Chris Hemsworth will always be famous. The actor has left such an impression as Thor, the MCU’s favorite hammer-wielding god, that he could retire today and still be beloved by generations of moviegoers. He’s doing no such thing, however; instead, he’s going the opposite direction, and testing his skills as an actor by taking on more challenging material.
Hemsworth has given well-received performances in thrillers like Extraction (2020) and Spiderhead (2022), but it’s the upcoming Mad Max: Furiosa, that has left the biggest impression on the actor. Hemsworth discussed the making of the film during a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, and he could not have been more enthusiastic.
The actor told ET that working with Furiosa director George Miller has been the “most incredible experience” he’s ever had on a set. He notes the tremendous influence that the Mad Max franchise had on him growing up, and that getting the chance to be a part of it has been a “dream.”
The childhood adulation makes sense. Mad Max (1979) and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1982) were box office hits despite being made on shoestring budgets in Australia. The success of the two, both of which were directed by Miller, helped to kickstart what’s referred to as the Australian New Wave. The movement lasted through the 1980s, and resulted in some of the most acclaimed releases in the country’s history.
Hemsworth was born in Melbourne in 1983, which also makes him a product of the Australian New Wave. He watched Mad Max religiously as a kid, and feels that they played a large role in his decision to become an actor. “[The franchise] meant the world to me as a kid growing up in Australia,” he wrote on Instagram in 2020. “Mad Max was the pinnacle and a huge reason why I got into the business of telling stories.”
Mad Max: Furiosa will give Hemsworth a chance to branch out from the MCU with a different kind of blockbuster. He hasn’t signed on for Thor 5 yet, and has even been candid about the ways in which Marvel may have hurt his chances to work with acclaimed filmmakers.
Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese may not be calling, but a George Miller collaboration is a nice consolation prize. Miller is one of the most beloved genre directors of all-time, and despite there being three decades between the release of Beyond Thunderdome (1985) and Fury Road (2015), he hasn’t lost a step. Fury Road was nominated for 10 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, and is considered by many to be the greatest action movie of the 21st Century.
Furiosa will be a prequel to Fury Road, where Hemsworth will be playing the wonderfully-named Dr. Dementus, and fans will get to see how it shakes out out for themselves on May 24, 2024.