Ron Howard on the skills of Chris Hemsworth: “He auditioned for it and was dazzling”
Ron Howard might have cemented his career as a director, but it was acting that first introduced him to the world of filmmaking. Starting out as a child actor on The Andy Griffith Show, Howard’s early experiences helped him to decide that he wanted to be behind the camera more than he liked being in front of it.
However, due to his acting background, the American filmmaker has always had a closer understanding of what it takes to bring the best out of his collaborators. It also helps that he has worked with incredibly talented stars who were at the top of their game, such as Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind and Tom Hanks in Apollo 13.
Throughout his directorial career, Howard has tackled multiple genres but notably, he has been drawn to the biopic on multiple occasions. One interesting example of this is the 2013 sports drama Rush, painting a complex and engaging portrait of the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda that extended beyond the Formula One racetracks and spilled into their personal lives.
During a conversation with Cineworld, Howard was asked about the production process, and he found himself gushing about his lead actors. He was particularly impressed by Chris Hemsworth’s interpretation of Hunt’s personality, resulting in some fascinating on-screen dynamics.
While talking about Hemsworth, Howard said: “He auditioned for it and was dazzling. Physically, he’s right, and I spoke to people who had worked with him and who were very complimentary of his talent and his potential, even though there wasn’t all that much to see on screen, but he really won it with an audition, and he did it while he was on location. He did it himself. He taped it and sent it in.”
The filmmaker added: “I’d met him – I liked him. I liked him in Thor. I talked to people who said he was really dedicated and interesting, and just from this little audition that he did, you could see he had a nuance and a relaxed, athletic, cool masculinity. And Peter and I just felt like he could do it. So he won the role, and I’m very impressed with him. Both of these guys are very hardworking creatively, and they’re really digging for all the nuances, all the details, and I’m having a great time directing both Daniel and Chris.”
Discussions about Hemsworth’s filmography often centre around his Marvel contributions, but Rush is right up there with his best efforts. Starring alongside the immensely talented Daniel Brühl, it’s the lead performances that make everything work.
