Netflix’s “Extraction” films have made a big show of putting their leading man, Chris “Thor Odinson” Hemsworth himself, through the motions with their intense stunts, which obviously require tons of preparation. According to Gadot, she had a similar experience making “Heart of Stone.” “It was the biggest take-on I’ve ever had,” she told EW. “It was a lot of work. Months and months of preparation and trainings and workouts and learning all the different choreographies. It was a lot.”
Adding to the challenge, Gadot contracted COVID-19 during filming. “As soon as I was negative, the same night I traveled to [the set in] Portugal, I slept the night, and I woke up really early to go and shoot a scene of me running a very long distance,” she explained. “And I just had COVID, so every time we cut, I couldn’t breathe.” However, as Gadot sees it, not letting factors like that affect her performance is simply part of the job:
“You just go for it. There’s something in me where once the red light in the camera goes on, I’m on. I think to myself, it’s not like they’re going to say in small letters, ‘She just had COVID, that’s why her running is not perfect,’ or, ‘It was a really hot day,’ or ‘She didn’t sleep,’ or ‘It was a really cold night.’ You just have to do it.”
As is now customary for Netflix’s wannabe action franchise starters, “Heart of Stone” isn’t blowing critics away. In his own review for /Film, Josh Spiegel calls Gadot’s performance “wooden” and dubs the film a glib “Mission: Impossible” imitation. For all the blood, sweat, and tears actors pour into these things, you would think they’d turn out a little less generic than they do.
“Heart of Stone” is streaming on Netflix.