Wes Studi talks Native American representation in television and film

Wes Studi talks Native American representation in television and film. Studi also looks back on his biggest roles in Dances with Wolves and Last of the Mohicans.

Video Transcript

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

ETHAN ALTER: You were born in 1947. What do you remember about the first time you saw Native Americans on screen, in movies and television?

WES STUDI: I don't remember exactly when "The Lone Ranger" was airing on television. And it aired sometime in the afternoon after school, as I remember it. I remember seeing Jay Silverheels playing character of Tonto.

- There, Kemosabe. We see him.

WES STUDI: That was the first time I ever saw a real native on screen of any kind. I must have been seven or eight years old. I asked my dad, hey look at this guy. How is-- how was he able to do that. And my dad said that, well, I don't know how he did it.

But most of the time, you have to be 6 foot tall, blond and blue-eyed to be on television, or in the movies. And essentially, that was the truth. So in a way Jay was kind of an avatar, or an outlier avatar of sorts. He was one of the few that was actually on screens of one kind or another at that time.

ETHAN ALTER: On the big screen that was obviously the era of classic Westerns with John Wayne, and those sorts of types. How did you feel when you see those stories on the big screen?

WES STUDI: I really just sort of concentrated on the action, and the horses, especially Westerns. You know? And then the gunplay, that was all fun action adventure and all of that. As a child, I didn't give it that much credence in terms of racial identities at that point in time. There was more about the action and the adventure of it all.

ETHAN ALTER: In the 1970s, I mean, you started getting politically active in Native American causes, and you were at Wounded Knee, which is remarkable to me. I mean, that's that's an event I've read about. What do you remember about being there for that, and being part of it?

WES STUDI: Being a part of Wounded Knee takeover, for those of us involved in the movement at that time, media was essentially a tool to get our cause out in the eyes of the public. So we had people like Brando, and all those guys.

I met and gave support of their personalities. And everything, it was all very good. But as far as being a part of the production of film, or television, was certainly not a part of my psychology at the time.

You know, it wasn't anything that I thought was even possible at the time. But lo and behold, what? 20, 30 years later here, here is a number of us. The late Russell Means, and Dennis Banks, John Trudell, all becoming involved in the making of stories for film and television.

ETHAN ALTER: In terms of what Wounded Knee did for activism at the time, did it change the way the American media covered Native American issues? Or that politicians thought about it? What impact did it have?

WES STUDI: I think the movement had a huge impact in terms of bringing our cause to the American public, given all of the things that the movement brought up in terms of grievances, and/or suggestions for a better way to exist as government entities. So yeah, it was a great awakening, I think, for many of us as well as the public.

- Hey, Vilmer. Is your [BLEEP] box outside? What did you did? Park it under a spring?

ETHAN ALTER: Watching it again recently, it struck me how it sort of captured just such an amazing period of time. How important is that movie to you, as sort of marking a tide of changing depictions onscreen?

WES STUDI: As far as the film goes, I think it was a really great step, in terms of Native content in film. All of the characters were Native, right? I mean, we talk about telling our own stories, and casting our own people in our films, and all of that.

But on the other hand, you know, that was one that doesn't get mentioned that much. But a "Powwow Highway" and "Smoke Signals" are a couple of films that the cast was entirely Native. It was built that way. And they were groundbreaking films, and you look at it in those terms.

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ETHAN ALTER: "Dances With Wolves" comes along and that's major roles in a major Hollywood film. Was there any concern on your part about Kevin Costner being the one to make that story, and what he was planning to do with it?

WES STUDI: I had no idea who Kevin Costner was at the time. That was the biggest sort of a Hollywood film, if you will, that I had ever been on at that point. "Dances With Wolves," which was unfortunately referred to as Kevin's Gate for a while, you know?

Well, mainly because it was epic. I mean, it's a huge, long story. And a lot of people had their lines out about it. You know? They thought, oh, this is an actor that's going to put together a film he thinks he can be a director, and the star, and all of that.

It was rough for him, I think. And then finally he had to put up his own money, and whatever. I have great respect for the amount of dedication that he gave to that project. And I'm happy that it made him who he is. I mean, it really catapulted him up to his status in show business.

ETHAN ALTER: Did he do anything in terms of working with the community to make sure you were accurately depicted on screen, in terms of culture, and costumes, what sort of things did he do in that respect, to make it authentic?

WES STUDI: Oh, yeah. Well, we were shooting right there in Ogallala country. We played Pawnee. And so we were the antagonists of the story.

But we learned our language over tapes, and everything. We gave it the best that we possibly could, in terms of what we knew about the Pawnee's experiences with the Lakota at that time.

And as far as the Ogallala Lakota that he portrayed there, I think he went to great measures to make it as authentic as possible. Because it was those people, they were advising and consulting on everything.

ETHAN ALTER: Is there an issue among the Native American community when, in your case, a Cherokee plays a Pawnee? Is there that sort of cultural issues?

WES STUDI: There is to a certain extent. But I think at this point in time in the development of Native American cinema, if you will, it's a matter of well, at least he's a Native rather than differentiating by tribe.

It would be great if a Navajo could play a Navajo, a Cherokee a Cherokee, a Pawnee a Pawnee. But do we have those different people, different tribes in the business?

At this point in time, most would agree with me I think, is that we say that ah, well at least the guy is actually Native. You know? And we all know him. Because it's a small world. It is a fairly small world in the acting community of Natives, and in television and film.

- You there, what does Monroe call you? The Scotsman has sent to one of his Mohawk allies to guide you.

- Magua.

ETHAN ALTER: Magua is such an amazing character and presence in that film. What were you hoping to do with that character, in that particular movie. What spoke to you about what Michael Mann wanted him to be?

WES STUDI: I've heard Magua called one of the great villains a motion picture history. And I revel in that, that's great. That's wonderful. Take that, Joker. No.

- The Raher's children were under Magua's knife. They escaped. They'll be under it again.

WES STUDI: I play whatever part I have, no matter how small insignificant, important, and/or structurally cognitive in a film, I always play my guy as the good guy.

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ETHAN ALTER: And is there something in particular about the representation on screen that you hope changes, or is it popularized over the next few years? Something that you haven't seen before, if you want to say.

WES STUDI: I think it's already happening. We have Amber Midthunder and Tantoo Cardinal was in "Stumptown." And we're getting to see Natives in contemporary situations, and still bringing it as skins, as Indians. It's never enough, never soon enough. But you know, we got to live with the world we have.