Chris Hemsworth has channelled Thor-level resilience on the set of Extraction 2. The leading man ditched CGI for one of the upcoming film’s most intense action sequences, lighting himself on fire as part of a fast-paced jail riot scene. Fans saw snippets of the scene in question upon the release of the teaser trailer, but Hemsworth himself has now commented on the practical stunt in a surprisingly casual response.
“Anything for the shot,” Hemsworth wrote on Twitter alongside a flame emoji. For his part, Extraction 2 director Sam Hargrave previously elaborated on the fire stunt, saying “the image of Chris Hemsworth beating the shit out of a bunch of prisoners, while on fire, in the snow was something that I couldn’t pass up.”
“Hats off to Chris. It wasn’t CG fire, and he had to do it over and over.” Hargrave went on to commend Hemsworth for avoiding visual effects, since he doesn’t “know a lot of people, let alone Hollywood A-listers, who are gonna let you light them on fire while on camera.”
The stunt was not without its fair share of precautions. Hargrave revealed that Hemsworth wore “a bunch of different jackets…with different layers” to avoid burns, but the safety measures did not diminish the feel of the scene. “We lit Chris Hemsworth on fire, and he beat up a bunch of guys all night,” Hargrave recalled. “It was pretty incredible to watch.”
Extraction 2 is due to arrive on Netflix on June 16, some three years after the release of the original. Hargrave returns to the director’s chair for the much-anticipated sequel, with Joe Russo — one half of the duo behind Avengers: Endgame — penning the script. Alongside the leading man, the cast of Extraction 2 includes Golshifteh Farahani, Tinatin Dalakishvili and Sinead Phelps, among others.
Published: May 16, 2023 02:09 am