I had no Idea what he was talking about.
I was very confused.
He was like, Man, your Emmy nomination!
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Bear in ‘Reservation Dogs.‘Shane Brown/FX
It was the best news to wake up to.
Actually, thats how I first found out that I was cast inReservation Dogs.
I was like, Oh, cool.
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai in Season 3 of Reservation Dogs.Shane Brown
And I just fell back asleep.
So, my idea is just to sleep and hopefully wake up to good news every single time.
DEADLINE: How much did you and the otherRez Dogscast members talk about theEmmys?
The cast and crew put their hearts into it.
It was something that people have never seen before.
DEADLINE: Did creator Sterlin Harjo warn you ahead of time that Season 3 would be the last?
How did that make you feel?WOON-A-TAI: Its funny.
Little did we know that it would be picked up.
But by the end of Season 2, Sterlin said it was coming to an end.
It was beautiful because we werent doing it for money.
If we were, we would be still on the air.
They knew that every story has a beginning, middle and an end.
We opened that door for more Native representation on the screen to be presented later.
DEADLINE: What was that last day on set like?
What did you shoot and where were you?WOON-A-TAI: Tears, just tears.
Everybody from the stand-ins to the extras, to the lighting crew… just everybody.
I cannot stress it enough.
The last scene that we shot was the last scene of the series, which was the funeral episode.
We really got to show a whole community coming together in Season 3.
Everybody who was there the whole time for the past three years came together as one big happy family.
And as soon as they said cut, there were hugs and tears were all around.
DEADLINE: What an extraordinary experience you had onReservation Dogs, being surrounded by an all-indigenous cast and crew.
That must be so sad to walk away from.WOON-A-TAI: It really is.
We are very similar.
I think hes a really, smart kid.
Hes learned a lot, trying to figure out his path.
In the beginning, he saw his best friends death.
He blamed that on the Native community.
He didnt realize that the community is what helps us and makes us heal.
That was his arc, really.
In the beginning, he thought the community wasnt right for him.
He thought that he could be better off with his father in California.
And when he left to go to California, his dreams were shattered.
He realized the biggest thing that was keeping him sane was his community in Oklahoma.
you’ve got the option to see it in the last few episodes.
He accepted the fact that home was where hes supposed to be.
I mean, honestly, I think Bear is a real person.
It sounds corny but these characters really do represent a good portion of the Native community in urban cities.
Every character you see on that show is real.
We didnt just create them out of thin air.
DEADLINE: The laughs on the show were top notch.
Would you often break character because of how funny it would be?WOON-A-TAI: All the time.
I would hear everybody behind the camera dying of laughter.
Thats what broke me a lot more than the actual scenes.
I wasnt prepared to shoot that!
I was just cracking up laughing the whole time.
DEADLINE: You were the first Bear on FX.
No, not at all.
I got to meet Jeremy Allen White a few times when we were at award shows.
Hes an amazing, talented actor.
I just am honored to be in the same category as those guys.
DEADLINE: What is next for you?WOON-A-TAI: I recently finishedWarfaredirected by Alex Garland.
I spent a few months in England, my first time.
I went to Amy Winehouses house, her grave site, the bar where she would chill at.
I also went to Abbey Road.
I did the whole tour that I always wanted to do since I was a little kid.
