TRUE WOMEN (1997)
CBS-Hallmark Production mini-series
Directed by: Karen Arthur
Character’s Name: Tarantula

An epic saga about three generations of women in Texas who change the face of the American West in the 1800s, based on a true story.

Michael says, “‘True Women’ was a challenging film because my character, Tarantula, was so interesting. In the script it might have been easy to see Tarantula as a bad guy, one-dimensional. But I knew that there was more to him than that. Karen Arthur was the director and she really encouraged me to show those other sides of him. He didn’t have many lines, so I made them more interesting for me to say them by making him unable to speak English very well. Of course he was fluent in Comanche, his own language. Since I made it a real struggle for him to speak English, it made you really listen to understand him. I got a big compliment from Dana Delaney, the star of the film, who said, after doing our first scene together, ‘Wow, I really didn’t know what you were going to say next.’ As if I was making up the lines instead of reading them from the script everyone knows. That was nice of her to say. It was funny because I left that set to go back to ‘Rough Riders,’ then I came back a week later and the crew was imitating me in the way my character spoke. What’s the saying: ‘Imitation is the highest form of flattery’?!! I had a good laugh with that. But at the same time I learned an important lesson: often in Hollywood films, the dialogue given to Indians is rudimentary at best, childish or ignorant at worst—hardly the eloquent way they actually spoke. After this experience and the support Karen Arthur gave me, I decided never to remain trapped as an actor by the limitations of the dialogue, but to seek some way to make it more interesting, dynamic, and therefore, true to life.”

SUNSHINE STATE (2002)
Sony Pictures Classics
Director: John Sayles
Character’s Name: Billy Trucks

“Sunshine State,” by the acclaimed director John Sayles, deals with the lives of people residing in a beachside community in Florida facing the choice of holding on to its traditional way of life, or welcoming the prospect of development and modernization. Sayles has put together a fine ensemble cast including Edie Falco, Angela Bassett, and Timothy Hutton.

Michael says about the immensely respected filmmaker, John Sayles. “He was a wonder to work with. He was the most relaxed, assured, and generous director I have ever worked with (even more so than Bruce McDonald, if that was possible). The script was written by Sayles and deals with a large ensemble who are involved in one way or another with real estate development on the Florida coast. It is a complex drama that interweaves numerous storylines and characters. Only a filmmaker as accomplished as Sayles could make this kind of movie, but he has influenced so many American directors. Films like ‘Boogie Nights’ come to mind as another film that uses this kind of ensemble cast. (By the way, I really liked ‘Boogie Nights.’) I played a character named Billy Trucks, who worked on the land-clearing crew for the real estate developer. The character John wrote was interesting and multi-dimensional. It is a small supporting role, but the chance to work with John was so appealing that I would have played a smaller role just to be part of the cast.”

Michael gives a strong performance, delivering a number of sardonic lines with great comedic timing. This fine film opened in North America in the summer of 2002.

STOLEN WOMEN, CAPTURED HEARTS (1997)
CBS Movie-of-the-Week
Directed by: Jerry London
Character’s Name: Tokalah

A western love story set on the plains of Kansas in 1868. Tokalah is a warrior who is mysteriously drawn to a white settler named Anna, whom he had seen in a vision when he was a boy. After being captured, Anna first refuses his overtures, then gradually adjusts to her new life and begins to feel a connection to him.

Some 12.4 million homes watched this movie when it first aired on CBS. It won as that night’s most highly-rated program.

Michael says, “The response to this movie was overwhelming. People loved the movie, but also were impressed with me as well. CBS told me that they’ve never had the kind of response for a single actor ever. How cool is that?”

Michael later wrote, “Playing Tokalah was one of my favourite experiences as an actor. I had just finished filming ‘Crazy Horse’ for TNT the year before, and I was asked to co-star with Janine Turner in this MOW (Movie of the Week). I naturally jumped at the chance to play a romantic lead–which is a rarity for any non-white actor, especially a native one. I felt the experience of playing Crazy Horse gave me the confidence to portray a leading man like Tokalah effectively. He was a complicated character, but motivated to discover who Anna is and why he needs to be with her. From this, I believe I was able to create a character that had passion and intelligence. The director, Jerry London, gave me a lot of room to portray him with a certain degree of sensitivity instead of only ‘strength,’ which can also be translated as ‘stoic.’ In period portrayals of Indians, this is an all too common trap–a portrayal Hollywood filmmakers have now accepted as truthful and authentic. I remember, for example, charting the script to see how quickly Tokalah would have to learn English. I wanted to reveal the difficulty of learning the language without impeding his ability to communicate effectively with Anna. Subsequently, I think his progression from speaking no English, to broken English, to being quite articulate is believable, even though it occurs in about three scenes.

“‘Stolen Women’ was a hugely important role for my career–especially since it was seen by so many people here in North America and, of course, across the globe. The response to the film continues to amaze me.”

Photo © Michael Greyeyes, personal collection

NOTE FROM MICHAEL’S WEBSITE ADMINISTRATORS: The most frequent question from Michael’s fans is: “Where can I buy a copy of ‘Stolen Women, Captured Hearts’?” Unfortunately, CBS Television never released this film on home video or DVD in the U.S. or Canada. It is not available for purchase in North America. The Lifetime cable network in the U.S. has been re-airing it every couple of months. Check your local television listings, or Lifetime’s website, to see when it might re-air.

If we receive information on upcoming broadcast dates, we will post in the News section on Michael’s Home Page.

Q. Dear Michael, I went to see “Smoke Signals” and, although I enjoyed the film, humour and the performances by the actors, I was also wondering why the native people were shown to be spending their time drinking, or Victor’s father hitting his wife and child and leaving his family. Is this really how life is there? It seemed so filled with hopelessness.
From: Teresa

A. “Smoke Signals” is about Indians – yes. There are generalizations in the movie about us that make it easy for the various Indian cultures to see something familiar in the reservation represented in the film. In other words, there are elements in the film that strike a common chord amongst our peoples. But is this film a portrait of all Indian people and families? No. This is a specific portrait of one family, some of the reasons why it broke apart and, most importantly, the consequences that followed. I think you can look at the film in a broader context. Obviously many families in America, both Indian and non-Indian, have problems. Sometimes it is because of alcohol or drugs; sometimes there is abuse—all things the film showed. So you have to think- if I see an ethnic group portrayed in a certain way, can I see what is common between us or do I keep the experiences of one group separate from mine? You asked “Is this what life is like on a reserve? It all seems so hopeless.” I didn’t see the film this way. I looked at the life on the reserve there and saw people’s humour win out again and again over their poverty. In “Smoke Signals” there is comedy and sadness. There are times when the story breaks your heart. But there are other times when the characters make you see how important it is to work through all the pain to love and forgive each other. There is regret as well. Do you remember the scene where Gary Farmer who plays the father tells his young friend, “Yeah, I broke three hearts that day too.” That was one of the most moving and understated lines of dialogue I had ever heard in a film. When I see the film I don’t see hopelessness but redemption. I hope if you see it again, you can come away with feeling that too.

Q: Dear Michael, Thank you for caring about us. It is a measure of the beauty of your spirit. Here is my question: How did you make this transition into acting? Were you always interested in it? Was it a natural progression or an unexpected development? Sincerely, Elaine

A: My transition into acting was aided immensely by the films “Last of the Mohicans” and “Dances With Wolves.” After seeing “real” Indian actors on screen, I thought to myself that this is something I could do. I wasn’t interested in acting until 1991, when I worked with a group of actors in Wisconsin. They were very interesting and reminded me of dancers. We talked about acting, and I realized that it wasn’t so different from dancing, especially the way that Eliot [Feld] approached dance. Looking back, there are many, many differences but those were easy to overcome. A huge debt of gratitude is owed to my agent in Toronto, who took me on without any experience. She is a big talent agent now, but she believed in me and was willing to take a risk. I can’t imagine where I’d be without that lucky break. She’s in a position now where she doesn’t take newcomers, so I was lucky to be starting out just when she was.

Q. Mr. Greyeyes, do you feel that there is a lack of appreciation for the work of Native American or people of color in the film industry? Do you think that there are limited roles or movies for Native Americans in the film industry? I have seen a lot of your work and read some of your interviews and would like to say that I really appreciate you and your work. I think that you have a very kind soul and I wish you and your family the very best that life has to offer any of us. Donya

A. I think that people who make “Indian” movies are unconsciously biased about us, but that doesn’t mean to say that what they are doing sometimes isn’t excellent or well intentioned. I think they’ve simply been brainwashed by other films and media images, and, often, thoughtlessly perpetuate them. Does this mean that what they’re doing is, therefore, forgivable? No, not at all. Shame on them for not knowing the difference. A few years ago I spoke to an audience at Kent State University and I asked the question: What do you think Indians look like? I answered for them. “You probably imagine that they look like me, for example – brown skin, long dark hair, high cheekbones, etc.” I said, “I’m proud of the way I look, but I know that I am only one small example of what native people actually look like. There are Indians who look like Black people, or even white people—they have green eyes, even blue eyes, curly hair, but they are full-blooded members of their tribes nonetheless. Those people would never get hired by the Hollywood establishment because they don’t ‘look Indian.’ Isn’t that sad and ironic?” I told the audience that I am lucky. I am in my 30’s and am exactly the kind of thing that producers, who have the same perceptions of us as the general audience does, imagine when they think of a proud Indian warrior. That has helped me get the roles I’ve landed, but I think I’ve given those characters more depth than the writer or director intended.

I originally answered this question a few years ago, but I’m afraid to report that nothing has changed here in Hollywood. As you know, I wear my hair short and recently came up for a part in a major motion picture—a period western. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get hired due to the fact that I am no longer stereotypically “Indian-looking”. The director and casting agent told my manager that I was too “clean-cut” and “cerebral” for the role. Sounds to me like they prefer their “Indians” to be “dirty, or dishevelled” and “stupid”. Good grief.

Q. At the beginning of “Stolen Women” it says, “based on a true story.” Do you know any details of this “true story” and how accurately it was portrayed by the movie?
Thanks, Morwenna

Hi, I loved “Stolen Women, Captured Hearts.” Was it a true story? Was the movie based on a book? I would love to read it.

Elaine
A. The idea for “Stolen Women” comes from a book called “Pioneer Women: Voices from the Kansas Frontier” (by Joanna L. Stratton). Leigh Murray, the producer of the film, originally read this book and saw a brief passage about the true story of two women who were kidnapped by a band of Indians. The woman (Anna) did fall in love with one of the men in the band and stayed with him. From this brief passage, Ms. Murray’s curiosity was piqued by what this story could have been about. Many events soon followed, having the writer create the script, getting CBS interested in the idea and eventually getting a star like Janine Turner also interested in playing Anna. Even then work continued with the cultural advisor Lois Red Elk creating accurate names for all the Lakota characters, like mine: Tokalah (which is a traditional name in her culture). From these interesting beginnings emerged one of my favourite films. I think many of my fans will agree, it was worth all the effort.