Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) hosted Decemeber 4 global megastar Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Love and Thunder, Rush) for a fireside chat In Conversation session with fellow Australian and current Red Sea IFF Jury President, writer, director and producer Baz Luhrmann.
After his massive success in the Marvel Universe franchise, Hemsworth teamed up with the Russo Brothers yet again for the Netflix original film Extraction making history for the streaming service. Bringing in 99 million viewers within the first four weeks alone, the film became the most watched original movie the streaming service has ever seen. Of the six Marvel and Global Avengers franchise films Hemsworth has starred in, Avengers: Endgame still remains one of the highest grossing movies of all time, accumulating over 2.7 billion dollars worldwide. Introduced as ‘Thor’ in the 2011 eponymous film directed by Kenneth Branagh, Hemsworth continued his legacy in Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder with director Taika Waititi and the later film starring alongside an incredible cast including Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Melissa McCarthy, Chris Pratt, Russell Crowe and Matt Damon.
Most recently, Hemsworth was seen reprising his role as mercenary Tyler Rake in Extraction 2. The film was directed by Sam Hargrave and produced by Hemsworth’s multiplatform new production company, Wild State which he launched last year with producing partner Ben Grayson. Last year he teamed up with Darren Aronofsky for the Disney+ Original series from National Geographic Limitless With Chris Hemsworth. Serving as both producer and star, the series tested Hemsworth’s ability to push the limits of the human body exploring the latest scientific research into health longevity. The six-episode series was also part of Hemsworth’s first look deal through Wild State. Hemsworth can next be seen in George Miller’s Furiosa, the Mad Max prequel alongside Anya Taylor-Joy and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II which is slated for release on May 24th, 2024.
As a respected figure in the health and fitness realm, Hemsworth launched CENTR, a personalized digital health and fitness program in February 2019. The app brings the best hand-picked team of internationally renowned experts, including elite trainers, celebrity chefs, meditation teachers and well-being mentors to help users achieve their ultimate fitness goals.
Born and raised in Australia, where he began his acting career, Hemsworth made his U.S. feature film debut in J.J. Abrams’ blockbuster Star Trek, playing the pivotal role of George Kirk.
Hemsworth’s multifaceted career includes lead roles in Joseph Kosinski’s Spiderhead, an adaptation of the George Saunders short story which also stars Miles Teller and Jurnee Smollett; Snow White and the Huntsman, opposite Charlize Theron and the prequel, Huntsman: Winter’s War, which included Jessica Chastain and Emily Blunt, and in Sony’s Men in Black: International alongside Tessa Thompson. Hemsworth flexed his comedic muscles in Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters, alongside Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones and in Vacation, with Ed Helms, Christina Applegate and Leslie Mann. He starred in Ron Howard’s the true-life drama Rush, portraying famed Formula One driver James Hunt, and collaborated with him again on the drama In The Heart of the Sea. He also had starring roles alongside Michael Shannon and Michael Peña in 12 Strong, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, which tells the story of the first Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11; and in Drew Goddard’s Bad Times at the El Royale, with Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm and Dakota Johnson.
An active philanthropist, Hemsworth supports the Australian Childhood Foundation and is passionate about ocean conservation.
Baz Luhrmann, current Head of the RSIFF Jury, is a legendary Academy Award® nominated auteur is known for being a master storyteller across film, opera, theatre and music, with his most recent film Elvis (2022) becoming the second-highest grossing musical biopic of all time globally. Luhrmann’s critically acclaimed filmography includes double Academy Award® -winning The Great Gatsby (2013), Strictly Ballroom (1992), Romeo + Juliet (1996), double Academy Award® -winning Moulin Rouge (2001) and sweeping period epic Australia (2008).
