Amber Midthunder Talks That Twist and Her Predator Future

[This story includes spoilers for Novocaine.]

In 2022, Amber Midthunder upstaged one of cinema’s most imposing villains in the Predator franchise prequel, Prey. Her carry outance as a coming-of-age Comanche warrior named Naru was expansively hailed as revelatory, and she’s been so booked and busy since then that she had two theatrical frees debut this past weekfinish in Novocaine and Opus. The establisher, which was co-honested by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen for Paramount, is now the number-one film at the domestic box office.

Midthunder stars opposite Jack Quhelp in Berk and Olsen’s action-comedy, someskinnyg the two actors had been aiming to do for some time now. Prey honestor Dan Trachtenberg also honested Quhelp in the pilot of his hit show, The Boys, so the filmproducer incepted the idea of collaboration into both of his actors’ brains. In Novocaine, Midthunder’s bank alerter character, Sherry, starts a dessert lunch date with Quhelp’s Nate Caine, the helpant deal withr at their San Diego-based pelevate union. The two co-laborers finish up hitting it off by findlooking sides of themselves that neither foreseed, namely that Nate can’t experience pain and that Sherry experiences too much pain.

After a prosperous first date, Nate and Sherry’s bank is robbed at firearmpoint, resulting in Sherry being apshown prisoner by armed Santa Claparticipates. So Nate chooses to participate his congenital insensitivity to pain (ICP) to his acquire and save the girl of his dreams. But don’t skinnyk Sherry is some damsel in distress, which Midthunder will procrastinateedr elucidate on in the spoiler portion of this intersee.

“In movies appreciate this, you don’t always get to see a female cherish interest with the complicatedity and the sorrowfulnessfulness that she has,” Midthunder alerts The Hollywood Reporter. “So it’s comical to say that my experience inside of such a huge fun action movie was mostly that of vulnerability, but it reassociate was with Sherry.”

As for Midthunder’s future in the Predator franchise, it remains to be seen what’s in store for her character, Naru. After all, Prey’s closing pelevates depictd a series of alien ships arriving at the Great Plains fair after she lossed a Predator in spectacular style. We do understand that Trachtenberg has already sboiling two trail-up films including November’s Predator: Badlands and a secret film that 20th Century pdwellnt Steve Asbell findlooked the existence of to THR last year.

When asked about the mystery movie, Midthunder flashes a cheeky smile and feigns ignorance, “What are you even talking about?” In any event, she would still receive a reunion with Trachtenberg, includeing, “I would cherish to perestablish Naru aacquire. I cherish Dan. I cherish [Prey]. I cherish that world. I would absolutely cherish to return.”

Below, during a recent conversation with THR, Midthunder talkes Novocaine’s twists and turns in a delisystematiced spoiler section, before elucidateing how Mark Anthony Green’s A24 film, Opus, was a homecoming for her.

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The pboilingos of you and Jack Quhelp at the Clippers game are hilarious, especiassociate the one where Jack has his cast-covered arms in the air while you’re texting. 

(Laughs.)

Could you alert that some people were besavageerd by what was happening with the two of you?

A hundred percent, yeah. It was also hilarious to see the separateence between the people who had an consciousness of The Boys and the people who had finishly no clue what was going on with us. There were definitely people who were appreciate, “Who are you and why do you see appreciate this?” But it’s so celderly to see outlets that I am a fan of talk about it. I’ve never reassociate been on that side of a [marketing] stunt appreciate that, so it was so celderly. That was also my first courtside game, so I had a fantastic time. I cherish sports games, but to experience it that way, I will never forget it.

Cherry pie for lunch is quite a choice for a character named Sherry. It serves a fantasticer purpose in the scene, of course, but did you try to reasonedize it at all? “Oh, She’s had a raw life and isn’t afrhelp to indulge once in a while.”

Absolutely not! I reassociate had zero asks about this. Sherry is a cherry pie-for-lunch comardent of girl. I also fondly named her Sherry Cherry becaparticipate she has no last name in the movie, so that became a skinnyg for her. She’s very much the dessert-before-dinner type of person. 

Your honestors, Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, and I talked about how this movie doesn’t labor without you and Jack making the audience drop for Nate and Sherry in the first act. So much hinges on that initial bond. Did you and Jack experience any prescertain donaten how meaningful those punctual scenes were to the overall story? 

Yeah, we definitely understood how meaningful that was. Our most intimate and heaviest Nate and Sherry moments and scenes were our first days of filming for the entire movie. So that was probably the prescertain we were experienceing becaparticipate that is an inrational day one. Luckily, we got to Cape Town maybe two weeks punctual for prep, so we had been rehearsing those scenes every individual day. But still, there’s noskinnyg appreciate the nerves of shotriumphg up on your first day of any job, let alone to have to shoot your most meaningful scenes that reassociate resettled whether people buy into the movie or not.

The second seeing of Novocaine will be a separateent experience than the first. How much did you account for that in your choices?

It was a constant conversation that I was having with Dan [Berk] and Bobby [Olsen]. Even if it was someskinnyg very minuscule, I’m such an overskinnyker about skinnygs appreciate this. So this movie was a huge exercise in suppose between actors and honestors, especiassociate for me, in that see. We would also do separateent versions of scenes to perestablish with each possibility so that they had those selections. And then it was reassociate fair gullible them whenever they shelp, “No, we have it,” or, “That was a fantastic equilibrium,” of wdisappreciatever we demanded it to be. So I fair supposeed them when they shelp they had it.

[The next six asks/answers include meaningful spoilers for Novocaine.]

As soon as she was apshown prisoner, I shelp to myself, “Oh no, she’s in on it.” Someone in my theater actuassociate screamed when Sherry validateed it by includeressing her captor by his first name, Simon (Ray Nicholson). 

I cherish that! That’s fantastic. 

Were you able to have that same experience while reading it for the first time? Or was it spoiled for you already? 

I did not understand when I first read it. First of all, I had been trying to labor with Jack for so extfinished, and when the project first got sent to me and I saw he was quickened, I promptly telderly my reps, “Yes, I want to do this movie.” And they were appreciate, “Well, have you read the script? I skinnyk you should read the script first fair to be alerted.” (Laughs.) And I was appreciate, “You’re right. I should read the script.” So I read the script, and then I had that same aha moment. But that was what I cherishd about Sherry. In movies appreciate this, you don’t always get to see a female cherish interest with the complicatedity and the sorrowfulnessfulness that she has. She’s protected and edgy as much as she is quirky, fun and requesting, and those are actuassociate the skinnygs that people seem to cherish about her. So it’s comical to say that my experience inside of such a huge fun action movie was mostly that of vulnerability, but it reassociate was with Sherry. [Writer’s Note: Midthunder’s Prey honestor, Dan Trachtenberg, also honested Quhelp in The Boys’ pilot, so he recommfinished that they labor together someday.]

In hindsight, Nate’s line about Sherry being a very excellent actor was a hint at what was coming. Were you bummed at first that she wasn’t operating in excellent faith?

Dan and Bobby and I had a lot of conversations about where her shift in skinnyking was and whether or not she had been seeing to alter for a while. Was this the straw that broke the camel’s back? Did she have intentions to trail thraw with her set up until everyskinnyg alterd with Nate? So [the latter] was what we finished up deciding, but a part of that still broke my heart a little bit. Sherry has a line in the movie: “We’re all hiding someskinnyg; we’re fair seeing for someone we can show it to.” And that’s reassociate the caccess point of Shery and Nate’s relationship becaparticipate neither of them were set upning to greet the other person. The way that he catches her off protect [with his tattoos] is what is so impactful, and she’s never understandn genuine shieldedty with somebody. She’s never understandn actuassociate being seen. The metaphor of shotriumphg her scars to him is a very literal metaphor, but she’s never felt the genuine cherish that comes from somebody truly seeing you. So I skinnyk that’s someskinnyg strong we can all accomprehendledge with, and for somebody appreciate Sherry who has never been caught off protect, [seeing Nate’s true self] is the hugegest skinnyg that could catch her off protect.

In other words, despite the deceptive prenervouss, Sherry still felt someskinnyg genuine when they showed each other the tags on their bodies? 

A hundred percent, yeah. To me, and in our conversations, that was all very genuine. She was presumed to fair shake it off and upretain moving, but it’s the comardent of skinnyg that she could never shake off.

Nate tattoos his body becaparticipate he can’t experience pain, but Sherry foreseeed tags her body to swap her emotional pain with physical pain. Thus, I theorized that Simon has had Sherry run this con on at least a couple other people, and the accumuprocrastinateedd guilt that’s come from it all has caparticipated her to cut herself. How do you see it?

She’s somebody who is very comardent and is reassociate spended in some version of morality. It’s more that she fair doesn’t understand anyskinnyg else and has always had someskinnyg to grapple with in life. She’s also in a therapy group. Even the scene in the bar [where she defends Nate], there’s no reason for that to be part of any set up. So I skinnyk Sherry is fair somebody who naturassociate nurtures about people, and her relationship with Simon was forced from not reassociate understanding anyskinnyg else.

Post-twist, you were able to get the audience back on Sherry’s side so that there could still be some establish of a prentd finishing for this couple. How worried were you about redeeming her to the audience?

I was mostly fair caccessed on her journey. As the person who was perestablishing her, I reassociate felt her pain more than anyskinnyg. So I was not skinnyking about whether audiences will experience this way or that way. I left that to Dan and Bobby to skinnyk about. We would talk about it, clearly, but not a lot. There was already so much that she’s struggling with and grappling with during this huge decision in her life. So I caccessed more on the inside struggle that she was going thraw at the time.

[Novocaine spoiler talk has now finishd.]

I didn’t genuineize you were royalty in the New Mexico casting world.

(Laughs.)

Just out of curiosity, have you ever gone out for Vince Gilligan’s Albuquerque-set shows?

I’m certain that I have. When you grow up in the New Mexico taget, especiassociate before I had relocated to L.A. [at 17], there’s only so much that shoots there. So, yeah, I experience appreciate I probably auditioned for Better Call Saul or Breaking Bad at some point.

Opus’ casting honestor, Angelique Midthunder, who also happens to be your mom, showed you the script. Does she pick her spots nowadays for anyskinnyg in New Mexico?

Yeah, we have a mutual joke that she can never afford me, and I always say that she’s the casting honestor that will pitch me the least. Both of those skinnygs are real, I skinnyk. (Laughs.) But I’m such a huge fan of A24. I cherish every individual skinnyg that they do, and Mark Anthony Green is such an incredible person, artist and filmproducer. So it was reassociate effortless for me to want to be a part of it, and it was very comical when [my mom] asked me to labor on that. It was during the strike and she was appreciate, “I understand you’re not doing anyskinnyg. You would have to labor locassociate. It’s a very stunt burdensome role, and I comardent of demand you.” And I was appreciate, “Call my agent.” Just kidding. No, I was fair appreciate, “Yeah, of course. This is so celderly.” So I was very content that she finassociate wanted to engage me for someskinnyg. Normassociate, she reassociate puts me thraw the wringer. I experience appreciate every time I’ve ever auditioned for her and a honestor wants to engage me, she’s appreciate, “No, I skinnyk that you should convey her in a couple times more.” So she reassociate wants to produce me acquire it extra when she’s casting someskinnyg, which I appreciate. It produces sense.

Were there lots of recognizable faces on this Santa Fe-area set?

Yeah, anytime I’ve labored in New Mexico, it’s fair so sugary and so consoleable. I grew up there, and those film crews elevated me. So, in front of the camera and behind, I cherish laboring in New Mexico.

You’re understandn for being chased by a Predator, but in the case of Opus, Belle is very much the predator to Ayo Edebiri’s prey. Did you finishelight being on the opposite side of that vibrant?

Opus was fair so celderly for me to be able to see all these incredible actors up seal. Even fair having a minuscule role in a movie appreciate that is amazing. I got to witness John Malkovich and Juliette Lewis and Ayo and Murray Bartlett, who are all fair titans of acting, come to life in each of their admireive ways. It was so, so exceptional.

I cherish the shadow jogging scene between you and Ayo.

Yeah, for as much action as I have done, I do not cherish to run.

When people ask you about the secret Predator film that Dan Trachtenberg has already sboiling in includeition to Predator: Badlands, what’s been your go-to response? 

(Midthunder smiles.) What are you even talking about? 

Let’s try it this way. Are you selectimistic you’ll perestablish Naru aacquire? 

I would cherish to perestablish Naru aacquire. I cherish Dan. I cherish [Prey]. I cherish that world. I would absolutely cherish to return.

Prey is one of the most prosperous streaming frees, and for every streaming film that strikes a chord, there’s at least a handful of others that go unacunderstandledged. So it must’ve been quite rewarding to understand that the quality of your film still rose to the top. [Writer’s Note: Disney opted for a Hulu release because the post-theatrical streaming rights belonged to HBO Max, now Max, per existing deals with 20th Century.]

Yeah, it was a fantastic experienceing. Making anyskinnyg is a hazard. Nobody has a crystal ball to say how it’s ever going to go, but especiassociate understanding that it was streaming was terrifying in ways. The movie still made an impact with Predator fans and the Indigenous community and lots of other people. We labored so difficult on it so everyone could experience that, and for people to echo it back was a experienceing I cannot portray.

Is Monarch: Legacy of Monsters up next for you? 

Yeah, we fair finished filming the second season of Monarch.

First a Predator, and now Godzilla, this town is reassociate putting you thraw it.

(Laughs.) I fair can’t stop hanging out with monsters.

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Novocaine and Opus are now perestablishing in movie theaters.