Hottie Chris Hemsworth talks about hot, hot set

Setting a big Hollywood lead like Chris Hemsworth on fire for an action movie might not be the best idea, security-wise, but the actor was willing to put everything on the line to capture a good sequence in the name of good action.

In his Manila visit earlier this week for the Asia-Pacific premiere of his Netflix action film “Extraction 2,” the Australian actor proudly talked about the stunts he did without a double.

There was the prison yard scene, where the poster for the film was also taken from, that showed Hemsworth’s arms lit on fire as he exchanged blows with other characters.

Apparently, the flames were not products of computer-generated imagery (CGI) that Hemsworth — who also produced the movie — could have easily opted to ensure his safety.

“Everything would be ready, we have this flammable liquid on my jacket, everyone had to be quiet on the set, they would light me and few other people on fire and action,” Hemsworth recalled.

“At the end of the sequence, the instruction is to act as if the fire is not out, even if they did, and that we should pat it out. So, great responsibility, be lit on fire, and you have to put it out,” Hemsworth added in jest, trying to make light of the situation.

His director — Sam Hargrave, a stuntman and stunt coordinator before eventually becoming a director — who was also with him at the Manila tour, then revealed that the actor was actually lit up eight times to ensure the perfect sequence.

‘Sink or swim’

But the flames were not the only challenge for Hemsworth. The actor had to prepare for the scene and rehearse with other stuntmen in the lead-up to the shoot.

“But by the time we went to shoot, we were just in the middle of Covid, and they had gotten sick. So we had to get new men I hadn’t worked with and were also learning the fight. I don’t know if it was improvisational, but it was sink or swim,” Hemsworth said.

“It was terrifying, but I think we all knew that an elevated risk creates an elevated effect for the audience,” he added.

To this, an even more proud director Hargrave said, “I think watching Chris put himself on the line day after day, like lighting yourself on fire, it wasn’t just because he was cold out, it was for all of you [the audience].”

‘A real moving train’

Besides fire, there’s also a thrilling scene involving Hemsworth, a train, helicopter and lots of snow.

In “Extraction 2,” Hemsworth returns as Tyler Rake, the Australian black ops mercenary, after barely surviving the first movie’s events. This time, he is tasked with another deadly mission: rescuing the battered family of a ruthless Georgian gangster from the prison where they are being held.

Amplifying the action in the second installment is another tricky action shot that was also highlighted in the movie’s official trailer.

“I was on top of an actual train, which was moving at 40 to 50 miles per hour. It was also snowing in the Czech Republic, and there was a helicopter about 20 feet in front of me flying backward,” he first said.

Hargrave agreed that it was indeed a difficult shot not only for the actor but for the rest of the team as well.

“It was the most difficult shot for me because I was operating the camera and walking under; it was like walking under a hurricane, so to walk along or close enough, that was difficult to not be blown off the train.”

But that was not all. After the terrifying scene of landing on top of the train and then taking off again, Hargrave said Hemsworth had to stay in the open a little longer.

“We had to do this dance on the top of a moving train. It was so cold — below zero [degrees], and then you’re moving at 50 miles per hour, and the wind is blowing. Despite that temperature, Chris had to act like he was still a cold killer, and I know all he wanted to do was shout, ‘Get something around my face; I’m freezing.’ I think that’s one of the hardest things we did together.”

In sharing their stories, Hemsworth and Hargrave wanted to showcase the importance of performing stunts in an age where these could have all been shot before a green screen and edited in post-production using CGI.

The world famous Australian actor in Manila with and ‘Extraction 2’ director Sam Hargrave. 

“It’s something different for the both of us, having worked in a lot of Marvel films, you have incredible action and incredible effects, but a lot of it is visual effects, [done] in post-production.

“To have all of this in camera 95 percent of it, takes a lot more preparation and rehearsal and skill, and I think the audience appreciates it much more because it’s not like something like watching a video game; it’s as real as it gets,” Hemsworth ended.

“Extraction 2” premieres June 16 on Netflix.