Furiosa: Chris Hemsworth Praises George Miller’s Direction in New Mad Max Prequel

Chris Hemsworth says that working on Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga was different from working on most action movies. According to the Thor and Extraction actor, filmmaker George Miller kept things exciting by holding the movie to such precise standards that there was little wiggle room, and no alternate takes to save them in case something didn’t work. It sounds like low-budget, guerilla filmmaking on a studio budget, and it’s something that many action directors don’t do — either because they want the flexibility, or because they just aren’t as clear of vision as Miller is.

Mad Max: Fury Road, the first new Mad Max movie in years and the one that introduced the character of Furiosa, was celebrated for that clarity of vision, becoming one of the only tentpole action blockbusters ever to be nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards.

“When you do an action film, a lot of the time you’re trying different things, you’re experimenting, and you’re trying to make the sequence as impressive and as big as possible,” Hemsworth told an audience at CCXP. “And you have backups and other options, and that can be exhausting. What was refreshing working with George is that every frame was thought out. Every single frame was necessary; it was servicing the whole. It was part of a grander plan and a message, and so there was no waste. Everything you see is essential, and means something, and supports the characters’ journey, the narrative, the overall arc of the film, and it was exhausting in the best way. All of us showed up and were willing to commit and throw ourselves on the line to service this journey and this film and this franchise that has existed for forty-something years now.”

You can see the full video below.

Here’s Warner Bros.’ official synopsis for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga:

As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus.Sweeping through the Wasteland they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe.While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.

Directed by Miller, Furiosa stars Anya Taylor-Joy in the title role, Hemsworth as Immortan Joe. Alyla Browne and Tom Burke appear in Furiosa in supporting roles. The film also stars Nathan Jones as Rictus Erectus, Angus Sampson as The Organic Mechanic, Quaden Bayles, Daniel Webber as War Boy, and Lachy Hulme.