How Billie Eilish and “Breaking Bad” Inspired “Prey” by Amber Midthunder
During the production of “Prey,” the director and lead actor turned to some shocking pop culture staples for inspiration, resulting in the movie becoming the most successful debut on Hulu to date (breaking the record previously held by “The Kardashians”).
According to Amber Midthunder, who stars in the prequel to the Predator franchise – which follows the arrival of the seminal alien on Earth – “Billie Eilish’s music was true “a very big part of this film for me in a really huge way”
Midthunder plays Naru, a young Comanche warrior who is sent on a mission to find the hunter. As for her feelings about Billie Eilish, she says that she is “an enormous fan of hers.”. In fact, the music of Eilish, at the time, turned out to be one of the methods by which I gained my way.
How Billie Eilish and “Breaking Bad” Inspired “Prey” by Amber Midthunder
She describes her training process as consisting of “learning Comanche people, preparing physically, and listening to ‘All the Good Girls Go to Hell,’” a song on Eilish’s debut album, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Also, Trachtenberg took inspiration from a notable figure within the popular culture zeitgeist – Walter White, a leading character in the popular television show Breaking Bad. [Trachtenberg] stated today that [he] thought so much about [Breaking Bad] while he was making this film,” Midthunder says, adding that the director elaborated on how “there is some kind of link between my character and Walter White during the filming process.”
At first, I have been amazed, I was like, ‘I have never heard that before,’” she adds with a smile.
Naru is, of course, a far cry from a science instructor turned drug kingpin, though as the film progresses, she begins to be underestimated and is attempting to prove herself – and things are getting a bit different by the end of the film, to be honest.
Midthunder’s performance in “Prey” has been praised for its star-making abilities, as nicely as for its striking action sequences and the fact that it has a dub in only Comanche, making it the first film to offer such a dub option.
Moreover, it was also an opportunity for Midthunder, a member of the Fort Peck Sioux Tribe, to “breathe new life into stereotypes about Indigenous people” by making the film.
As I started thinking about it more, I discovered a lot of people are unaware of this, such as, “Oh, Native people are really very well saved, or actually very clever, or definitely very expert, or really very strategic,” not the things you typically see, which is either hyper-spiritual or extremely violent.” It is very common for us to encounter characters who are full of feelings and wishes, as well as a wide range of personalities and relationships.