Chris Hemsworth‘s portrayal of Dementus, the biker warlord terrorising the Wasteland in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, is like nothing you’ve seen the actor do before. Most people would be most familiar with the Aussie star for his sometimes brooding, sometimes humorous turn as Thor in the Marvel juggernaut films, and it’s a role Hemsworth has played well, trading on his classic good looks, comedic timing, and larrikin nature.
In Furiosa, however, Hemsworth puts his full acting chops on display, disappearing so fully into the character that he at times becomes unrecognisable.
“I grew up on these films, like many Australians, and as an Australian actor, it’s the pinnacle of dreams to be able to work with George Miller on a Mad Max film,” he told PEDESTRIAN.TV, adding that it was a “dream come true” to land the role.
“I saw Fury Road [in 2015] and was blown away. It was the first time in years I was fully immersed in the experience. I called my agent and said, if he makes another film, you’ve got to get me in the room with him. I met him, and he was the most lovely, passionate, wonderful person, and the whole experience carried on from there. It was awesome.”
Furiosa is the fifth Mad Max film, with Miller returning to the franchise he helped create back in 1979.
It tells the story of Furiosa (The Queen’s Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy), who is snatched from her homeland as a young girl by Dementus’ gang. She spends the film trying to find her way home, even as Dementus goes to war against The Immortan Joe for control of the Citadel.
As Dementus, Hemsworth is violent, chaotic, and power hungry — both a product of the Wasteland and one of its greatest power players. To embody the character, Hemsworth wore a prosthetic nose and created a nasal voice, which he reveals was inspired by his grandfather.
“I wanted the voice to be a little bit grating and a little irritable,” he said.
“My grandfather was the north star for the tonality of how Dementus spoke, and then that did inform the posture and movement. He had this ‘How’re ya going! Hello, what’s garn’ on?’ [way of speaking] that me and my brothers would mimic growing up.
“That generation had a lot more nasality and musicality to how Australians spoke, it was very unique and very different to how we speak now.”
His other inspiration for Dementus was similarly close to home.
“I was sitting in the park with my kids and there was a sign that said, ‘Don’t Feed The Seagulls’, and of course, they’re feeding the seagulls,” Hemsworth recalled, referring to his three children with wife Elsa Pataky.
“They’re quite obnoxious animals. I remember thinking there was a little bit of an influence on the character, especially when I put the [prosthetic] nose on, I sort of felt like an angry bird.”
(It’s at this point that Taylor-Joy jumps in to suggest a headline for this story: ‘Chris Hemsworth Hangs Out With Seagulls’. I had to quickly check it hadn’t already been written.)
Furiosa is the largest ever film to be shot in Australia, with a reported budget of more than $400 million. It’s a superb addition to the Mad Max franchise, with some of the most breath-taking stunts we’ve seen yet. One chase scene reportedly took 78 days to film, and appears in the film for just 15 minutes.
The script was co-written by Miller as a prequel to Fury Road, which saw Charlize Theron play an adult Furiosa, opposite Tom Hardy‘s Mad Max. (The stars famously did not get along on set, but it appears there’s no bad blood between the new cast.)
Theron was replaced by Taylor-Joy to account for the age of the character, but many of Miller’s long-time collaborators returned to work on Furiosa, including five of the creatives who won an Oscar for their work on the 2015 film.
“Part of the quality of the people Mad Max attracts is that you want to get down and dirty and work hard,” Taylor-Joy told P.TV.
“I think you would feel cheated out of something if it was easy. It felt like everyone was there to put their heads down and make it happen, regardless or what was going on with the elements or the vehicles or whatever. And the sense of satisfaction you get when you figure out some of these huge set pieces is unlike anything else. The set also starts with ‘start your engine’ instead of ‘action’, which is different.”
Hemsworth cuts in. “If you’re feeling tired, you won’t be once the filming starts,” he says with a laugh. “The thunder and the eruption from the set is unlike anything else.”
He continues: “It trickles down from the top, too. This is a hard thing to reconcile — this incredibly bombastic, loud, ferocious setting, then led by the calmest, most nurturing man you’ve ever met. And I think that’s the secret to it. It would implode, but within [Miller’s] hands it’s just a hell of a fun time.”
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is out in Australian cinemas on May 24, 2024.
