‘Prey’ Cast: Who Is Amber Midthunder?
Amber Midthunder leads the cast of excellent actors in the sci-fi film Prey, now streaming on Hulu. Prey is the fifth installment in the Predator franchise and serves as a prologue to the previous four movies. The first in the series is the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger classic.
Some viewers might recognize Midthunder from her TV and film roles over the past few years. However, for many, Prey was their first exposure to the young actor’s work. The Legion star has worked hard to get to where she is today.
Amber Midthunder’s role in ‘Prey’
Midthunder plays Naru in the Hulu original, which debuted on the streamer this past August 5. The film, directed by Dan Trachtenberg, is a prequel in the Predator series.
Prey is a sci-fi action movie set in the Comanche Nation in 1719. The film follows a young woman, Naru, who has trained herself to become a fearless and skilled warrior.
Naru has grown up in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters of the Great Plains, so when a mysterious threat endangers her tribe, she sets out to find and destroy it. When the prey she hunts turns out to be a highly evolved extraterrestrial warrior with technologically powerful weaponry, a fierce battle erupts to show once and for all who is the predator and who is the prey.
The movie also features Dakota Beavers as Naru’s brother Taabe, Stormee Kipp as Wasape, Julian Black Antelope as Chief Kehetu, Michelle Thrush as Aruka, and Dane DiLiegro as the Predator.
Is Amber Midthunder Native American?
Yes, Amber Midthunder is an Assiniboine Native American and a Fort Peck Sioux Tribes member. The Roswell, New Mexico star was born on the Navajo reservation at Shiprock on Apr. 26, 1997, but spent a good portion of her childhood in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Both of Midthunder’s parents work in the entertainment industry. Her father, actor and stuntman David Midthunder, has appeared in films and TV series such as 1883, Dark Winds, Westworld, Longmire, and Bone Tomahawk. Angelique Midthunder, Amber’s mother, is a casting director, whose credits include the films Captain Fantastic, Rutherford Falls, Reservation Dogs, and Hostiles.
In an interview with Variety, Midthunder discussed what it was like to work on a film in which indigenous people had the leading roles. “It was very surreal. I get chills thinking about it,” she said. “It just became so transcendent and kind of very real. Seeing this and thinking about what we were accomplishing was just amazing.”
The actor’s movie and TV roles before ‘Prey’
According to IMDb, Amber Midthunder’s first film appearance was in 2001’s The Homecoming of Jimmy Whitecloud. She began appearing more consistently in movies around 2015, after appearing in a few supporting roles in films such as Sunshine Cleaning, Swing Vote, and Not Forgotten in the late 2000s.
Since then, she has acted in several films and has played roles like Nikki in Spare Parts, Vernon Teller in Hell or High Water, and Albee in The Wheel. In addition, Midthunder starred in several successful TV shows before her breakout role in Prey. She played Lana Cleary in Banshee, Kayla in The Originals, Kerry Loudermilk in Legion, and Rosa Ortecho in Roswell, New Mexico.
Midthunder is an impressive actor with great potential. Fortunately, fans won’t have to wait long to see more of the Prey star. She’ll play Princess Yue in the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender series, expected to premiere in 2023 on Netflix. In the meantime, fans can follow her on Instagram at @ambermidthunder.
