Reservation Dogs Premiere: Director Danis Goulet Talks ‘Highlight of My Career’ and Series’ ‘Profound Impact’
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Clearly the Rez Dogs weren’t prepared for Los Angeles’ hefty cost of living.
In the Season 3 premiere of Reservation Dogs (the first two episode are now available to stream on Hulu), the kids are broke and wandering around the City of Angels with no food and zero cash to their names. After a visit to Bear’s dad disappoints the young warrior for the last time, the crew meets back up with White Jesus, until Aunt Teenie comes to the rescue to rally them up for the long bus ride home. But when a snafu at their connecting bus terminal goes horribly wrong for Bear (don’t leave home without a phone charger, kids — and while we’re at it, don’t take free donuts from the creepy, smelly stranger either), he misses his ride back and gets stranded in Texas, only no one realizes it until they get back to the res.
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Below, director Danis Goulet (who helmed the premiere in addition to next week’s third installment) details her favorite sequence of the episode and why working on the show has been a highlight of her career. Plus, she explains why the “absolutely groundbreaking” Indigenous dramedy will be “so missed.”
TVLINE | What’s the one shot or sequence from the premiere that you’re particularly proud of as a director?
DANIS GOULET | That first episode is really a road movie, so you’re stuck in the confines of a bus, but once the kids all sit there and kind of exhale, we did this beautiful sunset shot where we rigged the camera to the roof of the bus. It leaves the conversation at the top and travels down past Willie Jack and Cheese and then picks up Bear who gets a visit from Spirit. I think that shot of them finally in this little cocoon of a bus and getting a breather that’s shot in magic hour is one of my favorite shots in the episode.
TVLINE | Walking onto a set of an ongoing series like Reservation Dogs, how does a director ensure she can put her own stamp on an episode?
I think the show (and this could be true for any series) has a rhythm and also its own visual language. But the amazing thing about this show is that [creator] Sterlin [Harjo] is so trusting with the creatives that he brings on. You can throw some crazy ideas out there and anything is game. They really embrace the vision that you bring. This show isn’t afraid to take risks. It’s had some episodes go pretty far off from what feels like the norm, and I love that about the show because it really does give you a lot of freedom. It has a world and a consistency, but it’s so rich. It doesn’t feel restrictive in any way.
TVLINE | How was it working with Sterlin and when did you two first meet?
I’ve actually known Sterlin since 2005. We met at Sundance when we had shorts there and we’ve been friends ever since. We’ve grown up in the industry together and we have been slogging it out in independent film worlds together. So to see him get this series off the ground and for it to be such a big hit and have such an impact is absolutely thrilling.
But Sterlin is a very open creative. He created this rich world and the characters are rendered with so much complexity right from the very beginning. They’re so unique. They’re so their own. I don’t think there are any other characters like these characters on television. Sterlin creates all of that. Once you get there, it’s like a hand-off. He works so hard on every aspect of production, but he does it in such an incredibly supportive way. You’re brought into the fold. When I first got there for “Mabel” [a Season 2 episode Goulet also directed], it was like coming into this family where everyone was like, “Hey, welcome! Come on in, we got you,” and everyone was just kind of cheering you on to get the episode done. Sterlin is there, always within reach, but never feeling like he’s over your shoulder. He just lets you do your thing in this beautiful way, and yet is there any time to support if it’s needed.
TVLINE | As an Incubus fan, I have to ask about the return of Brandon Boyd. What was it like having him on set? His White Jesus character caught me so off-guard last season in the best possible way.
[Laughs] Oh my God, it’s so funny. He was totally cool and easy going. He just really rolls with it. He was totally open to suggestions, to trying out a bunch of stuff. I mean, White Jesus, you can go anywhere with that bonkers character, so we would just try stuff like, “Oh, hey, why don’t you try talking to the patrons at the brunch table?” and he would just improvise a bunch of stuff and he did so many funny things. That part of it was really fun!
TVLINE | I do want to ask you about that very special “Mabel” episode. What was it like stepping onto set for the first time and how was it working so closely with Devery Jacobs on that emotional Elora-centric story?
It was incredible. As soon as I read the episode — first off, I was thrilled to be invited to direct an episode for Reservation Dogs — and then I read the episode and just thought, “Wow, I am so honored to be trusted with such an important episode,” one that is so important for the character Elora, but also so emotional. And Devory Jacobs is a star. She’s an incredible actor. Even off screen, she has leadership. She takes on this incredible role and does everything with so much care. She thinks so deeply about representation and about the choices that she makes as an actor. She is so talented. So to get the chance to work this closely with her was incredible.
Everything that she was able to do in that episode was a joy to watch. It was thrilling to work with her. It felt very organic actually. The whole episode did, even though there were so many moving parts. It was just one location, but the orchestration of all of the people in such a tiny space… the goal was to make it look natural. I think that was the challenge of the episode. On the first day, we shot the death itself with all of the elders there, so it was right smack into the hardest material. It felt so intimate and so moving to be there. And one of the elders said, “I know we’re making a TV show, but this is what we do in real life,” and all of us just stopped and took a moment and kind of took that in. It was really amazing to be a part of. Devery and I went away from that feeling so proud of the work that we did together.
TVLINE | This show is leaving us far too soon. As an Indigenous woman yourself [Goulet is both Cree and Métis], what does it mean to you to be involved in a show that’s provided some much-needed representation for Native culture?
It was huge to be a part of the show. It’s been absolutely groundbreaking and it has had a profound impact all across North America and even wider. Everywhere I go, people talk about Reservation Dogs, and to see a show like this get so much attention and so many accolades, it is well overdue, but all of us are so, so proud of what the show has done. For me personally, being a part of it has been a highlight of my career. I would work on 10 more seasons of Reservation Dogs if I could, but I’m also happy that the creators are able to end things in a way that they feel serves the story because I think at the end of the day, everybody wants to make the right decisions about that. But Reservation Dogs will be so missed. It is so loved out there.
Grade the first two episodes of Rez Dogs’ final season, then light up the comments with your thoughts.
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