Dallas Goldtooth considers the postReservation Dogsfuture for an industry thats finally making space for Native creators.
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We are well aware of the gaze that falls upon Native people, Goldtooth says.
The goal of William Knifeman is to blow it out of the water.
The cancellation ofRutherford Fallsand theend ofReservation Dogsmeans that moment is ending, but Goldtooth is hopeful for the future.
This is not a blip, he says.
Weve sent a signal to the industry.
You cant tell the same old stupid Indian stories.
There are better storytellers out there.
We are well aware of how the outside world sees Native American people.
We are well aware of the gaze that falls upon Native people and the stories we tell.
Were going to do something different.
Over-the-top storytellers who only talk about their successful deeds and not their downfalls.
Thats who I pull from: good storytelling uncles.
Hes also one of the hearts of the overall story ofReservation Dogs.
Its a story about how a Boy Scout troop got their Indian name and their drum.
Some random Indian guy emerges from the woods; hes probably on a bender.
He comes across these Boy Scouts and tells them a bullshit story about the drum.
The 1491s, a lot of our comedy is about teasing ourselves, especially as Indian men.
Theres how the outside world says, This is how you should be, Native men.
Then theres the internalized aspect of what we tell ourselves.Okay, this is how we think we should be.
We were influenced byDances with Wolvesand all the Wes StudiGary Farmer movies.
Were influenced by the 80s and 90s.
Its how we built this identity of what it means to be a Native man.
This is how I think about it, because Ive actually never talked to Sterlin about it.
That has greatly influenced him.
Wait, because thats what all these wayward people were watching?Thats what they were watching!
So he watched along with them.
He finds a hero in Jean-Claude Van Damme and Arnold Schwarzenegger of the 80s not Arnold Schwarzenegger the governor.
Because hes a spirit!
There are no rules that apply to him.
He can talk toDie Hardmovies and Indigenous knowledge, because thats who we are as people today.
For the second episode, we filmed on the salt flats of Oklahoma and it was 34 degrees out.
We had to act like it was 90 degrees.
Thats why Im wearing that fur hat!
We had a whole costume and I was gonna wear this big-ass buffalo-fur cape.
But the horse freaked out so we got rid of the cape and I had to bare my nips.
But I kept the hat.
How much of what William Knifeman says is improv and how much is pre-scripted?Its about 50-50.
And its a fucking amazing crew to work with.
And Sterlins there, so hed feed me lines, or the other writers on set would feed lines.
Because I could swear hes touched other things?The thing thats awesome about him is youcantbelievehim.
I couldve changed costume.
You guys put me in this costume this whole time?
!I want to do another season just so I can do a costume change!
Its a nod that says, We see you.
This is a part of our story, even though you may not be able to trust this storyteller.
Theres a power to that.
Theres also a winking thing.
You have to wonder who is Spirit actually speaking to?
Is he speaking to non-natives?
Is he speaking to Native people?
It depends on who you are.
Everyone finds someone different.
But theres coded language in that intro.
Disenrolled ones, girthy ones.
Theres language that speaks to Native people who are watching.
I find power in that.
It acknowledges that these stories are being consumed and there are outsiders watching.
But it also allows them to come into the joke.
Were going to be wrapping it up after this.
He wanted to let everyone know.
It was the day before he posted it on Instagram.
We did have a conversation about what we might see for season four.
We did wonder what the story could look like beyond here, and it was a challenge to imagine.
It was a very difficult decision.
Im really proud of Sterlin for making it and taking that lead.
And now were down to one.Its an active conversation a lot of us are having.
Of course its tinted by whats going on with the strikes.
But its, What do we do as a collective?
But also, what does the industry look like after this strike?
Is there going to be a contraction of jobs and opportunities?
I just acted in a Netflix movie calledRez Ball.
I dont know when its supposed to come out.
Shes also the director of theEchoseries on Marvel, which is another Native series coming out later this year.
The online grid was like, Fuck, do you even haveenough?
Who could do it?Hes like, Fuckin trust me!
Sterlin had to go to bat for everybody else.
Because they got those gigs, they were able to get more directing gigs.
Tazbah Chavez is a great example.
Because ofRutherfordand because ofReservation Dogs, shes emerging as a successful director.
That gives me hope.
Its going to be a struggle.
But this is not a blip.
There are better storytellers out there.
The time of old tropes should be done.
So I left the nine-to-five, which was great timing!
Right before a strike!
But I want to run a show.
I want to create a show, a show that can also create opportunities and collaboration.
Im a sketch-comedy and improv comedy person at heart, so its all about collaboration for me.
I want to make people laugh, but I also want to create more opportunities for folks.
On the acting side, Im doing my best!
I said, You know what?
I want to see how far I can go as an actor without getting a stoic-Indian-on-a-horse-in-the-1800s gig.Thats my goal.
They wereallIndian on a horse in the 1800s.
I was like,Did you not see?
Did you not get the point of the joke in the show?
How many of them were in the Taylor Sheridan universe?[Laughs.]
No comment on that!
