Prey Movie's Star Learned She Was Cast With An Iconic Predator Line

Before being cast as Naru, Midthunder was best known for her roles in The Ice Road and The Marksman alongside Liam Neeson, and for her role on Roswell, New Mexico. Midthunder's casting fits with Trachtenberg's greater commitment for the film, which was to feature only Native American actors in the Comanche roles. Naru, however, is far different from the burly male protagonists of past Predator films, including Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch. Although Schwarzenegger would not return for any subsequent Predator films, his highly-trained commando character remains one of the most iconic parts of the franchise, due in part to his many memorable lines.

In a new interview with The Empire Film Podcast, Midthunder explains that Trachtenberg actually tried to use one of Schwarzenegger's iconic Predator lines to tell her she got the part of Naru. However, it didn't quite pan out the way Trachtenberg wanted it to. 

“I got a call from a random number and it was Dan [Trachtenberg] and I was like, ‘Oh, this is either going to go good or bad.’ And then he was like, ‘If you had to get somewhere by air and you couldn’t go by land, sea, or legs, what would you do’? I said hang glider, and he was like, ‘No, it has an engine.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, a hot air balloon.’ And he was like, ‘No, you’re supposed to say “Get to the chopper!” Because you’re going to be Arnold.' And I was like ‘Ugh, I failed’ but then I was like ‘Oh!’ So, not quite what he had in mind. Not, like, the dream scenario of how that would go. But that was how he told me.”

Schwarzenegger famously yells "Get to the chopper!" to his civilian companion during the original Predator movie as the titular alien decimates his elite squad of commandos. The line joins the likes of "I'll be back" from The Terminator as one of the most recognizable lines of dialogue of the actor's long career. Despite the longevity of the line and its continued presence in popular culture, however, it's understandable that Midthunder didn't at first understand what Trachtenberg was getting at with his mysterious question.

Prey features a very different tone than the original Predator and relatively little dialogue in comparison, but Midthunder certainly proves herself a worthy Schwarzenegger successor in the film. Although Schwarzenegger ultimately doesn't return to the franchise after Predator, Prey's success could potentially mean that Midthunder isn't done with her role as Naru just yet. While the manner in which she was informed she got the leading role in Prey was slightly confusing, her casting was ultimately an excellent choice for the film and for the franchise.