Netflix‘s gripping new western American Primeval follows a handful of “lucky” survivors of the harrowing 1857 Mountain Meadows massacre. While most of the action follows east coast single mom Sara Rowell (Betty Gilpin), no less fascinating is the journey that young Mormon bride Abish Pratt (Saura Lightfoot-Leon) undertakes alongside the defiant Shoshone warrior Red Feather (Derek Hinkey).
**Spoilers for American Primeval, now streaming on Netflix**
After being given over to Paiute as a hostage, she finds herself on the verge of then being murdered by a warrior of a rival Indigenous tribe, the Shoshone. While her fellow Mormon ladies sob and beg and plead for their lives before having their throats slit, Abish coldly presents her neck to her would-be killer. It’s an act of bravery that catches the eye of Red Feather. He spares Abish, abducting her (though not assaulting her), thereby changing the trajectory of her life forever.
Abish initially resists her new life with the Shoshone, attempting to escape, until finally arriving with the larger camp, led by Red Feather’s wise and kind mother, Winter Bird (Irene Bedard). As Abish begins to witness more of the Shoshone’s lifestyle, contrasted with the one she came from, she begins to develop greater loyalty to these native peoples than perhaps her own. When she finally pieces together that it was her fellow Mormons themselves who annihilated the settlers at the Mountain Meadows massacre, she escapes to the Shoshone.
The final episode of American Primeval features the eventual, bloody showdown between the Mormon Nauvoo Legion and Red Feather’s tribe. Decider spoke to American Primeval stars Saura Lightfoot-Leon and Derek Hinkey about what made Red Feather save Abish, what it was like for their characters to finally communicate through a translator, and why they’re happy their characters’ intimacy never included a single kiss…
DECIDER: I am obsessed with how your relationship develops over the six episodes of American Primeval. Derek, my first question for is why did Red Feather save Abish? What about her struck him as worth saving and why was he so fond of her?
DEREK HINKEY: Big respect. I think he’s seen that, in especially in this time and in my warrior culture, she was defiant. She was brave, you know? He’s seen that, recognized that and was intrigued by it. But he really, really, really respected that.
And, Saura, where do you think that that bravery came from in that moment where all the other women are crying and sobbing? Abish just defiantly gives up and exposes her neck. Where do you think that came from in her?
SAURA LIGHTFOOT-LEON: Probably from the generations of women she was growing up with, I’d say. I think you’re either born with it or not. Sometimes the way you’re brought up, it can influence you, but I think for her, it was probably the women, the legacy.
One of the most fascinating scenes between your two characters is when you finally have a translator helping you guys facilitate a conversation, a debate about what should come next for both of your peoples. What was it like to sort of finally have that very interesting game of telephone between the two characters?
LIGHTFOOT-LEON: Go for it, Derek.
HINKEY: Right off the bat meeting Saura, there was a connection there, you know? A big respect. So in reality, it felt like we kind of put a blanket on that [connection] until that point. Then when that point happened, it was emotional for me. You know, it’s like it was reacting to Saura. You know, she’s just a phenomenal actress, and, for me, it was just reading her and reading that energy. It just flowed.
LIGHTFOOT-LEON: That’s really sweet. Yeah, I would say that these characters, it doesn’t feel like they’re not communicating before the interview. Because I always say, like, it’s the bit of the yin and yang. There’s a soul connection there between the two and they dance around each other. Like, one exists because of the other and they push and pull [each other].
So I think this communication that you finally get to experience with them, it’s a buildup. It’s like it’s constantly there. The energy’s going [up and up]. But it’s also a meeting of two minds that have this connection. So it was it was an amazing scene to shoot.
Speaking of their like, “soul connection,” I was greatly moved in the last episode, the scene where Red Feather gives the warpaint to Abish and calls her “Stone Woman,” and they have that embrace. I may have been kind of rooting for a kiss — I’m not going to lie — but where did you guys see that relationship develop? Did you think that there would have been a romance had they survived?
LIGHTFOOT-LEON: We spoke about this, didn’t we, Derek? Because we definitely spoke about it with [director and EP] Pete [Berg]. One of the things I loved about this relationship is that nothing happens. I mean, “nothing” in a romantic sense. Their intimacy doesn’t need to exist in a romantic sense. It’s a deeper level here and I think they both have huge respect for each other and that’s what you see. And I loved it because it doesn’t, you know, that’s what it is. You don’t need to put more to it.
HINKEY: Yeah, the same exact thing. No words could be spoken. It was a silent devotion.
Before I go, I have to ask, what was it like working with the legendary Irene Bedard? Because I grew up idolizing her. What was it like to work with her onscreen?
LIGHTFOOT-LEON: She’s amazing. When we met, she’s so generous, like being there on set. Of course, she’s a legend, but also, she’s a real person. And I think that’s the best, when you get to meet people and you see the person there and the warmth. Yeah. She’s a really humble, generous person.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
The post ‘American Primeval’ Stars Saura Lightfoot-Leon and Derek Hinkey Are Glad Abish and Red Feather Never Kissed: “There’s a Soul Connection There Between the Two” appeared first on Decider.
