The Predator franchise has gone through a lot over the years. It undoubtedly started strong, with its first film, Predator, featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger (the same movie that nearly starred Jean-Claude Van Damme) and grossing over $98 million at the box office (against an estimated budget of $18 million). Not to mention, the 1987 movie also earned an Oscar nod for its impressive visual effects.Sadly, Predator 2 didn’t fare as well, along with all the Alien vs. Predator movies that have been released over the years. And just when everybody thought that the franchise is done, Hulu brought it back to life with the recent movie Prey.Set 300 years ago in the Comanche Nation, the film tells the origin story of the first Predator in the world. And while Schwarzenegger has been gone from the franchise for years, it seems it found a new star in Dakota Beavers who plays a supporting role to Amber Midthunder’s Naru.
First-Time Actor Dakota Beavers Was Told To Audition For A ‘Small Part’ In A Film
Prior to Prey, Beavers never had any acting experience. That said, he’s not exactly new to the entertainment scene, having performed with his family band Sheridan Hill for years.
“I really enjoy it,” Beavers once said of sharing the stage with his dad Lance and brother Dylan. “I always thought it was a good way to keep humble, because there's always a family member nearby to give you a good whack when you step out of line.”
Dakota Finally Caught On That He Was Auditioning For A Predator Movie
Now, it’s unclear if Beavers was actively auditioning for roles but it seems like Prey came to him out of the blue.
“I’d gotten an email from a casting agent, and she said, ‘Hey, I want you to audition for this small part in this movie,’” he recalled. “And she didn’t tell me what it was. She didn’t tell me what the part was. I did a self-tape and then, and a Zoom audition.”
Eventually, however, Beavers found out what the film was. “I did another one, and I had a feeling. I saw this line on the sides that said, ‘Click, click, click, click, click, click,’” he continued.
“And I was like, “I wonder if this is a Predator movie. I ended up in L.A. doing an in-person audition, and it was at that point, I realized, ‘Wow, this is actually a pretty big deal.’”
By then, director Dan Trachtenberg had already seen a lot of actors for the part. Undeterred, however, Beavers just gave it his all and hoped for the best.
“Obviously, I probably wasn’t the first choice, seeing as I’d never been in a movie before, so I just got the sides. And I was like, ‘Well, I’ll do my best. I’m going to do my thing,’” Beavers recalled.
“And then for some reason, Dan saw something in me that he liked. And so they brought me over to L.A. and the rest is history, I guess.”
For Dakota Beavers, Working On Prey Has Been ‘Mountains Of Surprises’
Anytime a movie is set for release, no one knows exactly how well it would perform and Beavers was told to brace himself either way. “You never really know how it's going to be whenever you're making it. I talk to the crew, and they're like, ‘If the movie's good or if the movie's bad, you did your job,’” he recalled.
“I'm like, ‘Oh dang, okay.’ Because they've worked on so many projects, some of which are good and some of which are bad.”
Since Prey premiered on Hulu though, it has become the streamer’s most watched premiere so far (although the actual viewership numbers weren’t disclosed). As Beavers himself noticed, “The reception has been so good and so big and so crazy.”
Newfound Hulu Fame Gave Dakota A New Fan Following
For the Hollywood newcomer, the Hulu hit also changed his life big time. For starters, Beavers’ popularity exploded nearly overnight.
“I went from having, like, 500 followers, to 13,000 in a couple days,” the actor said. And it seems, that’s just the beginning.
“The movie’s only been out a couple days. So, it's just like mountains of surprises for me,” Beavers added. “And then I hear it's the biggest premiere on Hulu and I’m like dang man.”
Meanwhile, following his epic big screen debut, Beavers already seems to have a good idea of what he wants to do next.
“I would love to pursue both music and acting simultaneously, because I feel like they work together,” Beavers explained. “I would love to simultaneously release music while continuing to do as good—and as big—movies as I can, because I've always wanted to act and to do this. I’d like to do ‘em both.”
As for a future Prey sequel, Hulu hasn’t said anything just yet. Based on the reception that Prey received though, it might seem a no-brainer to greenlight Prey 2.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiuoaddnsBuvNGem5qsn6d6sb7EsmSmp6aesm6u0airoZ2iYrGit86tmGaalZbDpr7SaA%3D%3D