F1 icon James Hunt's son slams actor for playing dad "like a t**t" in film Rush

23 June 2023 , 09:48

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RUSH starrED Chris Hemsworth (left) as James Hunt and Daniel Bruhl as Nikki Lauda (Image: Universal)

The son of F1 icon James Hunt has blasted actor Chris Hemsworth for the way he portrayed his father in the film RUSH.

Hunt has been immortalised in British F1 circles after capturing the world title with McLaren back in 1976. It would be another 16 years before a UK driver prevailed again when Nigel Mansell was triumphant with Williams.

By that point, Hunt had established a commentary career with the BBC but just a year after Mansell followed in his footsteps, the icon tragically died of a heart attack at the age of 45. And filmmakers have since sought to retell his famous career and in particular, his notorious rivalry with Niki Lauda.

In 2013, a biographical film on that 1976 campaign was released. Hemsworth played Hunt while Spanish-German actor Daniel Bruhl took on the role of Austrian hero Lauda, who finished his own career as a three-time world champion.

But now Freddie Hunt has blasted the movie, and as well as taking aim at Hemsworth blasted director Ron Howard for not consulting the family over the script: "Chris Hemsworth’s performance, now I don’t know if I should be upset with Chris or Ron Howard, because he basically played dad like a t**t," he told the Pitstop podcast.

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"And I don’t know if that’s due to his poor acting or if he was directed to play that way. Daniel Bruhl, who played Niki Lauda, did an absolute masterpiece. He actually asked Niki if he could spend some time with him so he could learn his mannerisms and really get to know him.

"What did Hemsworth do in contrast? F**k all. He didn’t contact the family once. And when I asked Ron Howard: ‘Why did you change so many things?’, the director, said ‘Ahh the truth was too awesome man. No one would believe it.’ I nearly slapped him."

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James Hunt won the world title in 1976 (Getty Images)

Niki Lauda praised the film before dying in 2019 (EPA/ PA)

The film was well received by fans and critics, but Hunt Jnr argued that scriptwriters missed a huge chance to cash in by simply sticking to reality: "The movie was great, you know people like it," he added. "But it could have been, if they just stuck to the truth it would have been so much better."

Lauda died in 2019, aged 70, but had previously had his own say on the apparent fictional nature of the film. But unlike Hunt's son, he was understanding of the way the film was amended to appeal to a present-day audience.

"This was Hollywood! The movie altogether is really good," he said. "Don't forget that it has to be for young people today who don't know what happened. It's based on a true story, modified for today's world where different characters fight each other, and some people like one and some people like the other."

Fraser Watson