Dark Winds Cast Members Talk Representation and Mysticism in the New AMC Series [Interview]

AMC’s newest thriller, Dark Winds, is a win for Native American representation in front of the camera and behind it, with nearly the entire cast and crew consisting of Native Americans.

The series follows Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), a lieutenant with the tribal police, as he works alongside his reigning deputy, Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten), and brand-new deputy, Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon).

McClarnon, Matten, and Gordon recently spoke with reporters in-depth to discuss the importance of this series and the barriers it’s breaking. (We spoke also recently with the three actors to preview the series, and you can watch that interview here.) 

For McClarnon, being an executive producer and working with George R.R. Martin was a definite highlight of the experience. However, getting to put out a body of work produced and created by natives is the most important factor to him.

“It’s a cast of all native actors and actresses, a native writing room, native directors, and the chance to have more visibility within our community and the media. And it’s another chance to tell our own stories. Those are important things to me.”

“They asked me if I wanted to be an executive producer when they came to me to play Joe Leaphorn, and I said yes. It’s a new hat to wear, and I very much enjoyed the process. It certainly adds a little bit more on your shoulders, a little more responsibility, but I enjoyed a lot of it. I enjoyed mainly helping with the casting. That was fun,” McClarnon continued.

The trailer for Dark Winds suggests underlying supernatural themes and elements, but ultimately the series doesn’t dive too deeply. “I think, throughout the history of television, in regards to native stories, there’s been a lot of romanticized mysticism. I think with Dark Winds we’ve tried to not be so on the nose with that mysticism.”

“I think romanticizing that mysticism is one of the stereotypes of native culture. For Native Americans, it’s that we’re the stoic, mystical kind of creatures, and we didn’t want to double up on that stereotype. So, we tried to be not so on the nose with it, although it is the culture. But a lot of that stuff should stay within the culture,” McClarnon continued.

“Yeah, there’s tradition, and there’s precedent for it,” Gordon added. “They’ve survived for thousands and thousands of years without anybody else bothering them, and it’s because of their traditions that they hold so dear in their ceremonies. There are also skeptics and people who are superstitious and not superstitious. So, [Dark Winds] kind of displays all of that, and people can take what they want from it.”

While Dark Winds may be about murder and bank heists, the series also has a real sense of emotion that allows the central trio to showcase their talents exceptionally well.

“My favorite scenes outside of the ones where, without giving too much away, I’m beating ass, is the moments that Bernadette gets to be vulnerable. Even though she comes off tough in those moments, there’s vulnerability. I love that there are so many different dimensions to her character,” Matten said.

“I always bring it back to the fact that being able to display and expose these characters really humanizes what it means to be an indigenous person or just being a native person on-screen during the 1970s on top of it, so yeah, it’s very fun,” she continued.

In a time where representation continues to grow more critical to showrunners, there’s been an increase in all aspects. McClarnon said it’s an excellent time for important native stories to be told, and there’s always room for more.

“I’ve been doing this for quite a few years, and we are in a great time for native representation in TV and film. It’s nice to be a part of it and see it happen before I either die or retire. It’s a great time that we’re finally getting that chance to have our voices and to have more visibility for us to tell stories. Having control over those stories is very important,” McClarnon noted.

“I think the doors are opening more and more with shows like Rutherford Falls, Reservation Dogs, and now with Dark Winds. I hope Dark Winds kicks that door open a little more for the future generations of people in front of the camera, behind the camera, producers, directors, and writers,” he added.

For Matten, there’s a sense of responsibility towards her culture when she takes on new jobs. “I think, being Native actors, we inevitably have this responsibility not just selfishly to ourselves and wanting a job, but really to our entire community,” Matten said.

“This is providing a lot of economic employment for many indigenous people. We shot Dark Winds on the first Native American studio lot, Camel Rock Studios. So, you can just think of economically how that’s benefiting their nation. And we need that to continue to allow our people to thrive and heal from what has happened in our countries.”

“Through the film and television industry, not only are we tackling issues of eliminating prejudices, but we’re also literally reviving a community that was stolen from us in a lot of ways. I’m hoping the show does well, not just for myself but legitimately because I know what it’s doing for Native people across the board. And I sincerely hope that the gates remain open for us. I hope this show becomes so mainstream that it just makes seeing natives in different shows as the norm,” Matten continued.

One of the most important takeaways working on Dark Winds for Matten is the reality of an all-Native creative team.

“I was exposed to the fact that there is an indigenous crew that exists in the union. That was new to me. I did not know that, and moving forward with other projects I want to be a part of, I’m 100% going to do my best efforts to include them. You know, not just writers, but the union members. Through this, I got to meet the first and only Native American makeup artist, and she lives in Santa Fe. That’s a big deal. I want to make sure that she’s uplifted so that she can uplift other aspiring native makeup artists as well,” Matten said.

For McClarnon, it was the recognition that he could take on a complex character and nail it.

“What I learned from Dark Winds was that I can handle a lot of study, a lot of dialogue, a lot of preparation, and that I’m able to dial it in and focus on that for a four-month period,” McClarnon said. “I mean, every day, you don’t have a minute when you’re not focusing on that character, where you’re not focusing on learning your lines or making sure everything’s going okay behind the scenes. I learned quite a bit by wearing a different hat on the show as an EP.”

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What are your hopes for this season of Dark Winds? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Dark Winds premieres tonight, and will air Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.

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