Sterlin Harjo argues that Hollywood usually only wants Native American actors to ‘come and get killed’ in Westerns.
Hollywood has a long, unfortunate history of ignoring non-white people, both on-screen and -off. Indigenous Americans have arguably had it worst than most. Not only did they spend decades portrayed as blood-thirsty savages in classic Westerns, but they were usually played by white actors. It’s not much better now, as the showrunner for the upcoming FX series Reservation Dogs — about Native American teens in rural Oklahoma — pointed out. As per The Wrap, Sterlin Harjo, who created the upcoming comedy with Taika Waititi, talked about the show during FX’s TCA press tour.
