- Details
- By Kaili Berg
AMC’s critically acclaimed series, “Dark Winds,” returns for its third season this Sunday on March 9.
Set in the 1970s Southwest, the show follows Navajo Tribal Police officers Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee, and Bernadette Manuelito as they navigate a series of increasingly violent crimes on their reservation.
The upcoming season, expanded to eight episodes, picks up six months after the events of Season 2. Leaphorn and Chee investigate the mysterious disappearance of two boys, with only an abandoned bicycle and a blood-stained patch of ground as clues.
Zahn McClarnon (Lakota descent) portrays Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn. The role is just his latest in a three-decade-long career portraying Native American characters in film with depth and authenticity. He’s appeared in other critically acclaimed shows on major networks and streamers, including “Westworld,” on HBO, and “Fargo,” and “Reservation Dogs” on FX.
McClarnon talked to Native News Online about his journey into acting, the evolution of his “Dark Winds" character, and the importance of authenticity in the show.
As anticipation builds for the Season 3 premiere, fans can catch up on the first two seasons of Dark Winds on AMC+ and the AMC Collection on Netflix. For a sneak peek into the upcoming season, watch the official Season 3 trailer here.
Editor's Note: This interview has been edited for brevity and length.
How did you get into acting?
I grew up in Montana and lived in Wyoming for a couple of years, then lived in Nebraska. My mom is from the Standing Rock Reservation. She grew up in Fort Yates and moved up to Browning, which is near the Blackfeet reservation.
I got into acting when I was in my early 20s. I was living in Nebraska and was looking for some way to express myself and get into the arts. I was always influenced by films and television growing up. We didn’t get our first TV until I was probably 11 or 12 years old because we lived up in the sticks of Montana.
I did some classes in high school, but it wasn’t a big inspiration to me back then. But in my early 20s, I auditioned for a play, and I fell in love with the process. I was just pretty bored in my early 20s. I wasn’t really doing anything, and I was looking for a career path or something to do to fulfill my life. And I found acting, moved out to L.A., and the rest is history.
Without giving too much away, what can fans expect from Joe Leaphorn in Season 3 of “Dark Winds”?
The continued exploration of the tragedy that the Leaphorn family has had, including the ramifications of his son’s death, the consequences of that, and the consequences of what Joe did last season, how that affects him and his relationships with Chee and Bernadette, and especially his marriage with Emma.
There’s a lot of struggling this season for Joe, dealing with guilt, questioning decisions he’s made, questioning his moral compass, and wondering what those choices may cost him. It puts him in a lot of fear and anxiety this season. So, it’s also a season about self-understanding and some reconciliation of his traumatic past.
One of the most praised aspects of “Dark Winds” is its authenticity and Indigenous storytelling. How do you think Season 3 continues to honor or expand on that?
Authenticity is our number one concern. We utilize some brilliant cultural consultants from the Navajo Nation, Jennifer and Manny Wheeler, to make sure everything, from ceremonies and language to props to wardrobe, is true to Navajo customs.
Many of the people behind this series are Indigenous. We have four Native directors this season, and one of them, Chris Eyre, is directing three episodes. We want to make sure we’re showcasing the culture with respect, honor, and authenticity. We hope we’re accomplishing that.
The language is very difficult, so we give more of the dialogue in Diné to people who actually speak it because it’s such a difficult language. I get at least a couple of scenes a season where I really have to buckle down and make sure that I’m doing the language justice.
With the Diné language, how long does it take you to learn and get it right?
It takes weeks for me to memorize a scene. I work specifically with Jennifer Wheeler, who teaches the language as much as I possibly can. I take it very seriously, it’s important to me to sound Diné, to learn those syllables and those gutturals.
I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so it’s really important to me not just for all people to say, ‘Hey, you did a good job,’ but because we struggled in the first season, and we’ve gotten better in the second and third seasons.
Has playing Leaphorn given you a new perspective on Indigenous law enforcement and the challenges they face?
I can’t imagine what it’s like to take on that responsibility. I’m acting, but to grow up in your culture and protect the people around you while doing your job, and straddling that fence of culture and contemporary law enforcement, has got to be difficult.
You’ve played a range of complex Indigenous characters. What continues to draw you to roles like Leaphorn?
Characters that are three-dimensional that I can dive into and relate to. I’m just fortunate to be in this business and working on a successful TV show. I pinch myself every day.
Do you see yourself directing or taking on more creative roles behind the scenes in the future?
I do. I’m directing one episode this season. It’s a lot more responsibility, but I have a great team supporting me. We’ll see how it goes.
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