'Prey' Star Amber Midthunder And Her Canine Co-Star
The 2022 “Predator” prequel “Prey” focuses on a young tracker named Naru (Amber Midthunder) of the Comanche Nation as she outwits the terrifying creature known as the Predator. Throughout the film, Naru’s trusty dog Sarii, played by a very good girl named Coco, is by her side.
During an August 2022 interview with Dexerto, the film’s director Dan Trachtenberg spoke about his decision to include a furry friend in the movie, which takes place in the early 1700s. He explained that he took inspiration from the 1981 dystopian film, “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior,” where Max Rockatansky is accompanied by an unnamed blue-heeler.
“I love having there be this buddy relationship with this creature, with another animal, amidst a Predator film,” said Trachtenberg.
He also noted that the American dingo was not initially going to have a large part.
“We were trying to get Coco out of scenes but the opposite ended up being true, and we ended up including her more – even in some of the action set-pieces, because I just thought it’d be so fun,” stated the “10 Cloverfield Lane” director. “One of the great things about Road Warrior is the way Mad Max uses his doggy, so we wanted to have the same kind of fun in this movie as well.”
In the same interview, Midthunder noted that her furry co-star, who had not been in a film before, was not the most professional on set.
“She was kind of a disaster,” said the actress with a laugh. “She was a little bit of a hot mess – but in a sweet way. She was not a movie dog, she was literally adopted to be in this movie, and she just happened to be very high-energy. She was such a delight to have around, she was so fun and very playful. And then it would be time to do stuff… sometimes she’d do it, sometimes she wouldn’t. But obviously, it all ended up fine, because she was great, and everybody loves her.”
During a behind-the-scenes interview, Midthunder shared her thoughts about starring in a “Predator” movie. The actress, who is a member of the Fort Peck Sioux Tribe, shared that she appreciates the film’s indigenous representation.
“There is no shortage of reasons that having a character like Naru be the action hero in a movie like this is an incredible feat and move. I think having an indigenous female action hero is historic and I think it’s an incredible thing that Dan and 20th Century did to have such a vote of confidence toward indigenous people and indigenous storytelling,” said the 25-year-old.
“Prey” is available to watch on Hulu and Disney+.
Thumbnail Photo Credit: @ambermidthunder