Chris Hemsworth is most popularly known for playing Thor in the MCU. The actor has played the character in multiple MCU films and the role has elevated him to an A-list movie star. However, he has also done some brilliant character-driven dramas where he got to flex his acting chops. One of them was the critically acclaimed 2013 sports drama Rush.
Hemsworth played the real-life Formula 1 racer James Hunt who won the 1976 Formula One World Championship. The actor was praised by critics and audiences for his uncanny resemblance and nuanced performance of the late racer. However, Hunt’s son Freddie was not as impressed with Hemsworth’s performance and deemed that the film did him dirty.
Chris Hemsworth’s Performance in Rush Was Brutally Criticized by James Hunt’s Son
Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl starred in Ron Howard’s biographical sports drama Rush in 2013. The film chronicled the real-life story of the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda during the 1976 motor racing season. Rush received rave reviews with many praising Brühl and Hemsworth’s performances as Lauda and Hunt respectively.
The film features one of Hemsworth’s finest performances of his career, perfectly showcasing the carefree yet determined personality of Hunt. However, Hunt’s son Freddie, who was only five years old when his father passed away in 1993, was very critical of Hemsworth’s portrayal of his father. On the Pitstop podcast (via Instagram), Hunt stated that the Thor actor played his father like a t*at.
He further went on to criticize Hemsworth for not contacting the Hunt family while prepping for his role, unlike Brühl who spent time with Lauda. The racer was also pissed at Howard for changing many things in the film and almost slapped him for doing it. Hunt said,
Chris Hemsworth’s performance, now I don’t know if I should be upset with Chris or Ron Howard, because he basically played Dad like a t**t. And I don’t know if that’s due to his poor acting or if he was directed to play that way. He didn’t contact the family once. And when I asked Ron Howard: ‘why did you change so many things?’, the director, he said ‘Ahh the truth was too awesome man. No one would believe it.’ I nearly slapped him.
In contrast to Hunt’s son, Lauda who got to spend a lot of time with his father, lauded Hemsworth’s performance pointing out how he perfected his way of speaking (via Autoweek). Even Hunt’s former boss Lord Hesketh praised Hemsworth and his uncanny resemblance to Hunt (via Formula 1.com). Nevertheless, Rush is one of Hemsworth’s best films.
Chris Hemsworth Found It Refreshing To Be In Rush Amidst Being Thor in the MCU
By 2013, Chris Hemsworth became a household name as Thor, with the first Thor film and The Avengers becoming big hits. However, he did not want to get stuck in one type of character and did the sports drama Rush after Avengers. In an interview with The Guardian, the actor stated that films like Rush were why he fell in love with acting.
While the Thor actor enjoys doing the Marvel films and all the special effects and spectacle involved in them, he found it refreshing to do an intimate character-driven drama that did not rely on special effects. Hemsworth said,
It was a reminder of why I fell in love with acting. Everything’s there to support you as an actor and the character and the intimacy of that story. And it was refreshing to be able to spend all the time on that and not be sidetracked by special effects and spectacle, which a lot of other films I’ve done have been.
Hemsworth starred alongside Daniel Brühl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, David Calder, Stephen Mangan, Christian McKay, and many others in Rush. The film was a critical and commercial success grossing $96 million against a $38 million budget (via Box Office Mojo).
Fans can watch/rent Rush on Apple TV+.
