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My dads a big stoner, she texts the Rez Dogs group chat, somewhat disappointed.
Hawke had been on the potential guest-star radar of showrunner and series co-creator Sterlin Harjo for a while.
Ethan is a friend.
We work together on other projects, Harjo explained in an email.
He told me he wanted to be inRez Dogs.
Hawke was hardly the only actor clamoring to snag a role on the critically lauded, Peabody Awardwinning dramedy.
And non-Indigenous actors have been equally eager to make an appearance.
These were people who, in season one, we wouldve been dying to get on the show.
Maintaining that authenticity was paramount for Midthunder, especially when it came to casting well-known, non-Indigenous actors.
But Hawke fit right in.
I never had anyone else in mind, he says.
A lot ofRez Dogsis inspired by Linklaters work, Harjo notes.
So is the name of Eloras father.
It felt fitting, he says, to name Ethans character after Rick.
Once Hawke got the offer and the script, he said yes.
Honestly, it was the easiest deal Ive ever done on the show, Midthunder says.
It was important that they embodied everything they could about the characters, Midthunder says.
Tall, the long hair, the strong features its such a great match, Midthunder says.
Were talking about 2 percent of the population when were looking at the Indigenous population, she says.
Its such a small pool to draw from.
Like Farmer, he carries himself with casual stoner authority and lets his vowels slowly drip off his tongue.
While Midthunder conducts broad searches for many of her roles, she also tapped local talent in Oklahoma.
If it wouldve been up to Sterlin, we wouldve found everyone in Oklahoma, Midthunder says.
Hes so dedicated to making it authentic.
Early in the shows run, Midthunder even found guest actors on social media.
We definitely cast a few roles off that during the first season.
We found it with Maximus.
She saw it for herself when she watched the final episodes.
