Beloved Action Star Takes on Yosemite's Dark Side in His Most Ambitious Role Yet (Exclusive)originally appeared onParade. Eric Banahas played many intense roles in his decades-long career, but inUntamed,a six-part mystery thriller now streaming on Netflix, he's stepping into wild new territory — literally! Bana stars as Kyle Turner, a special agent for the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch ("the FBI of the park," as he described it), who's called in to investigate a brutal death inside Yosemite. The real mystery, however, isn't just the crime. It's the dark tangle of secrets buried deep within both the park and Turner himself. "My character is what they call an investigative services branch officer," he explained toParade. "When a very serious crime is committed, they come in and conduct the investigation, or, you know, sit above the ranges." Needless to say, the real-world work of park rangers left a strong impression on him. "I managed to speak to some people about about the role, but a lot of our most informative piece of information and relevant was just the way that [the writers] had written the script and the journey of Kyle as a person, and as an agent." The setting isn't just scenic. For Bana, filming in the mountains was more than a professional challenge. It was personal bliss. "That's my favorite place to be," he said. "I much prefer shooting outside than in a studio." He added of the landscape: "You only get one chance to preserve [the parks]," he said. "They're not something any developer can build," noting that seeing what the rangers deal with every day was "really interesting and obviously really important for the preservation and respect of these places." ThoughUntameddives into heavy themes like regret, inner demons, and the unforgiving wild, behind the scenes, things stayed surprisingly upbeat. "When you're working on something really serious, behind the scenes it actually can be quite light," Bana explained. "HavingSam Neill(Jurassic Park) around was always great. He's a great storyteller and has a great sense of humor." And despite the rugged environment, Bana said the cast adjusted well to life in the wilderness — mostly. "Young Lilyhad never ridden a horse before. I think she had two lessons before she was on camera," he revealed, referring to co-starLily Santiago, who plays a former L.A. cop turned rookie ranger. "She just kind of allowed herself to learn on camera… and play up the level of low comfortable to high comfortable towards the end." Bana himself grew to appreciate the depth of his character, even as elements of Turner's past trauma surfaced. "Sometimes you're not even aware of [the connections]," he explained of the parallels between his own life and the character's. "Then during filming, something might reveal itself, and you're like, I now understand why I connect to this person." Untamedis now streaming on Netflix. Beloved Action Star Takes on Yosemite's Dark Side in His Most Ambitious Role Yet (Exclusive)first appeared on Parade on Jul 19, 2025 This story was originally reported byParadeon Jul 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
