MANILA, Philippines — Netflix’s Extraction 2 lead star Chris Hemsworth and director Sam Hargrave made Manila the first stop of the action-thriller film’s global tour.
MANILA, Philippines — On Monday, Hemsworth and Hargrave, both first-timers to the Philippines, kicked off a two-day itinerary with the Asia-Pacific (APAC) presscon at Conrad Hotel as well as a red-carpet premiere at SM Mall of Asia Music Hall, where they emerged onstage out of a makeshift prison cell — a “teaser” of sorts for one of the most important action scenes in the Extraction sequel.
“I feel excited to be here. Thank you very much for the warm welcome,” Hemsworth said at the presscon, where he also explained why there’s an Extraction 2, when the first film concluded with the fate of his character, the black ops mercenary Tyler Rake, in question.
“You know, we talked about a sequel during the shooting of the first film. Initially, the character was supposed to die and never come back. And I think the studio and ourselves realize, we had something pretty special on our hands.
“We thought about where the character could be off and realized that we’d done with this and had these conversations about the backstory of the character, where he’d come from and what it influenced him to end up in this position and then have this approach to this line of work. And then we realized that not a whole lot of that was on screen.”
According to Hemsworth, there’s only one scene in the first film where audiences have a real understanding of the emotional drive to the character. For the second film, they felt like the “most exciting thing that we could dig into was the emotional stir” of Tyler Rake.
“We knew we could or I certainly knew that Sam was going to recreate the action in a massive way and we’re going to step it up a notch again. But I think what can be expected is the emotional journey taken on by relationships in the film. Not just all action but there’s a little bit of heart in there as well.”
As for Hargrave, he had a simple answer to why he wanted to work with Hemsworth again. “I mean, look at the guy,” he quipped.
“Filmmaking is one of the most collaborative art forms out there. When you get the opportunity to work with someone like Chris who is not only supremely talented with his link to the acting and action, but as a filmmaker, he’s so collaborative and knowledgeable about storytelling and writing, you know, where to put the camera,” he elaborated.
“It makes my job a lot easier when you have somebody like him, inspiring you and helping lead the way. So, it’s always a pleasure to work with Chris.”
After the presscon, Hemsworth and Hargrave met and mingled with some 800 invited Filipino fans. The actor and director had fun picking out fans who best channeled Hemsworth’s piercing expressions from the film without even trying. A lucky superfan was also “extracted” from the crowd to receive a hug and special photo opportunity with Hemsworth.
The fan meet was a star-studded one as well as regional celebrities were flown in to join Filipino stars at the event. From the local front, Alden Richards, Rodjun and Rayver Cruz, Jane de Leon, Maja Salvador, Kris Bernal, Bianca Umali, Miguel Tanfelix, Ysabel Ortega, Allan Ansay, Sophia Pablo, Alodia Gosiengfiao, among others, were spotted at the red carpet. Action stars from Asia, including Malaysia’s Aaron Aziz and Iedil Dzuhrie Alaudin, and Thailand’s Ananda Everingham and Nawat Kulrattanarak shared a special photo moment with Hemsworth. Philippines’ Derek Ramsay was also supposed to be part of this lineup but wasn’t able to make it onstage.
Celebs also fanboy-ed and fan-girled over the Australian star. “This is my third time in Manila. Oh my god! This is so amazing. I think everybody is so excited to meet him. I want to meet Chris,” said Miss Universe 2018 Top 5 H’Hen Nie of Vietnam, who’s now an actress working on a “secret” international project.
Actor-comedian Vishnu Kaushal of India also shared his impressions of visiting the country for the first time for the Netflix affair.
“I was calling my family back home and I said, Manila feels like Mumbai, it feels like home,” he told The STAR.
He added that Extraction 1 which was shot in India, was so big “because everybody loves Chris Hemsworth, he’s a household name. It was crazy and a big deal.”
Before leaving the venue, Hemsworth gave a message to his fans: “Thank you so much for all your support and love for the first film. We appreciate your enthusiasm and excitement for the second one. We wouldn’t be here without you.”
The global tour forms part of efforts to drum up excitement for the world premiere of Extraction 2 on June 16 on Netflix.
After barely surviving the events of the first movie, Tyler Rake is back as the Australian black ops mercenary, tasked with another deadly mission — rescuing the battered family of a powerful Georgian gangster from the prison where they are being held.
Based on the graphic novel Ciudad by Ande Parks, the film is produced by Joe and Anthony Russo’s AGBO company, with the former credited as writer. The film also stars Golshifteh Farahani, who reprises her role from the first movie, with Adam Bessa, Olga Kurylenko, Daniel Bernhardt and Tinatin Dalakishvili.
(Check out Netflix.com/Extraction2.)