American Primeval: Who was Jim Bridger in real life and what changes Netflix made in his story?

American Primeval, the new Netflix mini-series directed by Pete Berg, has fans excited. The show created by Mark L Smith follows the story of a mother Sara Rowell, played by Betty Gilpin, and her son Devin (Preston Mota) trying to escape their past and build a new life in the rough and brutal American West of 1857. They are helped by Taylor Kitsch’s Isaac. Fighting their way through a hostile landscape, they encounter violent clashes between different groups to take control of the Utah territory.

The Pete Berg-directed series mixes real-life characters with fictional ones. A real-life historical figure in American Primeval is Jim Bridger, played by Shea Whigham. Whigham’s character Jim Bridger is an important one in the saga. He is a mountain man who runs Fort Bridger, a trading post in the Utah territory.

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Who is Jim Bridger? The character's real-life explored

The mountain man Jim Bridger of American Primeval lived from March 17, 1804 to July 17, 1881. A scout and a skilled fur trapper, he was known for his expeditions in the Western Frontier. Bridger acted as a mediator between the settlers, the Native Americans, and the US Army and, because of this, became a crucial figure in the series.

Whigham as Jim Bridger is tough and practical. He brings alive a man who knows how to survive in the wilderness of the Western Territory.

Before American Primeval, the character of Jim Bridger notably appeared in Alejandro G. Iñárritu's multiple Oscar-winning historical drama, The Revenant. Actor Will Poulter played a young Jim Bridger in the Leonardo DiCaprio starrer that was co-written by American Primeval writer Mark L. Smith.

In a Netflix interview, Smith revealed that while writing The Revenant, he read all about the character of Jim Bridger:

“I learned a lot about his character. I knew I wanted to explore it more, and this gave me the opportunity.”

American Primeval allowed him to explore more about the character and he did it faithfully as the character’s depiction didn’t fall too far from the the real-life Jim Bridger.

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Netflix's take on the character of Jim Bridger

Netflix’s mini-series American Primeval gives us a rugged and tough Jim Bridger, played by Shea Whigham. While the show retains his key characteristics such as being a mountain man, it takes a few creative liberties, too.

The real-life Jim Bridger could not read and write, but could speak several languages such as English, French, and some native languages. The show, however, only focuses on his role at Fort Bridger and his dealings with the other characters. While the essence of the real Jim Bridger is present in the character, some details have been tweaked by the creators to enhance the storytelling.