Chris Hemsworth finds fertile ground in “Spiderhead”

A science fiction thriller about a prison, “Spiderhead” debuts on Netflix

Joseph Kosinski, the director of Top Gun: Maverick, took off again, only this time Chris Hemsworth was piloting the plane.

They were off the Australian coast for filming spider head, science fiction thriller based on the work of George Saunders. The film takes place almost entirely inside a remote concrete fortress jutting out into the sea, but begins with the arrival of a seaplane piloted by Hemsworth, with Kosinski lying in the back. In the regular flight of the propeller plane it was very different from the roar of the F-18 jets in the Kosinski blockbuster.

“Tom Cruise should have used this plane in his movie,” jokes Hemsworth.

spider headwhich will debut Friday 17th on Netflix, is, in many ways, the opposite of Top Gun: Maverick. It is a film of long dialogue and interior scenes, made during the pandemic to be broadcast inside homes, not to fill IMAX screens. But his greatest pleasure is Hemsworth’s performance as the researcher who runs the Spiderhead Penitentiary and Research Facility as a benevolent and blatant tyrant, happily conducting experiments in which he drugs prisoners to chemically increase or decrease their states of. spirit, appetites and verbal acuity. .

For an actor who has only occasionally demonstrated his comedic prowess (feat Live Saturday night or as secretary of ghost Buster), Hemsworth’s skillful equilibrium in spider head shows a reach far beyond the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Hemsworth, who recently started filming George Miller’s Furiosa, returns as Thor next month a Thor: Love and thunder, a franchise that has gradually loosened to accommodate its star’s comic agility. And there are more action movies on the way (‘Rescue 2’, for example).

But without fight scenes or special effects, spider head he is able to express Hemsworth’s powers better than anything he has done before.

“It was one of the happiest experiences I’ve ever had,” Hemsworth said in a recent videoconference interview from Australia. “Usually, you make these films in three or four months. In this case, due to my schedule and the restrictions of Covid and stuff, we packed everything into a four week period. At first, no one thought it was. possible”.

In addition to the pandemic factors, spider head it is exceptionally unlikely considering its source material. Few people have read one Saunders’ tale and they thought that history could move smoothly onto the screens. But screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick developed this 2010 short story, Escape from Spiderhead, a farcical but heartbreaking first-person tale of a prisoner (played by Miles Teller in the film) being laboratory tested. They greatly expanded Hemsworth’s role, Dr. Steve Abnesti, who enthusiastically runs the facility with few mysterious rules and intentions. It’s like he’s the coolest Bond villain you’ve ever seen.

Kosinski sent the script to Hemsworth hoping he would like the role.

“I’ve always seen glimpses of a wide range of availability in his performances that are sometimes masked by action films and his starring appearance,” says Kosinski.

“He has a precision in his physicality that really works for this role,” adds the director. “He has this ability that I also saw in Tom (Cruise) to really understand the framing and the lens and to know where to stand. It’s something not everyone has. Effectively.”

In spider headHemsworth uses the accuracy and charisma he normally relies on in more conventional acting for more obscure and manipulative purposes.

“There was a kind of nervous energy underneath it all, bubbling up even in the quietest moments,” says Hemsworth. “I was trying to take advantage of that feeling you get when you are about to break down, that moment when you laugh or cry on a tightrope. Whatever that feeling is, I wanted the character to be in it and give that feeling of ‘Which way will it go now? What will your next reaction be? ‘”

spider head It was mostly shot sequentially in a closed studio, and Hemsworth is visibly pleased with the lack of production restrictions – costume or otherwise.

“I’m very grateful for the films I’ve made, but they haven’t given me the chance and the opportunity to explore that way,” says Hemsworth.

Hemsworth, 38, drew inspiration from CEOs and technocrats who exude hyper-intelligent and obsessive attention but who may, in their certainty of the technology’s potential, lack empathy. However, even the character’s high-performance narcissism is not entirely foreign to Hemsworth.

“The character had a boldness that reminded me of myself in school, allowing my thoughts to run away from each other no matter what I was doing or saying,” he says. “That enthusiasm and that excitement are in my most inventive and creative form. If I caught myself on a day when I was exhausted, I wouldn’t be able to play the character. But that part of me wanted to be prominent.”

spider head arrives among the biggest blockbusters of its director and star, soon after Top Gun: Maverick – film that was the savior of cinemas – and just before Thor: Love and Thunder. Both are expected to be among the biggest ticket sellers of the year. Speaking while the recipes from Nonconformist continuing to enter, Kosinski is still thinking about the success of the film and, as he says, “how many people are reacting to a film that was shot in a very traditional, live-action, camera way.”

“It’s the kind of movie I grew up with,” says Kosinski.

Science fiction, Formula 1 and the future of cinema

But for both Hemsworth and Kosinski, the differences between projects and the ability to go out and make a science fiction film weird and hard to describe to a mass audience are all part of the particular appeal of spider head. Last week, Kosinski began putting together his next project, a Formula 1 racing film starring Brad Pitt for Apple TV +, with plans for a wide release in exclusive theaters before streaming.

“It’s a really cool hybrid. And it kind of embraces these two films that I just made,” says Kosinski. “Everyone is trying to find out: what will the future of cinema be like? We thought it was an interesting model to try.”

For Hemsworth, of which To save It is one of the most viewed films ever. Netflix, spider head it was a diversion that proved its worth as it readjusted to making bigger films.

“One thing feeds the other,” Hemsworth says. “Every time I venture out and do something different and then go back to, say, Thor, I think I have a different appreciation for the character and a different opinion of him as well.” / TRANSLATION OF RENATO PRELORENTZOU

Source: Terra

Emily

Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.