INDIANAPOLIS — In the early 2000s, actor Emile Hirsch had starring roles in popular films like "The Girl Next Door," "Lords of Dogtown" and "Speed Racer." But he's best known for his critically-acclaimed performance as Chris McCandless in "Into the Wild," which earned him a nomination at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Hirsch is now starring in "Prey," an action-thriller film set in the Kalahari Desert.
"'Prey' is a survival story," Hirsch said. "A group of people get in a plane crash, and it's a story about their attempts at survival amidst a lot of elements of nature that are wanting them for lunch, and also dangerous locals and being strangers in a strange land."
In the 86-minute film, Hirsch portrays a corrupt smuggler who pilots a plane that crashes with with Christian missionaries (Ryan Phillippe and Mena Suvari) aboard after they were forced to flee their post.
"My character is a guy who doesn't believe in anything," Hirsch said. "He eventually comes around and has to deal with the pain of his own past and the trauma that he's inflicted on people and wants to do better and make a spiritual correction in the direction of redemption."
With "Prey" set in a remote location, Hirsch pulled from his experience of filming in Alaska for "Into the Wild."
"The main experience I took is the ability to handle extreme environments — and not just extreme, but cold environments," Hirsch said.
Although "Prey" takes place in South Africa in the desert, Hirsch said they shot the film during winter right outside of Los Angeles.
"When we would be on the locations, we were super duper cold. We were freezing," Hirsch said. "One of the most challenging parts was psychologically adjusting to being cold."
"Prey" is now available to buy or rent digitally.