the red carpet for the "Extraction 2" premiere, Hemsworth admitted that he tries to stay cognizant of the danger inherent in doing this type of acting, yet his fear of one scene, in particular, was very real. "There's always risk going into those scenes," he said. "That said, the one that scared me the most was being on top of a moving train that was going 40 miles an hour and having a helicopter 20 feet in front of me flying backwards. And then [director] Sam [Hargrave] in the middle, filming the whole thing." What Hemsworth fails to mention is that the action sequence in question was filmed during sub-zero temperatures.
It sounds like quite a complicated piece of action choreography to commit to film. So why does the actor choose to perform his own stunts? He explained that turning out a believable product is important to him, and it improves upon patching scenes together afterward during post-production with green screen technology. "This is real, you know," Hemsworth said. "We're sweating, we're anxious, we're nervous, we're intimidated and that's what's being captured."
Extraction 2 pushed Chris Hemsworth to his limits
Chris Hemsworth is definitely selling his abilities short. "Extraction 2" director Sam Hargrave, who also brought the first film to life, opened up to GamesRadar+ about how the "Thor" actor is pushed to his limit with the Netflix release. "The crazy thing is here's right there with you and never backs away from a challenge," Hargrave said of Hemsworth's work ethic.
While standing atop a speeding train as a helicopter is chasing after you is surely a terrifying thought, so if being lit on fire. The "Extraction 2" director continued by pointing out how the film's headlining action setpiece, a 21-minute long continuous sequence, starts off with the Tyler Rake actor becoming one with fire. "We lit him on fire," Hargrave admitted, revealing that the flames were genuine — not CGI. "But it just doesn't look the same, it doesn't have the same feel. So he was like, 'Yeah, light me up.'" How many times did Hemsworth find himself on fire? Seven or eight times, according to the film's director.
For Hargrave, it's important that audiences find the action in "Extraction 2" authentic, echoing Hemsworth's comments about creating a product that's believable. "Part of the DNA of this franchise is real people doing real action on real locations," the director said. "Stylistically, audiences can tell the difference when you're in front of a blue screen versus being out there for real." It's no surprise that Hargrave and Hemsworth are on the same page when it comes to the film's actions and stuntwork — both creatives are producers on the Netflix flick.
That's not the only stunt Chris Hemsworth performed for Extraction 2
That jaw-dropping helicopter stunt isn't the only piece of action choreography Chris Hemsworth performed for "Extraction 2." In fact, the entire sequence is part of the film's lengthy, 20-minute plus one-take action "scene," which sees his character going jumping from setpiece to setpiece. Hemsworth discussed the sequence with HollywoodLife, saying that he took part in it himself. "I feel like everything I'd done in the last 10 years kind of led to that point. It was exhausting," the star admitted to the news outlet. The sequence is certainly worth the price of admission (or Netflix subscription) alone, with Looper critic Alistair Ryder calling it "20 minutes of ingeniously executed action" that starts off as a prison break that quickly escalates into a bombastic chase.
It's definitely one of Hemsworth's finest moments as Tyler Rake. That's not to say Hemsworth performs all of his characters' mighty feats of strength, even with the assistance of CGI. Bobby Holland Hanton, the actor's regular stuntman, has stepped in for Hemsworth on numerous occasions, starting with "Thor: The Dark World." Aside from performing stunt work in all of Hemsworth's subsequent Marvel films, Hanton has also doubled for him in both "Extraction" films, "Bad Times at the El Royale," "The Huntsman: Winter's War," and "In the Heart of the Sea."
The working relationship between Hanton and Hemsworth has also resulted in a private boon; from their professional connection, the two men have fostered a friendship that has spanned a decade. In fact, the duo are so close that, according to an op-ed written by Hanton for Newsweek in 2021, Hemsworth's mother refers to Hanton as her fourth son.