Summary

Peter Berg’s new Netflix series American Primeval depicts the violent birth of the American West.

The cast includes relative newcomers Derek Hinkey and Saura Lightfoot-Leon alongside Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin.

In this interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Hinkey and Lightfoot-Leon discuss how the series showcases intense physical action, strong themes, and an emotional storyline.

Peter Berg’s new epic Netflix Western American Primeval follows the director’s penchant for highly physical, realistic violence and action, along with strong universal themes and an intriguing young cast. This visceral new series presents the bloody birth of our country as pioneers expand westward, leaving an ever-growing trail of destruction. Berg has cast fascinating, impressive newcomers Derek Hinkey (Horizon: An American Sage – Chapter One) as the ever-warring Red Feather and Saura Lightfoot-Leon (The Agency) as open-minded pioneer Abish Pratt.
Directed by Berg of Friday Night Lights fame and written by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant), American Primeval follows a wide cast of characters as they fight for control of the new American West. The series depicts bloody collisions between cults, religions, Natives, and pioneers as they violently forge the birth of our country. The series also co-stars Taylor Kitsch (Waco), Betty Gilpin (Mrs. Davis), Dane DeHaan (Oppenheimer), and Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy) as Brigham Young.
In this interview, Collider’s Steve Weintraub talks with Hinkey and Lightfoot-Leon about the making of the Netflix series. Together, they discuss Berg’s extremely physical, intense style of direction, shooting in the wild elements of the American southwest, and what actors get up to during a month of “Cowboy Camp.”
The “Pete Berg-Type Beat… Turned Out To Be Really Intense”

“Every day, for me, just surpassed the day before.”

COLLIDER: I’ve watched the whole thing. I really want to say congratulations. You guys did such great work with this.
SAURA LIGHTFOOT-LEON: Thank you.
I know how movies and TV shows are made. This had to have been a very intense shoot and difficult with all the elements. Would you both say that this is the hardest thing you’ve worked on?
LIGHTFOOT-LEON: I’d say in some respects, definitely. I’m someone who doesn’t do well with cold, and let me tell you… Oh my god. No, seriously. I was wearing a 12kg woolen dress, which was useful against the cold. It’s ruthless, but it also gives you a lot for free.
DEREK HINKEY: I consider myself an athlete; I was a professional fighter before this. But my very first scene shooting on that Pete Berg-type beat, I literally was getting cramped, and I didn’t want anybody to know. So I was telling the AD, “Shh, I might keep smashing the Gatorade. I need this ’cause I’m getting a cramp.” It was super intense.

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Allow Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin to welcome you to your newest gritty Western obsession.

When you saw the shooting schedule in front of you, what day did you have circled in terms of, “I cannot wait to film this?” And was there anything circled in terms of, “How the F are we gonna film this?”
HINKEY: I had my scenes, and I was like, “Man, I’m really looking forward to this,” and then I would downplay other scenes. But honestly, every day was just, like, “Wow, we did that. Wow, that was created.” The scenes that I thought weren’t gonna be super bangers or intense turned out to be really intense. Every day, for me, just surpassed the day before.
LIGHTFOOT-LEON: That’s a good point. I think the moments you look forward to most tend to be not the ones that stand out the most in the end. But answering your question, Steve, any scenes where Abish is with the tribe, and she’s finally finding a part of herself with them. I don’t want to spoil too much, but the ritualistic scenes. There’s a particular moment between Red Feather and Abish that’s quite beautiful; I think it’s in Episode 5. That was a big moment. That was one of those where I looked forward to it, and it led up to it, and it felt amazing after. It stayed with me.
Yeah, as I said, the stuff between you guys is fantastic.
“I’d never ridden a horse before. I’d never shot a gun before.”

Image via Netflix 

Derek, I read that you stayed in character from when you got to set to when you left. Is that true or not true?
HINKEY: Very true. I segregated myself a lot and kind of did my own thing. I wanted my coworkers and co-stars to know that I’m available, especially Saura — she’s coming all the way from London. “Hey Saura, don’t be walking around Santa Fe. You have my number; please use it. You need anything, I’m here.” But with the rest of everybody, I kind of did my own thing and I locked myself away in my room with my dialogue and language and Red Feather. I was good. I was totally happy.
Saura, I definitely want to talk about some of the action. Talk a little bit about what that was like for you because some of it’s pretty intense, especially to film.
LIGHTFOOT-LEON: It is, yeah, but I love a challenge. I really do. [Laughs] I really do. You tell me jump, I say, “How high?” And with Pete, it was that from the beginning. He was like, “Are you healthy? Are you fit? Are you able?” And I was like, “Yes, sir, I’m ready.” We did a month of cowboy camp, which was amazing because I’d never ridden a horse before. I’d never shot a gun before. I considered myself fit, but then when you’re out there in the elements, and you have the adrenaline, it feels like something else is working. It was amazing. I loved it. It was really tough, though.
The Human Experience Behind ‘American Primeval’

Image via Netflix

I love learning about how actors prepare to film something. So, for both of you, say you’re shooting in a month; how early before this shoot started were you starting to mentally prepare your character and getting in the headspace so you could be ready and present on that first day of filming?
LIGHTFOOT-LEON: I personally need to do a lot of research. It also changes from project to project. But for this one in particular, I knew I needed to prepare myself in an academic way so that I could be as present as I could be for the human experience to happen. That was me on this one — a lot of reading and imaginary prep, building the backstory of Abish, to then see what’s happening on set and talk to Pete, meet whoever is in front of me, and just react.
HINKEY: For me, a lot of it was just genetic memory. I have a skill set, I know my craft, and I know how to go about that. There are just a lot of emotions swirling inside, going through those moments where I’m like, “This stuff really happened to my family. This is in my blood.” It was like reliving those — I don’t wanna say traumatic moments because a lot of times, I think it builds who we are today. My people have been through those moments, and it’s just learning the war paint don’t come off.

Image via Netflix

Actually, speaking of the war paint, can you talk about its significance? I read that it is very significant.
HINKEY: Yeah, absolutely. Big love to Howard [Berger] and Johnny [Villanueva]. They worked with me on that. They let me be me. Initially, my character, when he was a little boy, his name was Wide Smile. I was always happy, and then this stuff happened, so my war paint is coming from a lot of pain. I’m covered, and my tears now are lightning bolts. The lines that I wear every day that never come off mean that, because of what’s happened to me, I’m always at war with my mind, my body, and my spirit.
That authenticity, I think Peter did a great job allowing all this to happen. For both of you, what are you most excited for audiences to get out of this because it’s so different than what’s on television right now?
LIGHTFOOT-LEON: I would say it’s a roller coaster, definitely. Audiences will probably go through an emotional journey through the show. The thing that I’m most excited for people to experience through the characters is I think everyone goes through a sort of death and a rebirth, and that’s a huge thing. We all have it in different phases of our lives, but in this show, you definitely get to see people sometimes go through one or sometimes go through both and empathize with it and to really experience it.
HINKEY: Yeah, same boat. I really want them to understand the realness and the rawness of what went on. The truth.
American Primeval is now streaming on Netflix.

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It follows the gritty and adventurous exploration of the birth of the American West, the violent collisions of cults, religion, and men and women fighting for control of the new world.

Cast

Taylor Kitsch
, Jai Courtney
, Dane DeHaan
, Betty Gilpin
, Nick Hargrove
, Kyle Bradley Davis
, Derek Hinkey
, Saura Lightfoot Leon
, Preston Mota
, Shawnee Pourier
, Joe Tippett

Producers

Eric Newman
, Mark L. Smith

Network

Netflix

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Watch on Netflix