F1 Icon James Hunt's Son Slammed Chris Hemsworth For Poor Portrayal of His Father in Biopic 'Rush'

The British racing legend, James Hunt, carved his niche in the world of Formula 1 racing championships and has been immortalized by his many achievements. In 2013, Hollywood paid tribute to the icon through a biopic called Rush, starring Chris Hemsworth as the lead. However, his portrayal of Hunt left the latter's son unimpressed- "annoyed," to be precise. 

Freddie, Hunt's son, has slammed the Australian actor for a poor portrayal of his father in the biopic. Hemsworth played the role of the F1 legend in the 2013 release Rush, and the plot revolved around Hunt's rivalry with Australian F1 driver Niki Lauda, per Daily Mail. But Freddie wasn't convinced of his performance.

In the Pitstop Podcast, Freddie opened up about Hemsworth's "lukewarm" performance as his father in the film. He said, "I don't know if I should be upset with Chris or [film director] Ron Howard because he basically played dad like a t**t." Freddie added, "I don't know if it's due to his poor acting or he was directed to play that way." 

Contrary to his opinion about Hemsworth, Freddie sang praises of the antagonist Daniel Brühl, a Spanish-German actor who played Lauda's role. "Daniel Brûhl, who played Niki, did an absolute masterpiece," continued Freddie. 

"He actually asked Niki if he could spend some time with him so he could learn his mannerisms and really get to know him," Hunt's son lauded Bruhl for his preparation for the role. The movie depicts the story of the 1976 Formula One season.

Freddie complained, "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." 

Hunt was a champion in British F1 circles who earned world titles on his merit with McLaren back in 1976. He ruled the racecourse, and In his seven years on the F1 circuit, Hunt totaled ten victories and earned 14 pole positions in 92 Grand Prix races, per Britannica. 

After he retired from Formula 1 in 1979, Hunt established a career as a BBC commentator. But [just] a year after British driver Nigel Mansell followed in his footsteps, the icon tragically died of a heart attack aged 45, reported The Mirror. Since then, his life has been a favorite story for filmmakers to retell, especially his conflict with arch-rival Lauda. 

The two F1 drivers had a "controversial" past. Hunt won the world title from Lauda by just one point following a controversial campaign where Niki suffered an almost life-ending crash after his Ferrari erupted into a fireball at the Nurburgring.

The film was well-received by the audience and the critics, but Hunt Jr. believed filmmakers missed a great chance to cash in by simply sticking to reality. "The movie was great, you know, people liked it. But it could have been much better if they [just] stuck to the truth. It would have been so much better."