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On 22 April, Channel24's Leandra Engelbrecht got all dressed up while in lockdown to have an on-camera Zoom interview with Chris Hemsworth and director Sam Hargrave about their new action film, Extraction.
It's day 26 of lockdown and day 35 of working from home. I've settled into some kind of routine in what has become our new normal. But today is different. I've put on some make-up and even dressed up in a black turtleneck, because it's not every day that a Hollywood A-lister virtually drops in at your home. See, I'm about to interview Chris Hemsworth and director Sam Hargraves about their new Netflix action movie, Extraction.
The official junket was supposed to be held in Spain, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, we're having a virtual one. Just like in a real-life junket, we hang tight in a waiting room before escorted to the interview room, and before I know it, there's Chris and Sam on screen. "Hello, how are you?"
Sam, who is one of Hollywood's most accomplished stunt coordinators, makes his directorial debut.
What appealed to him most about the project was the script written by Joe Russo and the opportunity to collaborate with Chris.
In the gritty action thriller, Chris plays Tyler Rake, a mercenary who is contracted to rescue the kidnapped son of a drug lord.
For Chris, who is no stranger to gruelling action scenes, this was some of the most intense work he has done in his career.
"In order for it to look real, we had to take hits, and bumps, and be thrown across the room and downstairs. Sam wanted to have a visceral, vibrant energy, one that we couldn't really fake."
About the action scenes, Sam says: "For me when designing action [scenes] and telling drama through action, is to root the action in an emotional place; to reveal something about the character and to move the story forward. Because if you don't care about the character, people won't care."
We chat some more about what it was like filming in India and whether or not there's a sequel on the cards.
And just like that my 8 minutes are up.
