Chris Hemsworth gets his wish in ‘Extraction 2’ — to hold a minigun like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s

Chris Hemsworth has wielded many hammers over the course of his Marvel superhero days as Thor, but one goal has always been to hold a minigun in homage to action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger and his 1980s films. Not only did it come true in “Extraction 2,” Hemsworth did it on top of a moving train.

“I didn’t even think it was possible and a lot of people didn’t — the train was moving at 50 miles an hour! We had helicopters landing on the train and guys getting out of that helicopter and jumping into a fight sequence with me … so just to get through the end of the day and still be in one piece was certainly a celebration, but to be able to have captured that onscreen was pretty exciting,” Hemsworth said in a video interview.

“Extraction 2,” which premieres on Netflix Friday, picks up after the events of the first film. After barely surviving the last mission, Australian black ops mercenary Tyler Rake (Hemsworth) is tasked with another deadly mission: rescuing the family of a ruthless Georgian gangster from the prison where they are being held.

Director Sam Hargrave was thrilled that his leading man was willing to climb on top of a speeding train with a helicopter 20 feet in front of him.

“It allows me as a director to photograph it in a very truthful way such that audiences get to see Tyler Rake — and not a stunt double — doing these crazy things like shooting down a helicopter on a speeding train and lighting himself on fire for the thrill of the audience. It opens me up as an artist and I couldn’t do it without him,” he said in the joint interview with Hemsworth.

“Extraction 2” features big action set pieces and ambitious stunt sequences that amp up the tension and excitement. One prison break sequence involves a 21-minute shot that’s made to look like a single take. In it, Hemsworth’s arm is set on fire as he battles on — the Australian actor did the stunt himself over a few takes.

Hemsworth said if anyone but Hargrave had asked him to take on this risk, he would have questioned it. It takes a “huge amount of trust” and he has that with his director. “With Sam having been a stunt performer, a fight choreographer, a second unit action director for many years, I knew that every step was taken to ensure that it was as safe as possible. There’s always a bit of risk involved when you roll the dice, but trust is essential.”

The first “Extraction” in 2020, also directed by Hargrave, broke records for the streaming platform, becoming one of the biggest Netflix debuts ever: it garnered 99 million views in its first four weeks of release. The sequel is expected to break those records and, given the scale and scope of the film, that seems likely.

Hemsworth and Hargrave are among the many stars expected to headline a Netflix Tudum event Saturday in São Paulo, Brazil, along with Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Schwarzenegger and more as Netflix previews its upcoming slate of fan favourite titles. The event will be broadcast live around the world.

Hemsworth said it’s important to keep up with the expectations of the audience, but “to get bigger and better each time is a task.”

Looking at Hargrave, he continued, “Then this genius said ‘I got some ideas,’ and all of which involved trying to kill me — both in the film and outside the film — and himself as he’s in the thick of it with the camera, but I think it gives the audience something they deserve, which is something unique and unexpected, and have them on the edge of their seats.”

For Hargrave, it was important that the sequel dive deeper into Tyler’s emotional journey. “Because in the first movie we got the tip of the iceberg, but knowing there’s so much more depth that this character has hidden beneath the surface, it was very important for us to put that onscreen so audiences can connect with him on a deeper level emotionally.”

For Hemsworth, the combination of incredible action and a backstory that allowed him to dig into his vulnerability was a draw.

“What’s really fun for me as an actor is being able to not just have an action film, or not just have a dramatic film, but the integration of the two, and the action scenes can be as spectacular as you want but, without an emotional resonance, it’s just noise,” he said.

Both Hemsworth and Hargrave said stepping outside their comfort zones continues to challenge them.

“Anytime it starts to feel too familiar, you gotta pivot and do something else,” said Hemsworth. “That familiarity comes from feeling safe. I want to be challenged, I want to be fearful in situations and I want to be questioning: ‘Can I do this? Is this too much? Is it not enough?’”

He wants to avoid boredom setting in. “You certainly don’t want that in your own experience in front of the camera or behind the camera or for an audience. So keep it fresh, keep it unique and keep challenging yourself.”

Hargrave echoed those sentiments and said taking on both films was a scary ordeal. He plans to continue to put himself out there.

“As an action director, each project that I take on, I’m trying to unlock a new part of myself as a storyteller. Each challenge hopefully pushes me to that moment of exploring a part of myself maybe I didn’t realize existed,” he said.

Marriska Fernandes is a Toronto-based entertainment reporter and film critic. She is a freelance contributor for the Star’s Culture section. Follow her on Twitter: @marrs_fers

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