Throwing Molotovs and Doing It Ourselves with D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai

04/07/24 • 55 min

D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai is an Oji-Cree-Anishinaabe actor born in Toronto whose people are from Big Trout Lake First Nation. On this episode, D’Pharaoh tells us how taking a chance and standing out in his audition scored him a lead role in the hit series, Reservation Dogs, how hard it is to accurately throw a Molotov, and how casting directors can do a better job casting Native roles across the industry.

D'Pharaoh's Red Red Carpet shout-out goes to Angelique Midthunder, casting director of Reservation Dogs.

Transcript available here. See more at www.actorsandancestors.com/episodes.

00:00:10 - Introduction to D'Pharaoh, his land, and who claims him

00:04:08 - How D'Pharaoh started acting and the movie "Beans", about the Oka Crisis

00:17:15 - Joel talks about how Beans shut down the Mercier Bridge in Montreal and the racism they experienced from the public

00:21:38 - D'Pharoah's experience throwing molotovs on set

00:25:28 - Reservation Dogs auditions process and how D'Pharaoh stood out

00:33:23 - How D'Pharaoh stays humble and grounded

00:43:50 - D'Pharaoh's advice to aspiring Indigenous actors

00:47:35 - Moving from nepotism to community

00:52:50 - The Red Red Carpet segment

CREDITS:

Actors and Ancestors is created, produced, and hosted by Joel D. Montgrand. Audio editing and production support from Daniella Barreto.

Episode photograph by Kjohn, photo provided by D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai.

Actors and Ancestors is supported by a podcasting grant from the Indigenous Screen Office.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

D'Pharaoh's Red Red Carpet shout-out goes to Angelique Midthunder, casting director of Reservation Dogs.

Transcript available here. See more at www.actorsandancestors.com/episodes.

00:00:10 - Introduction to D'Pharaoh, his land, and who claims him

00:04:08 - How D'Pharaoh started acting and the movie "Beans", about the Oka Crisis

00:17:15 - Joel talks about how Beans shut down the Mercier Bridge in Montreal and the racism they experienced from the public

00:21:38 - D'Pharoah's experience throwing molotovs on set

00:25:28 - Reservation Dogs auditions process and how D'Pharaoh stood out

00:33:23 - How D'Pharaoh stays humble and grounded

00:43:50 - D'Pharaoh's advice to aspiring Indigenous actors

00:47:35 - Moving from nepotism to community

00:52:50 - The Red Red Carpet segment

CREDITS:

Actors and Ancestors is created, produced, and hosted by Joel D. Montgrand. Audio editing and production support from Daniella Barreto.

Episode photograph by Kjohn, photo provided by D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai.

Actors and Ancestors is supported by a podcasting grant from the Indigenous Screen Office.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

BONUS: Using the Jay Treaty – How to Work on Both Sides of the Border

Joel wanted to cast a wider net for roles and try to get work in the United States. But first, he needed to get a social security number. Follow Joel's journey over the border to get his SSN!

The Jay Treaty allows Indigenous Peoples in Canada to travel freely across the border to work, live, or study. The idea sounds easy but it was pretty challenging to find the right information and get the right documents. Hopefully Joel's experience will help you navigate the system if you're an Indigenous actor in the same boat! This information is not legal advice.

What Joel needed:

Signed letter from his band
Long form birth certificate
Treaty card
Other ID (driver's license or passport)

More info:

USCIS Green Card for an American Indian Born in Canada (you don't need a green card to get an SSN but some useful information)
Canadian-born Native Americans: Work or Green Card?
Border Crossing Rights Under the Jay Treaty (this is an old post but still useful)

Actors and Ancestors is created, hosted, and produced by Joel D. Montgrand. Audio editing and production support by Daniella Barreto.

Music Credit at 01:41

Track: "Endless Summers"

Music provided by https://slip.stream

Download / Stream: https://get.slip.stream/K665Z0

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

From "Hey Victor!" to "Hey Doctor" with Dr. Evan Adams

Dr. Evan Adams is an accomplished actor-turned-doctor from Tla’amin Nation. His iconic portrayal of Thomas Builds-the-Fire in the 1998 movie “Smoke Signals” cemented him in Indigenous film history. Dr. Adams laughs with JD about just how many doctor roles he has played, explains how his traditional upbringing prepared him for the world of academia, and reveals how his acting life and the medical world can sometimes painfully clash. Join us in this exciting season finale with one of the most recognizable faces on the Indigenous acting scene!

A huge thank you to the Indigenous Screen Office for their support of the show.

We'd also like to thank our newest partner, Decolonial Clothing for providing each of our guests with a gift. They've also got a gift for you, dear listener! There's a discount code somewhere in this episode for 10% off your Decolonial Clothing orders. Keep an ear out for it or go to our website and find it on the episode page.

Actors and Ancestors is created, produced, and hosted by Joel D. Montgrand. Audio editing and production support from Daniella Barreto.

___

SFX Track: "Fiery Thunder"

Music provided by https://slip.stream

Download / Stream: https://slip.stream/tracks/337b9163-74f2-435a-a7a5-e88eb1b418a0?utm_source=attribution

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.