Reservation Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo felt his uncle's spirit during Willie Jack's prayer scene
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Things got pretty spirited on the set of Reservation Dogs last season.
In the spectacular sophomore outing of the Indigenous comedy from Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis) worries that she and her BFFs — Elora Danan Postoak (Devery Jacobs), Bear (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), and Cheese (Lane Factor) — are drifting apart after the death of their dear friend Daniel (Dalton Cramer). Unsure how to keep the Rez Dogs together, Willie Jack seeks guidance from Daniel's mother, Hokti (Lily Gladstone), who's in prison. Hokti leads Willie Jack in a prayer and summons the spirits of her ancestors, who gather behind the young woman in loving, ghostly silence.
It's an incredibly moving scene — and Harjo says it got plenty emotional during filming. "I found out my uncle died right when we were shooting that scene," the showrunner said while visiting EW's studio at the SCAD TVfest. "I literally had my dad walk up to me and tell me my uncle died — who the character Hokti was sort of based on. So that was crazy, and also beautiful, because [the scene] was about ancestors keeping watch over you and people that were gone watching over you, so that really happened and it was pretty powerful."
FX Paulina Alexis in 'Reservation Dogs'
Harjo said that one of his earliest memories was visiting his uncle in prison. He remembered him as a "really cool person," adding, "Everyone really loved him that knew him." Though he received the sad news of his uncle's passing that day on the Reservation Dogs set, Harjo found comfort in his grief: "I definitely felt him while filming that scene."
Watch the video above to hear more from Harjo, including his thoughts on an Elora Danan Postoak-Willow crossover.
Reservation Dogs season 1 and 2 are now streaming on Hulu.
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