Why Chris Hemsworth Is Happy His Latest Role is Nothing Like Superhero Films

The Mad Max franchise is an Australian staple, so it's no surprise that one of the country's biggest actors is joining the post-apocalyptic universe. Chris Hemsworth stars as the Warlord Dementus in the new spinoff Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and while the Marvel alum is no stranger to action flicks, filming Furiosa was quite a different experience for Hemsworth.

"It was a real departure," the Aussie actor explained in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly. And although he's still technically wearing a cape, his Furiosa character is a world away from Thor.

"It's not intentional to be a comparison of Thor," he said. "But I found a wonderful departure to it—to play the villain, transform, and inhabit a completely different physicality was a lot of fun. I loved it. And it was the real attraction."

Hemsworth was also excited "just to dirty it up and to be messy and ugly and violent and chaotic, rather than being in the somewhat predictable box of the hero in a superhero space." Needless to say he was happy to do something new. "There's a whole lot of rules that you have to stick to [with that]. With this, I could throw that out the window, which was nice," he said.

Related: Chris Hemsworth Gives Harsh Review to His Own Performance in 'Thor: Love and Thunder'

It's not the first time Hemsworth has looked back less than excitedly on his Thor days, specifically 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder. In a new interview with Vanity Fair, he confessed that he probably should've taken the part more seriously.

"I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself," he said. "I didn’t stick the landing."

He shared a similar sentiment about Love and Thunder in a 2023 interview with GQ.

"I think we just had too much fun. It just became too silly," he said. "It’s always hard being in the center of it and having any real perspective… I love the process; it’s always a ride. But you just don’t know how people are going to respond."

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is in theaters May 24.