Chris Hemsworth says he was told to stop defending his villainous 'Furiosa' character

To justify his character's mindset, the Thor actor journaled daily and tried to view the world through Dementus’s eyes

Chris Hemsworth recently opened up about the challenges of playing Dementus, the villain in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, revealing that he was actually asked to stop defending his character during press interviews because of how dark the role is.

The Thor star spoke about the experience on the On Purpose podcast, explaining how stepping into the mindset of such a morally depraved character tested both his preparation process and public perception.

Hemsworth admitted that while he initially found the role intimidating, coming from a long career portraying heroes like Thor, he really dove deep into understanding Dementus’s psychology.

“I had to find a way to sort of understand and empathise with his position,” he said, describing how he worked to justify the character’s mindset. To do that, he journaled daily and tried to view the world through Dementus’s eyes, which blurred the lines between his own perspective and the villain’s.

But that empathy sometimes went too far during press tours. Hemsworth recalled how promoting the film led to moments where he defended what Dementus did on screen, only to be quickly reminded of the character’s horrific actions.

“I’ve been on press tours defending my character and then being tapped on the shoulder and like, ‘The guy killed a bunch of people,’” he explained, prompting a humorous yet pointed redirection: “Oh yeah, okay, besides that part.”

The role marked a significant departure for Hemsworth, who has been best known for his heroic performances, especially as Marvel’s God of Thunder.

Yet he said that exploring the complex and dark nature of Dementus was creatively rewarding, even if it meant embracing a character who commits truly villainous acts, including human trafficking and murder, elements that made others on the press circuit push back when he tried to rationalise them.