The actor has also spoken publicly about the need for more Indigenous representation and stories in media.
In an interview with Elle in May, Woon-A-Tai said he particularly wants to ensure storytellers get things right and “get Natives paid.”
“I think we’re pushing to a time when we don’t need anybody to tell our story for us,” he said at the time, adding that in addition to casting more Native actors, “if you want to make a story regarding Native people, it should definitely be mandatory, in my opinion, to have a Native director, Native writer, and Native casting director.”
Earlier this summer, Woon-A-Tai also shared a statement with Variety on what “Reservation Dogs” — in which he played Bear Smallhill — has brought to his life, saying the FX series “taught me how important it is that we are the ones to tell our stories for us.”
“Nobody should tell our stories on our behalf,” he said at the time. “That’s been going on for too long. We’ve had too much misrepresentation because of it.”
