Blog: I Met Liam Hemsworth, Currently Saving The World From Aliens

Sydney: I didn't understand the 'Hearts' and 'Oh lucky yous' that came my way from young colleagues who learnt that I was to fly to Sydney to interview Liam Hemsworth for Independence Day: Resurgence .

I blame this on a generation gap. At the risk of dating myself, the poster boys of cool in my time were Tom Cruise and Patrick Swayze. Yes, I belong to the Top Gun and Dirty Dancing generation. Though I had seen young Liam in The Dressmaker and several feeds on wires, I had not paid much attention except for these superficial facts - I clocked that the 26-year-old Australian was drop dead gorgeous and was dating singer Miley Cyrus.

On arrival in Sydney, us journalists were told steer clear of Miley questions. That was not the only subject off-limits - as per my other observation, the near-constant comparisons to superstar brother Chris Hemsworth made Liam a bit uncomfortable. Easy enough for the media to turn sibling 'revelry' into 'rivalry.'

So as I hobbled with a fractured foot (don't ask, long story) and was ushered into the room to interview Liam and co-star Jeff Goldblum (I had been told getting Liam to talk is not easy since he is quiet and shy), what struck me first about him was the complete and utter absence of a starry attitude. There were no hiding behind shades, no designer wear - just a relaxed guy (albeit fabulously good-looking) in a white t-shirt, blue cardigan and jeans, sipping his coffee. We'll take a moment here to give thanks for Aussies in Hollywood, raising both the awesomeness and the chill quotient.

Don't ask about my foot, I told you just a few sentences ago - but I didn't tell Liam and so he did ask. In fact, when the camera started rolling, the first 20 seconds of my precious seven minutes with the actor were devoted to 'what happened to your foot?' and 'how was your gym trainer so negligent?' Must say my foot was quite the star of the show and seemed to have broken the ice.

That must have been how I got the responses I did from the reluctant interviewee I was warned about. Here's some of what Liam and Jeff Goldblum told me. Liam Hemsworth was all of six when the original Independence Day came out in 1996. The actor gleefully told me that it was the image of Will Smith fighting the aliens which stayed with him. As co-star Jeff Goldblum teased, did young Liam go about playing slayer of aliens as a kid? "Never," he insisted. Action games apparently did not interest six-year-old Liam.

The sequel sees Liam as a maverick fighter pilot sent to the moon on a mission (more of a punishment posting) and his arch rival Jessie Usher, who plays Will Smith's stepson. Though disappointed that Mr Smith himself failed to return in the sequel, Liam said it was the opportunity to work in the franchise with Roland Emmrich and the cast that elicited an instant 'yes' from him.

Mr Goldblum added that Liam helped him with a few takes. Is directing on the cards for Liam?

"Yes. I would like that too but before that, I would like to gain experience in cinema and do a lot more work," he said. Adding that working in a franchise brings with it great expectations, Liam said, "You don't want to disappoint the fans. You want to give your best and make it better than the last."

I also asked Liam what it was like to shoot with green screen vs human actors, since Independence Day: Resurgence is high on VFX.

"Since I play a fighter pilot, I had the space craft and a green screen for company far more than my co-stars. It wasn't bad at all; not much of a difference but you constantly have voices in your ears," Liam said.

Would either of them will be game for Bollywood? My question brought an unexpected answer: Jeff Goldblum admitted that he was to be part of a Bollywood film which didn't take off.

Given the opportunity, however, he and Liam could do a project together with some song and dance, he said. Nodding in agreement, Liam said, "Yes, the colours of India have always intrigued me."

Independence Day: Resurgence shows a female POTUS onscreen. Will life catch up this year?, I asked. Will we see a woman in the White House? "Hope so," said Liam, who, as an Australian, doesn't vote in America - but hey, everyone's interested, right?

Jeff Goldblum, who does vote in the USA, had this take on Donald Trump: "Hope Trump finds his niche in some entertainment zone where he can focus his energies and stays away from any leadership position." That's some major burn.

I saved the toughest question for Mr Goldblum - who saves the day better, Will Smith or Liam Hemsworth?

As Liam covered his ears, Jeff Goldblum said, "... - actually, I'm not going to tell you what he said. Watch the video below to find out.

Independence Day: Resurgence releases in cinemas today.
 

(Puja Talwar is Editor, Entertainment for NDTV 24x7)

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