MALIBU, Calif.  – Like many staying at home these days due to the coronavirus, director Sam Hargrave is no different. He's trying to make the most of this time.

"Try to exercise a lot, stay sharp physically. I'm reading a lot and going back over classic films and watching them, studying them" said Hargrave. 

Studying films and honing his craft of storytelling has always been something Hargrave has been passionate about. That passion has led him to his directorial debut with the new Chris Hemsworth action flick Extraction, which debuts on Netflix Friday, April 24. 


"This is always something I wanted to do, direct a movie, direct an action movie. So to check that off the list, if you will, to accomplish that achievement, is huge," Hargrave said.

But to get to this milestone in his career has been the culmination of a journey that began when he started practicing martial arts at 13.

He would then watch Hong Kong cinema where guys like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee became his heroes. That inspiration brought him into the film industry after a friend's advice.

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"You fall down on your head pretty good," said Hargrave. "There are people that will hire you and pay you to do just that. It's called being a stuntman, and it might be something you want to look into, so I did." 

As a stuntman and stunt coordinator, he's worked on some of Hollywood's biggest action films including for Marvel Pictures, where he became like family with the cast and crew.

And those relationships would pay dividends for his transition into directing.

On the set of Avengers Endgame director Joe Russo wrote the script for Extraction and gave it to Hargrave because he thought it would be good for his first film. Hargrave was hooked.

"Once Joe [Russo] asked Chris Hemsworth if he wanted to be involved and he said 'yes,' I was speechless," Hargrave said. 

"I thought what a dream come true to get to work with people that I've worked with for years in the Marvel family but for a film that I would get to direct," he added. 

He was drawn to this project because it was an action movie with heart.

In 2018 he traveled to India to direct, with his friend Chris Hemsworth as the star.

"At the heart of the story, is the journey of a man who is broken by past decisions and gets a chance at redemption through this relationship with a kid that he's rescuing on this mission," Hargrave said.

So in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, when people are mandated to stay home, it's a good time to be releasing a film through Netflix because it gives people something new to watch, and provides a sense of escape. 

"In those minutes be engrossed in a story that hopefully is entertaining and moving emotionally, and a journey that you want to go on and afterward you feel something," Hargrave said. 

For him, that feeling of his dream coming true is one of gratitude, because it took years of passion and dedication to the craft to make it happen.

But he's hoping his first time directing will be just the beginning.