Thor actor Chris Hemsworth has temporarily left the role that made him famous to play a black market mercenary in Extraction and has revealed that it was a challenging experience.
Extraction is an upcoming Netflix action thriller directed by Sam Hargrave and written by Joe Russo.
USA Today reports that Hemsworth stars as the mercenary Tyler Rake, a gun-for-hire who is paid to rescue the son of an international crime lord.
Tyler’s mission takes him to Bangladesh where he is to rescue the boy (Rudhraksh Jaiswal) but something he never expects happens; he develops an affection for the boy in what may be his only path to redemption.
Hemsworth spoke about working under the director, who has an impressive background in stunts and has worked in front and behind the camera for almost 20 years.
He had as many scrapes, bumps and injuries as the rest of us. Like most stunt guys, there’s a couple of screws loose maybe but the guy’s infectious to be around … You’re talking about doing a stunt and it looks a little hairy, and he all of a sudden demonstrates and throws himself off the hill or into the wall and you’re like, ‘OK, I guess I can’t not show up now.Chris Hemsworth – collider.com
The MCU actor also talked about how physically demanding his role was, saying it made him feel re-energized.
It awakened the young teenager in me again. Not to say I’m pushing my limits or I’m over the hill in any way, but you notice through the years things like, ‘Ooooh, there’s a little hitch in my knee that wasn’t there before.’ Or a tweak in my shoulder I didn’t notice. But I felt like it re-energized me. It was a kick in the (butt) to say, ‘Come on, there’s still plenty more in the tank.’
Hargrave himself shared some information on Hemsworth’s character:
You’ve got a guy who has a dark past and has done some very violent things as a way to make a living. The interesting thing about (Hemsworth’s) character isn’t his physical bravery but his emotional cowardice.
Hemsworth further disclosed how his character connects with the boy in the story:
He’s come to terms with the fact that his number could be up any second. The innocence and purity from this young kid reminds him that there’s still more to do on Earth before he departs.
Extraction co-stars Stranger Things star David Harbour and is scheduled to be released on April 24, 2020, by Netflix.
