Latest news with #Bana
Metro
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Eric Bana fans think he's underrated – but he never wanted to be a 'leading man'
Eric Bana decided he would take being viewed as an 'underrated' actor as a compliment (which it is). When we spoke to Bana, 56, ahead of his gripping new thriller Untamed dropping on Netflix, he said that he wasn't sure if he agreed or disagreed with the sentiment, but laid out how he has charted an atypical career in the moviemaking business. 'I always felt like at some point in my career, it would be really dangerous to only be available to play that lead character,' he told Metro. 'I've really enjoyed mixing it up and making myself available for different kinds of genres and films and different size roles. It's way more interesting.' That said, he also knows there are certain projects he 'definitely' would not do. Bad news Hulk fans: going green again is one of them. But he sometimes he's surprised himself with what he signs on to. Star Trek, for instance, was a franchise he 'never imagined' he would want to be in, until Nero landed in his inbox. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. Bana explained that part of the approach to cherry-picking parts is his desire to always be a contender on the chopping block in the audience's mind. 'I wanted them to think 'here he is, bloody hell he could be gone in the next five minutes'.' And indeed in many of his films – Troy, Deadfall, Hana – he is. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video That's not to say that Bana doesn't enjoy helming a project, which is what he's tasked with for the gripping new Netflix thriller Untamed. He stars as parks investigator Kyle Turner and is the subject of a Gary Cooper wisecrack early on. The likeness is there: Turner is stoic, troubled and most at home on a horse. Set in Yosemite National Park (albeit, slightly fudged thanks to drone footage, since the show was shot in the still-beautiful British Columbia), Bana described the six-parter as a 'dream job'. This was in part because most of his scenes were in the vast wilderness. 'I hate filming indoors,' he said, visibly recoiling at the thought. When the teaser for the new thriller dropped, there was much commentary about how different Bana looked, sporting a grizzled silvery beard. Bana says it's fairly similar to how he looks when he's at home in Melbourne, Australia. What is your favourite Eric Bana film? So what's next for Bana after Untamed? More gritty dramas or some light relief like Funny People? 'Try balance it out like a bit of therapy,' he laughed. 'Sometimes it feels that way.' More Trending Despite what his recent CV might attest to, he's still open to comedy. Although, he did add: 'It won't surprise you to know that my inbox is 99% drama and 1% light, so I don't have full control of that.' Perhaps the answer is more Untamed. The show ties up neatly and has been billed as a limited series, but when things kick off (and we have a feeling this might), Netflix finds a way. It's not something Bana shuts down. 'The nature of these [park investigative agencies], they move from park to park,' he explained. 'They don't just stay in the one park their whole career. So it is feasible that Kyle could end up somewhere else. We'll see.' View More » Untamed is available to stream on Netflix. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'Dark, twisted, great performances': Your favourite underrated shows on Netflix MORE: 'Inheriting a law firm would've been easy – I became a WWE legend instead' MORE: This Morning star reveals how her life crumbled an hour after announcing engagement
Cosmopolitan
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Where You've Seen ‘Untamed' Star Eric Bana Before as He Plays Grumpy Detective Kyle Turner
A brand new series has just dropped on Netflix, and it's giving major Department Q, Yellowstone and Broadchurch vibes all in one. Untamed follows federal agent Kyle Turner (played by Eric Bana) who is pulled in to investigate the mysterious death of a woman in the wilderness of Yosemite National Park. The official log line reads: "A character-driven mystery-thriller that follows Kyle Turner (played by Bana), a special agent for the National Parks Service who works to enforce human law in nature's vast wilderness. The investigation of a brutal death sends Inman on a collision course with the dark secrets within the park, and in his own past." Viewers may recognize Eric thanks to his acting career that spans over 30 years. As the series ends on Netflix, here's everything you need to know about Eric Bana including his previous roles and marital status. Eric Banadinović, known professionally as Eric Bana is an Australian actor, who began his career in the sketch-comedy series Full Frontal before gaining notice in the comedy drama The Castle and the biographical crime film Chopper. Viewers may recognize Bana for performance in the war film Black Hawk Down, which came out in 2001. He is perhaps best known for playing Bruce Banner in the 2003 Hulk film. Bana has built a diverse and compelling career across film and television. He played the noble warrior Hector in the war epic Troy and took on a leading role in Steven Spielberg's historical thriller Munich in 2005. In 2009, he portrayed the villainous Nero in Star Trek, a critically acclaimed and commercially successful reboot of the sci-fi franchise. Throughout the 2010s, Bana continued to take on complex roles, including Lieutenant Commander Erik S. Kristensen in the war drama Lone Survivor and police Sergeant Ralph Sarchie in the supernatural horror film Deliver Us from Evil. He later took the title role in the true crime miniseries Dirty John, earning praise for his chilling performance. In 2020, he returned to his native Australia to star in the outback thriller The Dry. Yes, Eric Bana is married to publicist Rebecca Gleeson. They married in 1997, after Bana proposed to her on a trip to the United States, which he won from Cleo Magazine after being named their "Bachelor of the Year" in 1996. Bana and Gleeson have two children together - Klaus, who was born in 1999 and Sophia, born in 2002.
Metro
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Forget your weekend plans to binge 'exceptional' Netflix thriller
It may well feel like the 'mystery thriller' genre on Netflix has become exceedingly overcrowded. Even for me – whose job it is to watch TV for a living – it feels like every week there is a new 'gripping' series that has spurned out of nowhere, adding to your already long watchlist. But in a frenzied sea of suspenseful mystery, one show is standing tall amongst its competitors, and that is none other than Eric Bana's Untamed. This six-part detective drama created by Mark L. Smith and Elle Smith follows the journey of Kyle Turner (Bana) as he attempts to piece together who killed the young woman we see tumble off a cliff in the first scene. Set in Yosemite National Park, the limited series offers an assessment of the human condition, showcasing how animalistic we can be when pushed into corners. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. Described by Metro's very own TV critic as 'the best show of 2025', fans and critics are raving over it. Writing on X, @CSForgey said: 'Phenomenal work and gorgeously shot. Selfishly I hope Kyle's journey continues in another series. He's like a broken Atticus Finch of a hero.' @nigelh_nigel added: 'Thoroughly enjoyed it. Spectacular scenery, those waterfalls….wow!!! Second series please.' Commenting on imdB, kurtdralle said: 'The best detective series since the first True Detective. Could not stop watching from the first minute of the series. This is excellent show with great setting and actors and plot.' BudoSenpai also wrote: 'Bana delivers an intense performance, embodying both vulnerability and strength, while Santiago adds emotional depth with her portrayal, creating a strong chemistry that will draw you into the story.' Meanwhile, Rebecca Nicholson from the Guardian described it is a 'blunt force thriller' that is 'very easy on the eye'. Some viewers, including Nicholson, did point out that there is a lack of depth. Bparkerprivat on imdB described it as 'visually beautiful' but said content-wise it was 'tame'. Another viewer, Ivan_Lilo argued: 'The pacing is a little off, it feels somewhat rushed, with key plot developments and character arcs lacking exploration, which will tend to leave you wanting more depth. An official synopsis of the series on Netflix reads: 'In the vast expanse of Yosemite National Park, a woman's death draws a federal agent into lawless terrain — where nature obeys no rules but its own.' Untamed's success comes after another 'compelling' mystery thriller soared up the Netflix chart after all 6 episodes dropped. More Trending The French mystery series, Under A Dark Sun, is said to promise a 'heartfelt' and 'suspenseful' experience for viewers. The show follows runaway single mother Alba Mazier (Ava Baya) whose boss, Arnaud Lasserre (Thibault De Montalembert), is killed 'just hours into starting her new job'. Now the main suspect, she becomes intertwined in a conspiracy full of 'deep-rooted secrets and morally grey decisions'. View More » Untamed is available to watch on Netflix. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Steamiest 90s erotic film confirmed for 'unnecessary' reboot with a twist MORE: Fans living for 'unhinged' new Netflix movie starring Idris Elba as a dog MORE: Emmy-nominated action film starring new James Bond favourite available to stream on Netflix
Man of Many
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Man of Many
'We Were All Pinching Ourselves': Eric Bana Talks Netflix's ‘Untamed'
By Dean Blake - News Published: 18 Jul 2025 Share Copy Link Readtime: 5 min Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here. Eric Bana has been a mainstay in the Australian creative industry for as long as we can remember, and for good reason. An incredibly talented actor, Bana's got the ability to play across multiple genres, from sketch comedy in his breakout role in Full Frontal, his work as Bruce Banner in 2003's Hulk, to his moodier, more dramatic offerings in The Dry. And now Bana is back, working with Netflix on the newly launched Untamed: a rather unique concept for a show, straddling the line between murder mystery, character-focused drama, and a beautiful invitation into the natural world. In Untamed, Bana plays Kyle Turner, a special agent for the National Parks Service who has been tasked with investigating a Jane Doe found in Yosemite National Park. Throughout the six-episode mini-series, Turner uncovers the seedy underbelly of the park, as well as Jane Doe's identity, and killer. It's a great watch if you haven't already dived in, and we were given the chance to chat with Bana ahead of the shows release, where we asked about the filming process, his time on set, and when we'll get some more Poida (don't hold your breath). Eric Bana in Netflix's Untamed | Image: Supplied First of all, congratulations on the show – it looks really great. Can you tell me a bit about the process of filming Untamed on-site? It's based in Yosemite National Park, but it was filmed in British Columbia in Canada, which is really dense woodland. How difficult was that? I guess once we got there it wasn't too bad, I think the most difficult part was searching for the locations and making sure they matched what was on the page and to try and get the epic scale of what we wanted—that was the huge selling point of the show, to have a murder mystery set in a national park. We wanted to deliver a transportive experience to the audience that would feel like they were somewhere else, that they could breathe in that air. It was tough on the crew in terms of moving the equipment around and the logistics of it, but once we were in those locations we were all pinching ourselves. You play Kyle Turner, a special agent of the National Parks Service. Can you tell me a bit about how you fleshed the character out over the course of filming, or how you found the character in something that is as character-driven as Untamed? There was so much on the page, and it was so beautifully written. When I first came across the material we only had the (script for) the first episode, but there was more than enough to tease and flesh out the potential—not only for my character, but the relationships he has with the other characters in the story. Mark Smith's writing is superb, so I was really confident that the journey we were about to go on would be a great one. It just kept revealing itself to me, every episode, it kept getting more intense, with more twists and turns. Eric Bana in Netflix's Untamed | Image: Supplied Is there any particular part of the filming process that sticks out to you as something that was really special, or memorable? I think every episode had a scene or a location where you'd stand there in the quiet moments and just really, really take it in. Particularly for Lily Santiago, who plays Naya (Vasquez), her and I were on our horses most days, traipsing around the mountains of British Columbia, and I'd always just say, 'we're getting paid for this, this is actually a job'. It was quite an amazing experience. Is there anything you're most proud of with the show? All of it, really. It is the show that we set out to make, it is the show that we had in our minds, and we were greatly supposed by Netflix to go out and make exactly what Mark had written. I think the scale of it is what really sets it apart—like I was saying, our hope was that when our audience click on to watch, they can feel like they've gone somewhere. There's a crime to solve, and there's a genre I'm familiar with, but this world feels very different. It's almost like a combination of a nature documentary with murder mystery. Sam Neill and Eric Bana in Netflix's Untamed | Image: Supplied You got to work with some pretty amazing actors in Untamed I wanted to ask about working with Sam Neill. It's always super exciting to see Aussies and Kiwis on the big screen, can you tell me about that experience? It was really special, we'd actually never worked together before. We have a lot of mutual friends and so I felt like I already knew him, and I got exactly what I was expecting and more from him. When we got together, I was like, 'we've actually never met. We've actually never been in the same room as each other,' which was so bizarre given all these years. And he plays such a pivotal character in the show, we were so lucky to get him onboard. Without giving too much away, his journey and our journey together through the course of the six episodes… I was really fortunate to have him as a scene partner. I think the whole cast was great. Just a really wonderful cast, greatly supported by some epic writing from one of the best writers around at the moment. When I told the rest of the Man of Many team, everyone had the same question: when are we getting more Full Frontal? (laughs) You must have an old team. How do you even find that stuff. Untamed is available exclusively on Netflix.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Untamed viewers all say the same thing about Netflix crime series in first few seconds
Netflix's mystery thriller Untamed may have just only dropped onto the streaming service but eager fans have already binged the whole lot - as they make the same comment Netflix fans are all settling down to watch new crime series Untamed tonight - and they're all saying the same thing just a few seconds into watching. All six episodes in the series dropped today (July 17) and many Netflix fans have already binged the whole lot. The limited series, stars Eric Bana as Kyle Turner, an Investigative Services Branch agent of the National Parks Service. He's on the hunt for a killer who knows Yosemite National Park as well as he does. However, with a number of twists and turns, dark secrets in the park's past may prove just as dangerous as the murderer... The series wastes no time getting straight into the action, as during the first episode of the series, Kyle doubts a woman's fatal fall from El Captain was an accident - as he believes the truth lies deeper within Yosemite. While we won't give anything away just yet, fans are all rushing to X, formerly known as Twitter to praise the series, with many saying they're already "hooked" within the first few moments. "I'm already hooked on #Untamed," said one, while another said: "3 minutes of the #Untamed series & I'm already hooked." A third penned: "Just got to the end of episode 3. What a show, so far," as a fourth agreed: " #UntamedNetflix is such a great series." Joining Bana in the star studded cast is Jurassic Park star Sam Neil as Paul Souter. Souter has been the chief park ranger in Yosemite half his life and is a close friend to Turner. Also starring in the cast is Lily Santiago as young police officer Naya Vasquez and Daredevil star Wilson Bethel as Shane Maguire. Earlier in the year, fans were treated to a nail-biting trailer, which heard Bana commentate: "People come here to explore, see maybe 10% of the park," later adding: "Things happen different out here." The series is said to be perfect for those who were gripped by Yellowstone and American Primeval - with fans sure to be hooked in within seconds. Fans have been waiting at the edge of their sofas ever since the trailer dropped earlier this month, with Eric Bana fans rushing to the comments to express their excitement.
