Chris Hemsworth was terrified to join Furiosa: 'I'm going to derail one of the most iconic franchises'

Chris Hemsworth wasn't ready for the world to see his character in George Miller's upcoming Mad Max: Fury Road prequel when he and his castmates began rehearsals.

The Marvel star revealed that he was scared out of his mind in the lead-up to filming Furiosa because he hadn't gotten fully in touch with his character until it was nearly time to report to set.

"Often I get a script and I know from the first read, the second read, I know who the character is and I get an instant, sort of, visceral feeling attached to it, like, 'Alright, I've got it.'" Hemsworth said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "This I had read two years before I started shooting and was in awe of the script. It was the most beautiful thing I've read. I love George Miller — but I didn't know who this character was."

As the clock started ticking, the Thor actor began to feel the pressure setting in until, thankfully, it all came together one day like magic.

"We did about four weeks of rehearsals, and we started digging in and diving into it, and things started coming to me. And then, about two weeks prior to shooting, something clicked," Hemsworth said. "I went, 'Ooh! Ooh. I think that's who it is. I think that's how he moves.' But, in the buildup, and I'm talking a couple years, I was scared out of my mind. I'm like, 'I'm gonna derail one of the most iconic franchises.' I'm gonna bring down Mad Max. It's gonna be my fault."

Details surrounding Hemsworth's role within the fictional wasteland have been kept firmly under wraps, but the actor seemed to confirm that he would be playing the villainous Warlord Dementus.

Added Hemsworth jokingly, "He's a pleasant fellow."

Representatives for Hemsworth did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

While the actor had some initial difficulties stepping into the character — whatever he shall be named — Hemsworth called shooting Furiosa "the best experience of my career" to date and "something I'm the most proud of, too."

He continued, "I put more work into it than anything I've ever done. The collaboration I had with George was just beautiful, and working with Anya [Taylor-Joy] was incredible."

The film wasn't Hemsworth's first brush with the world of Mad Max. "I asked my manager, years ago, about Mad Max and then Tom Hardy had already been cast," he said on the podcast. "I'd always sort of wondered, 'I missed my window.' And then the opportunity came."

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:

• Anya Taylor-Joy calls Furiosa shoot a 'life-changing' experience
• Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa will be a 'saga' told over many years
• Mad Max prequel Furiosa promises 'great Biker Horde' and a young Immortan Joe