CHRIS HEMSWORTH IN “BLACKHAT”

Press release

Chris Hemsworth (Marvel's “Thor,” “The Avengers”) plays a new kind of hero in Universal Pictures' cybercrime thriller, “Blackhat.”

The Australian actor is cast as Nicholas Hathaway, a genius coder and furloughed criminal set on a mission of revenge. An unlikely operative fighting to protect our world from an impending attack that will shatter people’s lives, this hacker on furlough must lead a manhunt to stop an unseen danger that can strike anyone, anywhere.

Director Michael Mann introduces us to the tale: “The film starts off in Los Angeles. The premise is that Hathaway is in his fourth year of a 13-year prison sentence. He’s offered a conditional release if he works to identify and apprehend a cybercriminal who has already taken down a nuclear power plant in China and manipulated the price of soy futures on the commodities exchange. Nobody knows who he is, where he is or why he’s doing what he’s doing. But he has obviously no regard for human life, and he’s skilled and dangerous. If Hathaway works to identify and apprehend this cybercriminal organization, he’ll win a commutation of his sentence.”

Mann explains how Hemsworth became his Hathaway: “I first saw Chris in `Thor,' and I thought he was great. Then I talked to Ron Howard, who had worked with him on `Rush,' and Ron had a great experience and was kind enough to show me about 45 minutes of the film. Chris was just terrific. Then, I really wanted to meet him. So I went down to Costa Rica, where he was vacationing with his family, and we spent about two days together just talking about the film. I decided, at that point, this guy’s it.”

Mann found Hemsworth to be centered, self-confident and fascinated in the world around him. The director continues: “Chris is ambitious and has a strong artistic ego. I love working with people like that. He felt like some very bright people I knew in the steelworkers union years ago who had a self-confidence and dignity. ‘I’m sitting across from Hathaway right here,’ I thought. And Chris responds to challenge. He’s physical in his life, both as a surfer and kickboxer. He was eager to immerse himself, getting into character.”

For this role, Mann wanted to defeat the outdated stereotype that the hacker is a middle-class, skinny white kid. He offers: “That hasn’t been the case for years. It’s somebody in a housing project. It’s somebody in Mumbai. I thought that Hathaway should be the son of a steelworker from the South Side of Chicago.”

For Mann, attention to detail and precision trumps all, and working with the director was an intensive education. Hemsworth, no slouch when it comes to preparing for a part, was keen to dive in. Hemsworth says: “He knows what he’s looking for. It’s certainly the most prep I’ve done, and it’s been hugely beneficial. It made me think about how I’ve prepped in the past and will in the future.”

As part of the prep work, Mann and Hemsworth toured Stateville prison and “hacking schools.” Physical training, which began several months prior to shooting, included boxing and fight work. The six-foot-four-inch Australian is no newcomer to intensive preparations for roles, but it was learning to think, act, move and behave like a hacker doing hard time that proved to be his greatest challenge.

As it is to most of us, the world of cybercrime was relatively unfamiliar to the Australian actor. The idea that someone could, with a little ingenuity and a few keystrokes, send the stock market reeling or seriously damage private or public infrastructure seemed far-fetched. It was the conceit of, well, movies. “It wasn’t a topic I knew a whole lot about besides whatever was creeping into the news,” Hemsworth says. “For a character like Nick, it’s pretty organic; it’s in his blood.”

Hemsworth met and worked with professional hackers, some of whom, like his character, had been convicted and sent to prison. It was an illuminating experience for the actor who explained that his guides into the universe of keystrokes and endless digits had an almost otherworldly understanding of the technology that is rapidly expanding. “It’s a bit like The Matrix for them,” offers Hemsworth. “They can make sense of something most people can’t. It’s another language, a series of numbers, letters and punctuation. It looks like a mess to most people but if you live in that world, it means something else entirely.”

Get ready for the RUSH!

The epic action-drama stars Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers) as the charismatic Englishman James Hunt and Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds) as the disciplined Austrian perfectionist Niki Lauda, whose clashes on the Grand Prix racetrack epitomized the contrast between these two extraordinary characters, a distinction reflected in their private lives.

Photo courtesy of Captive Cinema

Set against the sexy and glamorous golden age of Formula 1 racing, Rush portrays the exhilarating true story of two of the greatest rivals the world has ever witnessed—handsome English playboy Hunt and his methodical, brilliant opponent, Lauda. Taking us into their personal lives on and off the track, Rush follows the two drivers as they push themselves to the breaking point of physical and psychological endurance, where there is no shortcut to victory and no margin for error. If you make one mistake, you die.

Two-time Academy Award® winner Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon), teams once again with fellow two-time Academy Award® nominee, writer Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen), on Rush, a spectacular big-screen re-creation of the merciless 1970s rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

“RUSH” released and distributed by Captive Cinema.

Hits theatres soon….Nationwide!

Chris Hemsworth : From ‘Thor’ to legendary Huntsman

Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman

The other title character to be cast was, of course, the Huntsman: Eric, a hunter who knows the Enchanted and Dark Forests like the back of his hands.  Not only did the Huntsman once have respect for the animals he tracked, he also still has the ability to think like one.  But after his wife, Zara, died, Eric found his only comfort as a mercenary and a drunk.  Now, the Huntsman has been tasked to follow Snow White into the forest and return her to Ravenna, who needs to consume her heart.  But when Eric discovers the treachery of the Queen, he channels his rage into training a young woman who is determined to end what Ravenna began.  Eric begins to see in Snow White an end to the darkness and to believe that the king’s standard could fly again.

            Initially conceived as a character much older than Snow White, the Huntsman morphed during the screenplay’s development.  Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, was courted for the part after the filmmakers watched him in his career-defining role as the Nordic god of war.  His charisma and on-screen presence convinced them that he could embody the tortured former soldier who finds salvation in a young woman called Snow White.  

With his attitude, humor, intensity and physical presence, Hemsworth proved he could bring life to the character and serve as the ideal balance between Stewart and Theron.  Shares Mercer of their choice: “We spent a fair amount of time exploring who should be the Huntsman and how to round out the triangle.  Through the evolution of talking to many actors and getting their takes on it, we discovered Chris.  He is becoming a huge star, and we knew we had to have him.”

Hemsworth’s first day on set was one of the most intimidating of the shoot: his big scene with Theron in which the Queen dispatches the Huntsman.  Producer Joe Roth knew that Hemsworth was up for the challenge of matching wits with the Oscar^® winner.  The producer compliments: “The guy is built like a linebacker, he’s gorgeous to look at, and he has great depth of character.  Chris is the guy that puts up 110 percent all the time.”

Discussing his part, Hemsworth says: “The Huntsman is a lost soul.  He has given up on life and himself.  When we first meet him, he’s a drunk, living alone in the woods working as a mercenary, hunting and tracking.  He is then assigned the role of finding Snow White and bringing her back to the Queen.”  Offering his reason for tackling the role, Hemsworth states: “I liked the idea of playing the reluctant hero: rough around the edges but with a good heart underneath.  We tried to push the inconsistencies of his character, keep him unpredictable.”

Hemsworth also appreciated the “classic Western character” that the writers had drawn and the visual style that his director ensured.  The performer adds: “I read it with director Rupert Sanders, and I saw visually how creative he was.  We had discussions about character and story, and I was inspired by what he said.  I’ve worked with plenty of people who have done far more films than Rupert, but many are not nearly as equipped, focused or innovative as he is.  He’s unreal.  I love these types of films: big, fantastical, epic stories that have a real heart at the center of them.  They’re relatable characters, and the story is about hope and inspiration and love and tragedy.  These are the things that we all deal with, but the story is told on an incredible, vivid background.”

Although Hemsworth and Stewart carefully practiced their fight scenes together, mistakes were made during production.  During a particularly vigorous take, Stewart accidentally punched the seasoned kickboxer in the face.  His nose swelled up, and his wound had to be covered up with makeup.  Stewart was truly a match for this Huntsman.

“Snow White and the Huntsman” is released and distributed by

United International Pictures through Solar Entertainment Corp.

Showing on June 1, 2012 nationwide.