“Trying to be the best investigator possible”: Untamed star Eric Bana digs deep into his character’s grief and trauma 

Netflix's Untamed is the streamer's latest murder mystery series, which will be released on July 17, 2025, and is created by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant) and Elle Smith.

The 6-part series is set in the wilderness of the Yosemite National Park, where federal agent Kyle Turner is tasked to investigate the murder of a woman. As Kyle and his team begin to search the area, they realise that the Wilderness is far different from their urban spaces, creating many obstacles in their search for the killer.

The Untamed ensemble of cast is led by Black Hawk Down fame Eric Bana, who plays Kyle Turner in the show. In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Bana hints at Kyle's grief over his son's death, which acts as a fuel for his job:

“I think his therapy is just trying to be the best investigator possible.”

In addition to Bana, the series is also led by La Brea's Lily Santiago and Daredevil: Born Again's Wilson Bethel.

More on this in our story.

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The Untamed cast breaks down their characters in the upcoming murder mystery series

Netflix's Untamed is led by a talented trio of actors who will uncover various mysteries of the Wilderness in the Yosemite National Park and will solve a murder mystery of a woman.

As in most murder mystery series, the characters of Netflix's latest are also haunted by the demons of their past and their profession, which will come into play while they solve this new mystery.

Eric Bana, who plays the titular investigative agent, is not only assigned to this deadly murder mystery in the Wilderness, but he is also haunted by his trauma after he lost his son. In the recent interview with ScreenRant, Bana discussed how his past and loss motivate him for his job in Untamed:

“We learned about his own trauma, and that’s always going to be somewhat triggering for him, but [that’s] more so through the eyes of the audience rather than how he's affected in terms of his interplay with other characters.”

He added:

“He’s super professional, so I think most of it is [him] trying to do the job as best he can.”

Talking about her experience of playing a rookie park ranger, Naya Vasquez, actress Lily Santiago said:

“I was learning alongside Naya. While she’s learning how to ride a horse or navigate mountainous terrain, I also was doing those things...my body completely lost track of the fact that this was pretend. It got really scary sometimes.”

Actor Wilson Bethel rounds up the cast of Untamed as former Army Ranger Shane Maguire, who is the most isolated and deadly character from the trio. However, Bether discussed how there is also a different side of the character, and he switches effortlessly between the two:

“[He is] somebody who lives in a very isolated way in the middle of the f***ing woods...He chooses when he wants a hit of the other part of the world. He is also very comfortable coming out of the woods and going to a bar for a night and maybe getting a little drunk and maybe seeing if he can find a woman to cozy up with.”

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Untamed will always explore the dynamic between the three characters

While Netflix's Untamed is primarily a murder mystery about the recent and brutal death in Yosemite National Park, it will also explore the explosive dynamic between its characters.

Since Kyle is still shaken by his son's tragedy, he prefers to work alone, which will create problems when he is partnered up with his new rookie, Naya. While the duo will face some challenges in their budding cop dynamic, they will eventually learn to work together and will likley crack the case by the end of Season 1.

In addition to this intriguing relationship, Untamed will also feature a complicated relationship cum animosity between Kyle and Shane, as teased by Bethel:

“I think that Shane views Kyle as kind of pathetic...[and there is] antagonism between the two characters...''

Untamed will be available on Netflix on July 17, 2025.

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