The Canadian Plains Cree actor is no stranger to embodying indigenous icons.
As an indigenous person, of course, I was hugely honored to get the chance to play him.
I didnt have to work as hard with this project, because I had allies.
Credit: Richard Foreman/TIFF
[Director] Susanna [White] was a tremendous ally.
Jessica, of course, was a huge ally to me.
Since the films release, have you had conversations specifically aboutWoman Walks Aheads representation?I have, actually.
I just screened it in Oklahoma, which was of course formerly the Indian territory.
The portrayal is a big part of the film.
Do you feel like thats is a frequent happenstance?
I loved what Brie said.
Jessica has spoken about that as well.
Shes said, Look at the demographics of whos reviewing movies.
A lot of the feminist press weve read in the last two weeks has been extraordinary.
But that had to come from the feminist press.
Its quite illustrative of some of the problems Brie Larson was talking about.
Its always been a battle.
I find that its an old battle, for us.
We struggle against stereotypes, against erasure.
As a scholar, Ive written about a lot of this.
Scenes are staged in Lakota, and theres also the depiction of a religious dance, the Ghost Dance.
Whats the significance of these scenes being on screen?Im glad you mentioned that.
And they asked, How would we represent it?
And we said, Well, we can present a stylized version.
And they said, Thats beautiful.
Wed be happy to follow your advice.
And even on the day, they were asking, How can we photograph it?
How can we work alongside you?
And the way its presented on film is gorgeous.
I think that is the fruit of a true, intercultural collaboration.
Woman Walks Aheadis one project that represents Native history in a nuanced way.
But Ive been very fortunate, and Im grateful for the opportunities Ive had.
Im working on HBOsTrue Detectiveseason 3, and thats an extraordinary role.
I loved working onFear the Walking Deadfor AMC last year.Blood Quantumwas a film I made with Jeff Barnaby.
Woman Walks Aheadis set up as the story of a white woman coming into this unfamiliar territory.
When I got the script, it was incredibly nuanced.
Id bring it back to reviewership.
His job is to be the agitator.
Hes continually telling his uncle, c’mon, fight for us.
Stop being this farmer.
And of course, factually, thats inaccurate… Its lazy and quite infuriating.
