If you’re still reeling from thatJohn Wick: Chapter 4conclusion, then we know you’ve been gearing up for Netflix’s premiere ofExtraction 2. StarringChris Hemsworthin the sequel, mercenary Tyler Rake is back under the pen ofJoe Russo(Anthony Russoserves as producer) and the direction of former stuntmanSam Hargrave. In a sit-down with Collider’sSteve Weintraub, they react toearly audience reactionsand dig into why this universe is one you don’t want to miss out on.
Like Hemsworth, fans thought Rake was “done and dusted” at the end ofExtraction, but when Hargrave and the action star considered where a legendary hero like Tyler Rake could go, the potential for a heart-pounding franchise was right there. With a collaboration between Marvel’s Thor, a stunt man-turned-director, and the Russo Brothers,the 21-minute onernearly wrote itself. SoExtraction 2brings back fan-favoritesGolshifteh Farahanias Nik,Adam Bessaas Yaz and introducesIdris Elbato the mix, sending them to a frozen prison in Eastern Europe to rescue a battered family from a merciless gangster.
While the sequel does provide audiences with gratifying “gladiatorial” kills, as discussed in their interview, which you can watch or read below, Hargrave shares with Weintraub why these movies are as satisfying as they are, and why the payoff of the absolutely insane action sequences is well-earned. The duo pinpoint what it is about Hemsworth as Tyler Rake that is so effective and why he resonates with audiences, what it is that lends “integrity and truth” to action films, which scene was the most challenging to pull off, and how Hemsworth is always willing to have his character beat up on screen. Read on for what Hemsworth and Hargrave have to say aboutTransformers Oneand if there’s anExtraction 3in our future.
COLLIDER: Gentlemen, I really want to say congratulations and also thank you for making a kick-ass two-hour bonanza. I was at the premiere last night, and you put your heart and soul into this, and to hear the audience reacting to some of the scenes where there’s blood and guts, and you hear hundreds of people freaking out, what is that like?
SAM HARGRAVE: [Laughs] Savages. They’re savages. I feel like we’re back in Roman times.
CHRIS HEMSWORTH: The gladiatorial pit with people fighting and screaming and cheering.
HARGRAVE: Well, you know, I was talking about that this morning, and I think the justification for that, I tell myself, is that what that proves is, I think, that we did a decent job of setting up that moment. So when the payoff comes, there’s a cathartic release from the audience, so they feel free to cheer and get excited because of the stakes that we set before that. So it’s not just, you know, cheering for the sake of violence. It’s justice in that moment, so I think we did a pretty good job. I think the audience spoke pretty clearly last night about the setup and payoff.
HEMSWORTH: That was the first time I’d seen the film with an audience. It’s interesting, it’s hard to get– You try your best; you know, Sam sits in the edit room for months, 12 months, and I get sent edits, and then I’ll watch them at home on the TV or laptop and give notes and so on. And then to see it all come together on the big screen with a big crowd is the real measuring stick, you know? That’s where you get a real instant gratification, instant feedback; you understand what plays. We were talking about this before, just going, “Man, that was wild, that response.” And you know, even having done a lot of the Marvel films, it felt like the same crowd enthusiasm, satisfaction, edge-of-you-seat fun. It was very, very cool.
Yeah, when a person or two gets killed in the movie, the girls to the left of me were, they were freaking out. They were so excited when someone got killed. I’m not gonna say why, but they wanted revenge. So, if someone has never seen anything you’ve done before, any of your projects, what is the thing you’d like them to watch and why? [To Hargrave] And for you, if someone has never seen any of the stunts you were involved with or stunts you’ve directed — not theExtractionmovies — what’s the one you’re really proud of that you want to point out?
HEMSWORTH: What’s my least favorite film?Home and AwayorDancing with the Stars. Home and Away was the soap opera I did in Australia, it’ll give you a real feel of the extent, or the limitations, of me as an artist. [Laughs]
HARGRAVE: I’m gonna go the other way and go with something kind of towards the peak of my stunt career. ProbablyCaptain America: Civil War. I think there are so many things in that that came from conception to completion that I would pitch in the room, and then we’d go out and do it. I’d done other big stunt coordinating jobs before, but that was the biggest, and to have the trust of Marvel and the Russo Brothers to let me pitch ideas in the room and then go out and execute them, I was pretty proud of that.
One of the things that I really enjoy about your work, Chris, is that you’re willing to take a punch on screen, you’re willing to get f*cked up and still stand up and go for it. There are some action stars that do not do that, that do not take the punches. What is your motivation for being one of those people?
HEMSWORTH: Again, we talked about this a lot. It kind of bugs me when I see people in an action film, chaotic action, you know, 10-minute sequence fight, and they’re still sort of nose breathing and posing at the end of it. I don’t feel any jeopardy there. If I’m not concerned, as in me on camera, and I’m not going through hell, I think it’s hard for the audience to empathize with that or understand that the stakes are high, you know? I understand the kind of wanting to present a movie star, a strong sort of image, but I enjoy the exhaustion, the grit, the pain being registered, the sweat, the blood, all of it. Dirtying it up, I think, gives it far more integrity and truth, and I think it allows an audience to be on the edge of their seat because they see what you’re going through as opposed to looking at something that’s kind of pretty and proper while doing some fight scenes.
HARGRAVE: I would say he’s the perfect blend of Jackie Chan and Arnold Schwarzenegger because you got the Chan that always had people on screen better than him, and he always got beat up in a very entertaining way, and not afraid to take a punch. But then you had [him] standing on a train with a minigun, looking like a total badass from the 1980s action movies. It’s like the perfect blend that this guy brings to the screen.
The first film was a massive hit for Netflix, this is going to be a massive hit for Netflix. I know that they’re immediately going to ask, “What about another one?” I know you’re still presenting this, but because it is a huge time commitment to make these movies and it’s also a ton of work for you on screen, have you guys had the conversations, or are you sort of like we’re gonna take a year or two?
HARGRAVE: [About Hemsworth]We’vehad some conversations.
HEMSWORTH: Even back in the first film when we thought the character was done and dusted, that’s how the original script was, he died, there was no plan to do a sequel. We were just creatively, for the fun of it, sitting around and going, “Imagine if you did this, and imagine if you fought this character from that movie,” and just the fun of it all and the exploration to see where these characters could go. We don’t know if there’s a third film. We hope, and if people respond to it, we’d love to make another one. And again, that would be the same thing, you know, getting in a room with Joe Russo, Sam, the producers, and the collaboration about, “What can we do now that’s unexpected? How can we pivot in some way?” And then to maybe have a little adjustment so it doesn’t feel redundant or repetitive.
I’ve recently spoken to Lorenzo [di Bonaventura] about the Transformers franchise andTransformers One, and I spoke to Scarlett [Johansson] yesterday. You voice Optimus before Optimus. What was your reasoning for signing on forTransformers One, and what was your take when you saw some of the animation from ILM? Lorenzo and Scarlett tell me it looks incredible.
HEMSWORTH: It does, it looks incredible. I love the script. That was one where I was not sure, I hadn’t done animation before, and then I mentioned it to my kids, and they went, “Oh yeah, that’s awesome!” It’s been really fun putting down some of the dialogue and weaving it in with the early days of the animation. It’s cool, it’s exciting. It’s Optimus Prime, come on!
I don’t know if you’re allowed to, but are you doing it with your accent?
HEMSWORTH: No, I mean, we talked about this; the Optimus Prime that you hear on the screen in the films is an older, mature… you know, he’s been around for many, many, many, many years. This is the sort of origin story, so it’s the younger version of him. So there are sort of hints and colorings that hopefully resonate enough with the Optimus Prime we know, but it is a youthful version of him, and different. But he won’t be Australian.
HARGRAVE: I’m excited for this!
Oh, ILM hasn’t done an animated movie sinceRango, andRangois incredible. So because ILM is doing it, I’m over the moon.
HARGRAVE: Because he’s voicing Optimus Prime, I’m over the moon!
My last thing for the two of you, there are some shots in this movie that are truly unbelievable. I’m so blown away by what you did, and I’m curious, when people are watching this, what is the shot or sequence – maybe it’s the whole 21-minute prison thing – that you really just want to point out and say, “This shot here, or this thing, was such a huge pain in the ass, and here’s why?”
HEMSWORTH: The train, I’d say. The work on the train, there were so many variables; it was snowing, train’s moving at 50 miles an hour, I’m on top of the train, there’s a helicopter 20 feet in front of me flying backwards, helicopters landing on trains, six guys jumping out, climbing down the side of the train into the cabin into a fight sequence. That was the most complicated, I think, for me, and equally as terrifying as it was exhilarating and exciting. And I think by the time it gets to that sequence, people are kind of blown away, as we were.
HARGRAVE: I mean, I would say “challenge,” I don’t know about pain in the ass. I mean, every movie, every sequence has its challenges, but the great part about this is because it was in camera and because you’re working with such great people, at the time it might feel like a pain in the ass, meaning it’s difficult and you’re pushing yourself, and you’re uncomfortable, but that means you’re growing and you’re doing things that we hadn’t done before, and you’re pushing yourself. And then, you get to see the audience reaction a year later after you do it, and you go, “Well, that’s why we did that sequence.” You know what I mean? So it’s all worth it in the end, as difficult as that stuff was. I think that was a real growth process for me as a filmmaker and, hopefully, for him as an actor.
HEMSWORTH: Yeah, for sure.
I don’t know how you’re gonna top this, in all seriousness.
HARGRAVE: I don’t either, but you know…
