Peter Berg didn’t rely on lengthy descriptions when envisioning American Primeval. Instead of a script or storyboard, he presented writer Mark L. Smith—renowned for The Revenant—with a single item: a Stiletto ice axe. “Can we make this into a show?” Berg asked, letting the prop speak for itself. Smith, intrigued, readily agreed. Reflecting on their creative vision, Berg says, “We wanted to create a series that truly embraced the elements.”
That vision led them to an intense, 145-day shoot in New Mexico’s remote mountains. “We filmed at high altitudes, battling harsh weather, alongside real wolves, bears, and snakes,” Berg recalls. “A lot of productions would use green screens or indoor sets, but we were all committed to avoiding that. It meant waking up at four in the morning, driving over an hour from Santa Fe to different locations—sometimes on Native reservations—and setting up in the pitch-dark, freezing conditions.”
The rigorous shoot required cast members to be prepared both physically and mentally. “Are you in shape? Are your knees and back holding up?” Berg would ask. The actors underwent a month-long “cowboy camp” to master horseback riding in snowy conditions. Still, injuries happened; Taylor Kitsch broke his foot early on, and for six weeks, he was filming in a boot. Meanwhile, Betty Gilpin faced her own challenges, acting out intense horseback scenes while tightly laced into a corset. She recalls, “When any of the guys would complain about discomfort, I’d just glare at them. My body feels rearranged in ways that may never go back.”
With American Primeval, Berg and his team deliver a raw, immersive Western experience—true to both nature’s beauty and its brutality.