Dubai: Chris Hemsworth 'thankful' to meet fans at PopCon Middle East

Hollywood superstar Chris Hemsworth was a delight to fans on Friday when he graced the panel talk at Middle East's first-ever edition of Pop Con, an ongoing film and gaming convention in Dubai.

The Thor actor was part of a panel discussion at Expo City during which he discussed his most popular character Thor, upcoming projects, the celebrities he would love to work with next, and his current visit to the city wherein such events are gaining prominence every passing day.

Chris, who grew up in a small town in Victoria, Australia, says he comes from a place where most people would laugh at the thought of becoming a Hollywood star.

"So to come to places where that kind of dream is not as prominent, and is a bigger task, and encourage people and inspire them, it is a complete honour," said Chris.

While Chris' most famous role sees him play Thor, he's given us other spectacular onscreen characters, especially Tyler Rake, a black-market mercenary with a Thor-like build in Netflix's Extraction, one of the most action-clad films of 2020 with a prominent 12-minute action sequence.

The film was a huge hit and what's better is that Chris is returning for the sequel. "This time around, we had no choice but to go bigger," he says. "Again, we've done a 22-minute one (action sequence). And look, people responded to that character in that world so much that we had to do justice to it. I'm really proud of that film."

In the sequel, slated to release mid 2023, fans can expect more intense action as Chris took us through one of the potential scenes. "We were landing helicopters on top of moving trains and having people jump out, and then endless kinds of fight sequences with 300 extras," he said. "It was more detailed and complicated than anything I have ever done, and also more challenging, but something I am beyond proud of and excited for people to see."

Chris will also star in another stellar production, the prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road. Titled Furiosa, the action-adventure thriller will reportedly see Chris play the film's main villain. "It's kind of like the Marvel Universe," Chris says. "It was wild and unique. And again, very different than anything I've played before."

Australian filmmaker George Miller, the man behind the Mad Max saga, has directed the upcoming project and, Chris says, it was an honour to work with him.

On that note, Chris added that he has been inspired by Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, and Paul Thomas Anderson and that it would be a dream to work with them.

And when it comes to actors, Chris would very much like to work with Meryl Streep as well as Cate Blanchett, with whom he shared screen space in Thor: Ragnarok. The renowned actress played Thor's onscreen sister, and the Goddess of Death, Hela.

"I would love to do something contemporary with her," he said. "Something with less CGI and special effects."

Coming to an end, the actor said that he is very "thankful" for getting to meet fans and interact with people, something which he hasn't done for a few years due to the pandemic.

"It is a huge amount of gratitude today for everyone who showed up today and shows support for these kinds of films, shows, and characters," Chris said. "And I love you guys, this is my dream, to make films like these and to play Thor. Without the support of the fans, none of it would've been possible. I am in debt to all of you."

PopCon Middle East, a film and gaming convention is a four-day event that started Thursday, November 10. Visitors to the event will see many other huge stars including Kit Harington (Jon Snow of Game of Thrones), Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen of Arrow), Milly Alcock (Rhaenyra Targaryen of House of the Dragon), Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fring of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul), and many more, all of whom will hold autograph and photograph sessions with the fans.

• Entertainment
• UAE