In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, we are thrilled to be joined by a wonderful panel of actors from the Indigenous community for a special roundtable discussion. Joining us are actors Sarah Podemski (Reservation Dogs, Resident Alien), Jeremiah Bitsui (Better Call Saul, Dark Winds), and Dallas Goldtooth (Reservation Dogs, Ghosts). The three stage and screen stars share their perspectives on the recent strides in regards to Indigenous representation, the changes that need to be made in entertainment, and the work there is still left to do. 

“I definitely feel that for Indigenous narratives it’s been a long time coming,” Podemski shared. “This slow burn has finally led to a push that has been able to be received in the last few years because of a new awareness about our stories, and our creatives who have been given a chance to write and direct. We were ready for this moment and it happened at a moment when audiences were ready to hear our stories told by us.”

When asked about an early memory of feeling represented, Jeremiah Bitsui shared that he first saw himself reflected in rodeos as a form of entertainment, but a pretty big obstacle led to that dream coming to a quick end: a severe allergy to horses and hay. “Rodeos a huge sport in all of our communities but I grew up with allergies so I wasn’t cut out for it. Allergies and ninjas are what brought me into this business.” he laughed, adding that 80s martial arts movies are what drew him into acting. “If I ever got a ninja role, I’d be like a dog who actually caught the car.”

Actor and writer Dallas Goldtooth shared that he was “fangirling” over Jeremiah because of his performance in Breaking Bad and later in the spin-off Better Call Saul, which he describes as “a contemporary example of a Native person in a role that isn’t explicitly Native, it’s just a role. That character wasn’t designed around being Native, and that was really empowering to see. It’s rare to see Indigenous people as how we are today, or skewed to play into these myths.”

“Yes, we want to still tell our community’s stories,” Podemski added. “but we also want those moments where a kid might watch and say ‘oh that’s like my auntie who works at the hospital!’, those roles that are non-specific to our heritage. Look at us aside from our ethnicity and see our potential to being able to tell stories in any context.”

You can see our guests in multiple projects, including:

Sarah Podemski in Reservation Dogs on Hulu and Resident Alien on Peacock

Jeremiah Bitsui in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul on Netflix, and Dark Winds on AMC+

and Dallas Goldtooth on Reservation Dogs on Hulu and Rutherford Falls on Peacock