Visiting the country to promote his new Netflix film Extraction 2, Australian actor Chris Hemsworth revealed that there was originally no plans to create a sequel for the film which revolved around a mercenary named Tyler Rake.

“We talked about a sequel during the shooting the first film. Initially, the character was supposed to die and never come back and I think the studio realized we had something pretty special in our hands and thought about where the character could go and then realized we had all these conversations about the back story of the character and where he’d come from and what influenced him to end up in this position and have this approach to this line of work. And then we realized that there’s really only one scene in the first film that we have any real understanding of the emotional drives of the character.

“And so, it’s really exciting to dig into the character and play with the things we created in the first film’s preparation and explore what made his character tick, what was the drive, why was there a suicidal approach to his existence and the type of work he did. And we felt that the most exciting thing we could dig into was the emotions. I certainly knew that Sam (Hargrave) was going to recreate the action in a massive way and we’re going to step it up a notch again but I think what people are going to find unexpected is the emotional journey of Tyler and his relationships in the film,” Chris shared during Netflix’s Extraction 2 press conference last June 5 held at the Conrad Hotel in Pasay City.

In order to prepare for his role, Chris said that he worked closely with director Sam Hargrave whom he also worked with in the original film which was released in 2020.

The Extraction 2 star said his workout was different from when he prepared for his Avengers character Thor.

“It’s just weeks and weeks of rehearsal and prep with Sam and the stunt team. And as we would be shooting, we’d still be rehearsing. And each week, the nature of the way Sam’s brain works is ‘We can better this, we can alter it.’ So there was an adaptation through the process.

“The scene in the prison yard, the truth is there were a lot of guys out in rehearsal to lead up to that and by the time we went to shoot, which was in the middle of COVID, they felt sick and so we subbed out for someone else that I hadn’t worked [with] who was also learning to fight. So it was improvisational and it was very immediate and on the spot.

“But there was lots and lots of prep. The similarity was in learning the routine, the steps and the fight choreography, I guess it becomes easier and some it becomes familiar and then you’re picking parts either from other films or some fight sequences. But it’s kind of like starting again and it just takes a certain amount of effort. So I have to come into this film physically prepared in a different way.

“For Thor, it was more aesthetic. I’m building muscle and looking bigger and strong but it wasn’t all functional. For this film , it was about stripping all of that down and being able to move more, more flexibility and functionality. But certainly, having someone you trust and you’ve worked with before basically makes it easier,” he explained.

Now at 39, Chris said that he is more careful when it comes to doing stunts on camera compared to his younger years.

“It hurts a bit more when you make mistakes. I remember in my 20s and doing things and moving around, you smash yourself around and you have no worries and all you want to do is just to impress the stunt coordinator and the director, whoever, head first and everything. That doesn’t really lean in towards the longevity. 

“There’s certainly injuries I’ve had over the years that could’ve been prevented with a bit more intelligence and a different approach  and stretching. And also, in being honest and saying, ’This doesn’t quite feel right.’ It’s the fear of letting someone down and just kind of being so ready to what anyone says just because you’re so thankful for the job that you kind of do some silly things. I think there could have been a better way of doing it, and better rehearsal time and functionality.

“In my training, some of my movements in training mimic what I’m going to be doing in the film as opposed to just lifting weights over here and when they call ‘Action!’ I’m rolling down the stairs and such.

“Also something different for both of us after working on a lot of Marvel films is you have incredible action and incredible visual effects, but a lot of it is visual effects in post production. To have all of this in camera, 95% of it, it takes a lot more preparation, rehearsal, and I think some skill for the stunts and that sort of thing. And I think the audience appreciates it much more because there’s an authenticity to it. It’s not like watching a video game. You’re watching something that is real,” he said.

In Extraction 2, director Sam Hargrave revealed that they set Chris on fire at least seven times for a big action scene shot inside a prison which is one of the highlights of the film.

“This is even bigger and larger and exciting and there were more variables, a larger component of risks as well. I was on a top of a train. The train was moving. It’s snowing. We’re at the Czech Republic. There’s a helicopter about 20 feet in front of me flying backwards. Just a normal day on set (laughs).

“It seems like the scene in the prison yard which I think was in the first trailer where we had 300 extras and myself and a few people were lit on fire. It was terrifying. But I think we all knew, all that risk was going to give us an elevated effect for the audience. that sequence was something else,” he shared.

Unlike his character in Extraction, Chris says he was happy to show his role Tyler Rake go through more emotions in the sequel. 

“Theres a pain and a struggle there which we can all relate to in different shapes and forms. I think the vulnerability to the character, which is very deep underneath the tough exterior, is ultimately what people empathize with and can connect with. It was very important to me that to make sure that you could that. We wanted it to be very dirty and gritty,” he added.

Extraction 2 premieres on June 16, only on Netflix.