Isaac Reed is a broken man in mourning. His family murdered by thieves, he is on a self-destructive path of rage against the world. He picks fights with anything that comes before him on a mission to die the “right way” and return to his wife and son in the next life. “When our story begins, you’re meeting a man at his lowest state,” Kitsch told Netflix.

Longtime friends with Kitsch after four projects together (Friday Night Lights, Battleship, Lone Survivor, and Painkiller), Berg called him saying, “I have the next project for us.” 

“That happens few and far between,” said Kitsch, reflecting on his career. Smith told Netflix that Isaac was also the first role they knew they were going to cast in the series. “There is no one that could have portrayed Isaac better than Taylor Kitsch,” he said.

Both Berg and Newman praise Kitsch as a rock and partner on the show. “He really went all in,” Newman tells Tudum. “He disappeared with a bucket into the wilderness.” 

Friday Night Lights, Painkiller, 21 Bridges, Battleship

Fort Bridger is an intense place, but Sara Rowell never loses her composure and grace. A woman on the run from a violent past, she is a survivor seeking a guide across the frontier for her and her son, Devin. Berg sees Gilpin’s Sara as “our guide through this world,” he said. “At the very core, if you really ask me what American Primeval is about, it’s about a woman trying to keep her son alive and having to move through some very dangerous territory to do that.”

To prepare, Gilpin read books like Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre to learn about women of that time and did some writing about who she thought Sara was. “A lot of times you feel it’s your job as the actress to be the shiny illusion while everyone else gets to be grumbly and real,” said Gilpin of the part. “I got to be very grumbly and real in this, fake snot and all.”

Kitsch feels lucky to have had Gilpin as a scene partner. “We had a beautiful bond, and we still chat and joke and rip each other,” he said. “Betty is incredibly talented, and I’d love to work with her again.”

Gaslit, GLOW, Nurse Jackie, Mrs. Davis

Jacob Pratt is a traditional Mormon man making his way from Illinois to Utah, where Brigham Young is setting up what will become Salt Lake City. As the leader of a small party of fellow Mormons, including his new wife Abish, Jacob is trying to escape the violent persecution Mormons are experiencing back east. 

For the role, DeHaan learned how to ride a horse — “a cool old-school actor skill to have,” he told Netflix and read a book about the Mountain Meadows Massacre for context. “It was a very different time for Mormons than it is today, so I wanted to mainly understand what it meant to want to escape and be safe,” he said.

“Dane was very dedicated like Betty Gilpin, and just a very unique vibe,” said Berg. “It’s hard to anticipate what he’s going to do, and I don’t know that he knows until it’s happening.”

Oppenheimer, The Staircase, Lisey’s Story, The Stranger

Contrary to her religious beliefs, this Mormon woman isn’t content to be seen as the property of her husband, Jacob. She has been forced into a marriage that she does not want and is struggling to accept. 

“You meet Abish as Jacob Pratt’s wife, having been forced to flee for her life and abandoning everything she knows in search of a new home,” Lightfoot-Leon told Netflix.

At the first table read of the scripts, writer Smith was delighted that Lightfoot-Leon’s concept of the character was completely different from the one in his head, for the better. “She found so many layers to Abish’s character that I’d never imagined.”

Hoard, Masters of the Air, The Agency

Red Feather is a fierce Shoshone warrior who has made the decision to defend his people by fighting back against those who have attacked his Nation. Hinkey grew up on a reservation in Northern Nevada, and is a direct descendant of War Chief Numaga, son of Chief Winnemucca, son of Chief Truckee, a Paiute-Shoshone. “Red Feather is in my blood and DNA,” said Hinkey. “It’s not acting; my body’s been here before.”

Every creative on the series commends Hinkey for his contributions to authentically portraying a warrior like Red Feather. “Derek, in many ways, was another rock of our show, and I can’t say enough about how much integrity this man has,” said Berg. 

The three war paint lines on his chin, for example, came straight from Hinkey and represent how he’s always at war with himself and the world. “It was great that they asked me, [and] it wasn’t just like, ‘Hey, we’re going to paint your face,’ ” he said. “It meant something.”

Walker: Independence, Horizon

This Mormon man leads the Nauvoo Legion, a militia of men who don’t possess the moral code they claim they do. He’s experienced much humiliation and violence from anti-Mormon Americans, and has decided to fight back.

Mare of Easttown, The Morning Show, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone

Cutter is a mountain man, bounty hunter, and trapper with a keen eye for making a dollar. It’s all business with Cutter, never personal. 

“Jai’s just a big, lovable, funny, clever bear of a man who was able to do a great job of playing an antagonist without ever becoming a bad guy,” said Berg. Arguably, Cutter is a villain in the series. But Berg said his redeemable qualities are all a credit to Courtney. “Cutter’s not necessarily the most likable guy, Jai is.”

Kaleidoscope, The Suicide Squad, Stateless, Divergent

Sara’s son Devin is a sensitive soul with a curious mind. Mirroring Devin and Isaac’s relationship in the show, Mota’s spirit endeared him to his co-star Kitsch. “You could see him growing in confidence throughout the show,” said Kitsch. “I’m just so proud of him. It was not an easy shoot, and I saw Preston growing up in front of me.” 

Berg enjoyed watching Mota and his co-star Shawnee Pourier, who plays Two Moons, grow and find their craft alongside Gilpin and Kitsch in the series. “They were so enthusiastic, innocent, and sweet, and just wanted to do a good job,” said Berg. “And because they were with Betty and Taylor, they had two really good role models.”

Asteroid City

After fleeing her Shoshone village, the strong-willed Two Moons is determined to survive at all costs. She finds safety with Sara and Devin. “It’s like Devin’s her little brother, and Sara’s a mother figure towards her,” Pourier told Netflix. “She learns how to laugh, play, and love.”

American Primeval is Pourier’s biggest project to date. Since Two Moons doesn’t speak in the series, she learned sign language from Donald Chris Yellow Eagle. “He’s just another guy from the rez, and I grew up on the rez,” said Pourier. “He was like my uncle, my Lekší, that’s how we say it in Lakota.” Kitsch was impressed by her investment in learning to sign. “Shawnee is just a beautiful soul,” he said. “She won’t tell you, but she’s very sensitive, and I think that’s what brings Two Moons to life.”

Stranger Things, Dark Winds

The grizzled realist runs his namesake fort, a popular stopping point for settlers and tappers. A true mountain man pioneer, he has built Fort Bridger into a small city on the edge of civilization. 

Bridger is caught in the middle of warring factions of Natives, Mormons, and the United States government. He knows the violence in his area is destined to boil over and that the days of traditional mountain man life are coming to an end. “I have to say, Shea Whigham, in my opinion, just really steals the show as Jim Bridger,” said Kitsch. “He makes Fort Bridger come alive.”

Joker, Boardwalk Empire

Brigham Young is the leader of the Mormon Church and a man who will do whatever it takes to secure the survival of his persecuted followers — including using his Mormon army, the Nauvoo Legion, to meet violence with violence. Berg would call Kim Coates “Governor Young” on set. “I don’t think I ever talked to Kim as Kim,” said Berg of Coates’ approach to his performance. “It was only as Brigham Young, the entire shoot.” 

For his part, Coates considered Berg’s call to play the historical figure “the offer of a lifetime,” he previously told Tudum. “I’d long wanted to work with [director] Pete Berg. I knew how difficult it was going to be, inhabiting this true historical figure.”

Sons of Anarchy, Godless, Bad Blood, Goon

Captain Dellinger is a disillusioned captain in the United States Army who’s responsible for keeping the peace in a very lawless land. He’s contending with multiple warring Native tribes, and the Nauvoo Legion Mormon army, led by Brigham Young. Once an idealistic West Point cadet, Dellinger has become tired and cynical while struggling to stop the violence constantly surrounding him.

Raising Hope, Marriage Story, Monsters at Work

Tilly is one of Cutter’s trappers. He’s a nasty, dangerous man who loves being feared and isn’t afraid to kill.

American Horror Story, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

This young man helps out around Fort Bridger and serves as Jim Bridger’s right hand.

Devotion, Charmed

Winter Bird is the leader of the Shoshone Tribe and Red Feather’s mother. Desperate to find a way to peace with the American government, she is a woman fighting for the survival of the Northwest Band of the Shoshone Nation and a way of life under threat.

Derek Hinkey, who plays her son Red Feather, grew up watching Bedard and found working with her to be surreal. “Our Native communities are really small and there aren’t many roles for us out there, especially in the past,” he said. “Doing a scene with her, you don’t really think about it until you're in the moment and then it’s done. You’re driving home and you’re like, ‘Man, you just rocked with one of the best in the world.’ ”

Pocahontas, Smoke Signals, The Green Veil, Alaska Daily

Wild Bill Hickman is a senior officer in the Nauvoo Legion who, like Wolsey, has decided that enough is enough and will follow Brigham Young's orders — to the death, if so required.

The Dead Don’t Hurt, Waco: The Aftermath, Joe Pickett, Stranger Things: The First Shadow