Scene 2 Seen Podcast: Michael Greyeyes Discusses ‘Rutherford Falls’ And The Stereotypes That Affect Native American Actors
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The Scene 2 Seen podcast is back!!
Sorry ya’ll. I had to go on a brief hiatus for July. With San Diego Comic-Con, Emmy nominations and my travel schedule, I took the time to sit down brainstorm some fresh ideas to add to the podcast.
More from Deadline
I am excited to be publishing one episode a day between today and Friday of this week. Trust me it will be worth it as there are some awesome guests, beginning with today’s episode featuring Plains Cree actor Michael Greyeyes.
Greyeyes is from the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation from Canada has been in the acting business for over 30 years. He feels like he’s just now found his footing with his role on Peacock comedy series Rutherford Falls, which premiered its second season June 16.
Rutherford Falls follows two lifelong friends, Nathan Rutherford and Reagan Wells, whose relationship is tested when a crisis hits their small town. After the mayor decides to move a statue of Nathan’s ancestor because car drivers keep crashing into it, Nathan begins a quest to keep the statue in its place, causing Reagan to juggle loyalty to her friend and to her people, the Minishonka Nation. On the show, Greyeyes plays Terry Thomas, the CEO of the Minishonka’s casino, who envisions big things for both Reagan and the success of their Nation and in the interview he talks so highly of the work on the show and that it’s getting well deserved praise.
Greyeyes is coming off two historic nominations, both at the Film Independent and Gotham Awards, for his work on Season 1, as well as in the film Wild Indian, where he led a cast that included Chaske Spencer, Jesse Eisenberg and Kate Bosworth. He also appears in Blumhouse’s Firestarter, recently wrapping up a first-look deal with the studio as the first Native actor to have one.
Some of his other credits include Blood Quantum, for which he won the Canadian Screen Award, and Woman Walks Ahead opposite Jessica Chastain. He also stars alongside Mark Ruffalo in I Know This Much Is True. Throughout each of his projects, he continues to fight for opportunities to highlight the Native experience and complexities, just as we see for everyone else on screen.
On this episode, Greyeyes and I have an in-depth conversation about Indigenous identity and how that’s been portrayed in film throughout the years.
If you like what you hear, be sure to like, review, and subscribe to Deadline’s Scene 2 Seen podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify!
Best of Deadline
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
