Mad Max: Chris Hemsworth Calls His Furiosa Villain "Complicated" and "Evil"

Arguably one of the most beloved actors of his generation, thanks to his charm on-screen and off, Chris Hemsworth is venturing into new cinematic territory with the upcoming Mad Max: Furiosa, as he'll be channeling his enthusiasm and energy to deliver a villainous character. While he's surely playing the film's antagonist, Hemsworth recently recalled how his character isn't quite a villain from his own perspective, and while the series might be known for larger-than-life characters, the actor had to find an entry point to empathize with the character he'd be spending so much time bringing to life. Mad Max: Furiosa lands in theaters on May 24, 2024.

"He's a very complicated, somewhat evil individual," Hemsworth recently shared with Vanity Fair. "You don't believe you're evil though. I'm saying that from the outset, I found ways to defend his actions and empathize and understand him as I had to. That was my job. But yeah, there's a light and a darkness to him that I haven't played with before."

With the Mad Max franchise pushing boundaries in a number of ways to embrace a heightened sense of reality, the series has already delivered a number of memorable threats, so the bar is set high for Hemsworth to live up to those expectations. Interestingly enough, having played a variety of heroic characters throughout his career, director George Miller wanted Hemsworth for the role specifically because of how different the villain is from what Hemsworth has previously delivered.

"George saw Chris initially as a courtesy and then fell in love with the idea," Fury Road producer P. J. Voeten shares in Kyle Buchanan's book Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road. "He's going to play totally against type, the lead baddie. Unfortunately, we've got to find all of our other characters that aren't around anymore: a new Immortan, a new Bullet Farmer, and a few others."

The new film is described,  "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."  

Mad Max: Furiosa lands in theaters on May 24, 2024.

Are you looking forward to the new movie? Let us know in the comments!