Why It Was More Difficult For Chris Hemsworth To Get In Shape For Netflix's Extraction Than For Thor

Chris Hemsworth in Extraction

Chris Hemsworth is a man known for his hulking, superheroic physique. Hemsworth has been playing Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2010, and showing no signs of slowing down. This often requires the actor to get super ripped, in order to fully transform into the God of Thunder. Hemsworth recently put his physicality to the test with Netflix's action flick Extraction, which saw him doing a ton of dizzying action sequences. And it turns out that the 36 year-old actor's training for Extraction was actually more intense than the process of becoming Thor.

Chris Hemsworth clearly puts a ton of work into his fitness and diet regimen, resulting in his signature jacked physique. He's been training with Luke Zhocci for eight years now, which is the majority of the actor's time as Thor. But when it came to prepping him for Extraction, the training actually had to be a bit more intense, mostly because of how much Sam Hargrave's Netflix movie required of the actor. As Zhocci put it,

Getting Chris ready for Extraction was surprisingly intense because for other roles he gets a lot bigger especially for roles like Marvel’s Thor. On a day to day basis he was tested more physically doing his own stunts and a lot of running. We had to cover a lot more this time so we were also doing underwater training with dumbbells.We had to be prepared for everything so covered it all from swimming to functional movements.

Well, that certainly sounds intense. As if Chris Hemsworth wasn't already working out hard for his continued role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Extraction was a significantly more physical role for the actor. And as such, Hemsworth needed to be trained in order to physically be able to do everything the pulse pounding action flick needed him to do.

Luke Zhocci's comments to The Sun show just how much work goes Chris Hemsworth's process as an actor, before even stepping onto set. Extraction contained countless action sequences, which Hemsworth's character Tyler Rake getting a massive bodycount by the movie's end. Since the role was so inherently physical, Zhocci had to make sure the actor would be in the best shape possible, and have the endurance to film the blockbuster.

In addition to his work with Luke Zhocci, Chris Hemsworth had an extremely physical process filming Extraction. Hemmsworth found it rewarding, but each day of filming also included rehearsals for he next day's action. As such, there was no real rest for him. Luckily, those efforts definitely paid off.

Extraction was massively popular over on Netflix, and it looks like the streaming service is moving forward with a sequel. This puts new context into the movie's ambiguous ending, and the true fate of Chris Hemsworth's Tyler Rake. We'll just have to wait and see what The Russo Brothers and company have in store for the next installment in the budding franchise.

Extraction is currently streaming on Netflix. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.