Ep 18: DEVERY JACOBS of 'Reservation Dogs' discusses acting and writing for her character Elora on the critically acclaimed FX series.
#ReservationDogs #RezDogs #FX #DeveryJacobs #Emmys #TV #Television #FYC #FreaksandGeeks #BreakingBad #SNL #SaturdayNightLive #Avatar #TheLastAirbender
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Episode Transcript
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(00:38):
Hey, where's the remote? It's time for TV Topics, where
those who love television discuss the series and
performances that should be on your radar.
Welcome back to TV Topics. I'm your host Stephen
Prasikowski, hanging out today on the TV topics couch as an
actress who played Bonnie, Maya's estranged and resilient
cousin in Echo. She also played Jess Wells in
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the criminally underrated and under viewed Rutherford Falls
and for three spectacular seasons, JUSA Laura Dannon in
FX's must watch series Reservation Dogs.
Of course, I'm talking about thegreat DeVry Jacobs.
Hey, I'm DeVry Jacobs and today I'm hanging out with Steven
Prusikowski on TV topics. All right, and we're going to
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get into your work on reservation dogs in just a few,
but first we'll start with some TV topics.
Remember, there's no pressure, there's no right or wrong
answers. It's all just the bit of fun.
So looking back over the years, what has your relationship with
television been? Your TV junkie watches
everything very selective. Like how?
How did that work out for you? Yeah.
I mean, I think that I'm somebody who's really busy and
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so I like don't get to spend as much time watching television as
I want to. But when I do, I do like a deep
dive in and I I go all in. So I think it's like very sparse
and then really concentrated in short spurts of time.
How about like growing up like when you were a kid?
Yeah, I mean, growing up, I think I was fortunate enough to
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have like bootlegged cable from the USI was on my res in
Goniwaga, which is in Canada. But I don't know what they did.
They somehow hacked the system and we were able to get American
television. So I growing up around Canada
and in Canada, people would ask me about like why TV and
different Canadian programming and I would know nothing about
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it. But I was all about that Cartoon
Network, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel life, like I had access
to all of it. You had all the good stuff.
Yes. And So what was the first
primetime show that you rememberreally loving?
There. I mean, I used to be a Law and
Order SVU addict. I also loved Avatar the Last
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Airbender. I could probably, like, recite
both of those opening monologuesby heart.
Even now I'm not gonna do it, but I could if I wanted to.
And and yeah, I had loved those.Siri specifically, I remember
loving Whose Line Is It Anyway? I would come back after acting
class and it would always be on that I would watch religiously
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different cartoons. But I remember the first series
that I really connected with andthat I thought was elevated was,
of course, Breaking Bad. I hadn't realized, like I didn't
realize what television could beuntil I saw that series and I
was so blown away. I think series like Breaking
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Bad, Sopranos and Reservation Dogs, you know, this last 10-15
years has really shown what the art can bring to us.
Because forever it's been kind of, you know, you had the system
and you, you release On this date, you have this many
episodes now you're telling these really rich character
driven stories. So it's it's an amazing time for
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television. Totally.
And there's like there's absolutely merit for having the
24 episode cable TV show series,but I think through making
things more cinematic, having things be digital, having indie
film makers come from the indie space into television where
we're able to keep up with that pace.
And we understand because we've had to work in that in the indie
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in the indie scene for so long. That was definitely an example
of like Reservation Dogs where we all were indie film makers
and creatives and had been involved in that space first and
foremost before coming to Res Dogs.
And I think we brought a lot of those similar sentiments over.
But I'm seeing that across the board with with so many
different productions. Yeah, it gives you such a bigger
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canvas, too. You're not limited to, you know,
to the hour and a half, you know, two hours.
You can stretch things out, you know, sometimes across episodes,
sometimes across seasons. So it's really amazing that it
allows the, you know, all, all the participants, all the
artists involved to kind of expand on what they typically
wouldn't have had that opportunity to do so.
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It's so. True.
And is there 1 character that you connect with most or
connected with most at you any time in your life?
I mean, there are so many characters that I've connected
with. I know it's not in the TV space,
but one was Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh.
I had loved the book. I had loved the movie.
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I was watching the animated series that they just came out
with, with Beanie Feldstein and Jane Lynch.
But yeah, that that was one thatI really resonated with and that
I saw myself in, and only as an adult realized that the author
and creator of Harriet was an out gay woman in the 60s.
And it all kind of clued in for me over.
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I was like, Oh my God, Harriet was a baby gay and I was a baby
gay. And amazing.
It's that you know that you you don't see it, but you're
connecting in some way. And then you're like, Oh, yeah,
like you said, you're have this epiphany.
Oh, wait, there. There are.
There's things that are there. There's something that spoke to
you that wasn't maybe beyond thesurface level.
Yeah, things that spoke to me asa child, but then also spoke to
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me like that, like the love for that character and that story
has continued from my childhood into my adulthood and has taken
on like different shapes. And yeah, I had even read the
the biography of Louise Fitzhughthis past year, learning more
about her story and her life and.
And it was just, yeah, it's, it's cool to kind of like grow
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up with a character in in different iterations.
And what show or shows make you laugh the most?
Is there something you put on for a laugh or pick me up?
Oh my God, what shows make me laugh the most?
I mean, my comfort watch will belike Sex and the City, which I
remember moving there when I waslike, I don't know, a late
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teenager. I was by myself and I was like
eating takeout, watching the lives of these really wealthy
white women who were straight intheir 30s and thinking the
experience that I'm having in New York is radically different
than what I'm watching on screen.
But it ended up being like such a such a comfort watch that I'll
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just like, throw it on in the background and and yeah, I mean,
like Cynthia Nixon, come on. And are you a crier?
Is there a show that makes you cry or has made you cry in the
past? There's definitely a show that's
made me cry but also laugh and also like, I don't know, it was
a little spicy, but I always come back to Sense 8.
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I think it has kind of everything in there.
And I'm such a fan of the Wachowski's that, yeah, that
that's definitely made me feel all of the feelings, including
crying. That's great.
That one has not come up yet. So let's get into some
reservation dogs a little bit. You know, I'm curious, when you
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were first offered this role, how was Laura described to you?
Oh. Laura Dannon, That's a good
question. Actually.
I wonder if I have the casting. I must still have the casting
breakdown in my in my emails. I'm gonna look it up, if you
don't mind. I'm so I'm just like for myself.
I'm really I'm. Really.
Curious, I mean I would imagine I'll be scrolling forever
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anyways. I might not have time for that
cause I've had like thousands onthousands of emails when it
comes to Red Dogs. But I remember reading it,
reading the breakdown for a Laura Dannon and feeling like I
really connected with a Laura Dannon, that there was so much
that I could bring to her that Iknew.
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I was a little bit older than mycharacter and I was already
friends with Sterling Harjo. We had known each other from
around, like the film scene. He had seen some of my work as a
writer, as a director of short films, as an actor.
And yeah, I, I don't know that Iwas like, fully offered the
role. I kind of had to scrap for it
and, and fight for it. And then I was able to show that
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this was a role that I was rightfor.
And oh, I do. Here I have it.
That's speedy. It's actually such a tiny
description. It's so it's so short.
Laura Dan and Posto Native American female to play age, I'm
not gonna say what age. She's a tough, spirited and
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saucy tomboy who can hold her own with the boys and then some
series regular. So I think there was like more
that we ended up uncovering and learning.
I think I thought originally a Laura Dannon was supposed to be
more like Willie Jack's character and like her personal
style and like knowing res girlsgrowing up where it's like you
have the res bikini, which is like a tank top and super size
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basketball shorts. And so that's what I thought,
oh, Laura Dannon would be going into it.
And then I think I quickly learned that the character was
kind of modeled after Sterling Harjo, the showrunner's
daughter, who is a teen at the time.
She's now become like a poet laureate and is like really
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incredible and an artist in her own right, but definitely has
more of that edge to her. And Sterling had had her when
she when he was really young. And so I I saw some of that
influence. I definitely brought a lot of
myself into there. And I think we shaped Ellora
Dannon together. Is there something that
connected with you early on, like once you started?
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Getting Yeah. I mean, I like reading it.
I knew the world really well. I grew up in that space where
it's so communal. I was a res girl growing up.
I saw a Res girl surrounding me and there was also, I think a
Laura being the source of conflict for the relationship
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with Bear a lot of the time. And them going head to head.
I knew that the character wouldn't necessarily be the most
liked, especially off the bat, especially before we get to know
who she is and and what she's been through, which have shaped
so much of her experience, especially finding Daniel and
her relationship with her mom. Like there's a lot of drama with
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Elora and that's where I love tolive as an actor.
I love comedy and I think it's so great, but I feel like my
strength is definitely in drama.And yeah, I think those elements
and, and having hints of who this Moody teenager, oh, Laura
Dannon is, was the the aspect ofher that I was most drawn to.
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And let's Fast forward to the end.
I'm really curious, when you learned about the final season,
how did you react? We didn't know it was going to
be the final season. Even at the end, there was still
there was still a crack of hope in in the door.
But I had learned while I was onset directing episode six of the
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third season, Wahoo, that I started hearing rumors that this
might be the the last season, which it hadn't been when we
were in the writers room. We had planned for it to to kind
of go on. And I honestly don't even
remember what we had planned forthe final episode.
I'd have to look back. But yeah, it wasn't the plan for
this to be for this to be it. But somewhere halfway through,
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it started feeling like it wouldbe the end.
And it seemed like Sterling was wrapping up the story and he let
us know he's like, this may or may not be the last season.
We're still figuring that out. He had talked about maybe if
there was a season four, that itwould take place during the 70s,
during the older generation of res dogs like their childhood
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and youth. And so I knew for myself that,
oh, Laura Dannon would be sent on her way, that she her journey
would be concluded in the show. And it was definitely
bittersweet. I think I've never had a chance
to sit with a character for so long and one that I feel so
connected to. And yeah, getting to say goodbye
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to her, to send her off was really, really emotional.
And I had given myself that closure towards the end of it.
And then I think it was a coupledays before the third season
release that we got the concretephone call that this is the last
and final season. And so I, I don't know that
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we've like had, we've had a few chances to be able to send the
show off it, it came out during the strikes and so we weren't
able to talk about it. It felt like it was kind of
released into a void a little bit.
But now coming back around and, and talking about it again and
feeling like we're sending it off and, and finally getting
that like catharsis of being able to talk about this last
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season, it just, it means a lot.Are you happy how it closed out?
You know when when all is said and done, yes.
I'm so happy with how it closed out.
I feel like it finished the way that it was supposed to.
I feel like having it be at a burial, having it be at this
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kind of wake in a community event just felt so fitting.
And being able to have the send off with each of the characters
like we there. There's something to be said
about finishing just as strong, if not stronger than when we
first started out that I don't know a lot of shows get the
privilege to do. Yeah, the, I mean, I thought it
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was amazing. And it's like when you hear that
it wasn't expected, it's like, well, it did seem like they
really. I mean, the writing was on the
wall. I was like, if you're reading
between the lines, like our storylines done, Res dogs might
continue, but it wouldn't be with us, the res dogs.
Yeah, so, but I mean, I, I, I enjoyed it quite a bit.
I thought the that final finale was really moving and, and just
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what you needed to, you know, 'cause it, it's like, I didn't
want it. When I heard it was ending, I
was like, really why? It's like, we need, we still
need more, but it just seemed like the proper closure.
At least it wasn't like, you know, some series where like,
guess what, it's over and you'relike, we're in the middle of a
cliffhanger, so you're you. Didn't have definitely and and
you have to respect that. I feel like there will always be
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stories from our communities. There will always be countless
stories and shenanigans with anyone of these characters from Res
Dogs, and it just is showing that there needs to be so much
more out there from indigenous creatives that this feels like
there's such a such a void left with the ending of this show
that I want to see like 10 more pop up in its in its place.
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And we'll never be able to placereplace Reservation Dogs, but we
will be able to hear from all ofthese storytellers who have so
much to say. And we and we shouldn't replace
it. It should never be replaced.
It should just be more stories. You know, it doesn't have to be
well, that's this one's out of the way, which which is the
next. No, it should just be like here,
here's 56710 and and get those stories out there.
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And they can alltel their own stories all unique ways.
You know, we don't have to have a a quota, you know, and the
quota should be, if we did have a quota, it should be much
higher than one series I. Would say.
So you're an actress, writer, director on the series.
What did being in the writers room allow you to to bring to
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Elora? I mean, I think I would hope
that I was able to bring a lot to each of the characters.
A lot of the time I was making sure that I was really focused
on story. It feels like a different part
of my brain where I'm like one gear as a writer and then the
other gear as as an actor. And it feels like I really have
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to put a different hat on in that space.
Tommy Pico, one of the writers in Res Dogs, had had paid me a
compliment that really meant a lot to me, which was that he
appreciated that I had always focused on story and that I
wasn't just like an actor who was trying to get more scenes or
anything like that. If anything, I was giving
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storylines away to other characters because I felt like,
oh, this doesn't make sense for Allora.
It would actually be Jackie thatis is going through this or this
would happen to Cheese. And and yeah, I had hoped to
write for other characters in their specific episodes, but
Sterling had always kind of brought it back to allure for
me, which I'm also grateful for in in another way.
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But yeah, I think that there in season one, I had come to
Sterling with a lot of questionsand a lot of like curiosity is
an input on a Laura and like where she's at.
And so much so that when I had asked to be in the writers room
for season 2, that he welcomed me in with open arms.
And then I was I was so passionate about certain
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storylines that he ended up having me write them.
And that was for Mabel in Season2 and then a Laura's dad in in
season 3. It's a a role that you play in
the series that is most challenging or or one and or one
that's your favorite. Like a like a tangible position.
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Like the position is what I'm saying, yes.
Is it director, writer or or? I mean, I, I, while I've
directed shorts before and like a music video, I've like done a
handful of things. For me, directing always has to
be something that I have a passion for.
I'm not just gonna direct any episode of television.
Like, it has to really mean something for me and stepping
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into a directing position in season three with Wahoo, I was
definitely a challenge, but one that I felt really grateful for.
If anything, I had such a home field advantage of getting to be
on the show for three seasons and know this crew so intimately
and getting to be in that space.We shoot fast, man, like season
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one and two, we would shoot every episode in four days.
Season three, it would be every five, like we would shoot it
within five days, which felt luxurious in comparison.
But it's still like it moves andit's a steady pace and there's
minors on set, which means we have reduced hours.
And but yeah, getting to work with Sarah Podemski and Janae
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Collins. And also I think that the to
answer your question, like the most challenging part was acting
and directing at the same time and having to juggle that hat.
I was glad that it was only for like 2 or one or two scenes in
in the production. Yeah, I mean, it's got to be
quite a bit. And especially with the the
pace, you have to be really efficient.
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So you have to be able to step out of that one role, go in
front of the camera and, and, and focus there and then go back
and, and and, you know, reshift gears.
It's for sure. But I know like even when I was
doing my short film Ray, which Iwrote, directed, produced and
acted in, I remember thinking that was too much and I wouldn't
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be able to take that on. But loving the movie boy so much
that Taika Waititi had written, directed, started.
And I figured if Tyka can do it,so can I.
And so now to have that full circle moment of coming back and
writing on the series, directingon the series and acting
simultaneously was. Yeah, something that I'm just
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really happy to to have done, especially since he inspired it.
That's amazing. And you and you and you nailed
it, by the way, So Congrats on that.
One of my favorite episodes of TV this year was episode 9 of
Laura's Dad. It was amazing.
And then I found out you wrote it, so you were and and that's,
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you know, that's incredible to have.
You have to put that out on in front of the camera, but to put
those words and ideas into your character so you get to then
bring them to life. Can you talk a little bit about
that episode and and what it meant to you?
That episode was definitely really personal.
I have two Mohawk parents. I was raised in my community,
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but my mom is mixed and she didn't meet her white dad until
she was grown and even then it was by accident.
And so there were definitely personal inspirations and
moments in Laura's dad that I had drawn from my own family
story from. And we also knew Sterling had
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Sterling had worked with Ethan Hawke before and wanted him to
play Rick. And so that was always kept in
mind and was actually used as inspiration when writing the
episode. Sterling wanted to make sure
that it was paying homage to theBefore Sunrise trilogy in that
we're with two people. It's happening in real time.
It's like mumblecore before mumblecore was a thing.
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And and definitely like sitting with these characters, which we
haven't had a chance to do before in the series.
I think with being an an ensemble cast and doing these
flashbacks in different moments,like we've done everything under
the sun when it comes to Reza except for that.
And so this was a really specialmoment of getting to just play
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and sit with these with these estranged people where it's so
loaded and so charged between them and there's so much longing
and there's also so much hurt. And at the end of the day, he
was kind of just a shit ass dad,but isn't actually a bad dude.
And so how do you sit with that?So there was a lot that went
into it. And also with Sterling and his
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experience of, of being a young dad with his daughter, who I'd
mentioned, who had almost kind of shaped Dolora.
So it was really a a coming together.
And I was so grateful that EthanHawke had availability in his
schedule to to make time for forResdax.
But yeah, there was, there was alot of a lot of each of our
personal stories infused into that episode and.
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Knowing that you had a chance towrite and that your characters
time you know in existence on screen it was coming to an end.
Is there something you wanted tosay in that episode about Elora?
I think it's a really beautiful place where we are leaving Elora
Dannon. If I look at her journey from
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where we first meet her, she's quite literally traumatized.
She is very much suffering through the aftermath of having
found Daniel after he died by suicide.
And that is where we find her inthe first season.
And she's trying to run away from all of these memories, from
everything that's like causing her pain.
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She wants to run away to California to Season 2, where
she gets to experience and witness death in the right way
for the first time and sending off her grandma Mabel and it
being surrounded by community and it's actually a really
beautiful thing. And her getting to let go of
Daniel in the ocean and and sendhim off on his way.
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And then in season 30, Laura's like, well, what now what's, how
do you move through these thingsand move forward?
And and I think she really gets to do that with going to
college, with finding what her life looks like moving forward,
not just operating from a place of trauma, but operating from
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like what she wants to do with her life.
She comes together with bearish and then with a Laura's dad, she
finds family that she didn't really know she had.
And it it opens up an Ave. for her that I think she has been
lacking so much in her home lifethat it it's a really special
place to leave a Laura. And you, you just, you get the
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feeling that like, you know she's not going to be without
hardship, but that she's going to be OK.
Though I was going to ask because, you know, she having
lost her mom already, I was nervous she was just going to
get that signature and get what she needed and leave.
And it was so wonderful to have that time with them together.
Do you in your head have an idealike where that relationship
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goes after the series? With.
With with her father, yes. Yeah, I think I could see Elora
Danning or Laura. Excuse me, I can see Elora
Danning getting closer with her siblings.
I think they were kind of the key for her opening up where she
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felt really guarded and really closed off to Rick.
And there would be little moments where she would open up
and she'd quickly shut it back. Being the the hard ass she is
and her getting to see her younger siblings I think softens
her a little bit and makes her more open to what this
relationship with Rick might look like.
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And I don't know that it'll be perfect.
I'm sure they'll still be disappointment to come in in
many ways, but I think she's able to see him as a
three-dimensional human outside of just being her dad or this
absence of a dad. And I think that there is also
some like really meaningful timethat they'll form a closer
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relationship that won't always be as father daughter, but but
as like this connection that they that they share.
And you have this amazing, you know, chemistry with your three
other leads on in the series. I was wondering what is it like
working with, you know, three actors so closely?
(26:25):
I mean, it was really incredible.
Get it? Yeah.
Getting to see where we first started with each of them and
then where we ended up and to see them grow into themselves as
actors and as people. Like when I first started
working with Elaine, he was literally 14, which is wild.
He was so young. And now he's just, I mean, he's
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still so much himself, but he has grown so much.
And same for for each of them. I definitely have always felt
like a big sister to each of them because I'm was an adult
playing a kid and I was up in there like making sure they had
entertainment lawyers, making sure they had accountants, and
it was like anything you need. I was like really aggressive
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about my unsolicited advice, butit was because I had really
needed that growing up. And I've made mistakes and have
learned the hard way and I'm still learning the hard way.
But I wanted to be able to seizeevery opportunity and, and show
them how they can also seize every opportunity of this.
And just personally, yeah, getting to work off of them, it
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feels like family and like I'll be connected to them forever.
And there's so much to love about this series.
There's just one favorite momentor aspect of it that stands out
to you. Of this series, I mean.
Of the series as a whole, yes. It's so hard to say, but the
overwhelming feeling that I get is just of of the sense of
(27:54):
community. I felt it from day one that we
stepped on set. I remember when we wrapped the
pilot, I was like a mess. I was an inconsolable mess.
But it was because I felt so much joy and love for this story
that we were telling. And I had no idea if we would
ever be able to tell it again. And we were.
We ran for three strong seasons and yeah, the the impact that it
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had on me and now feeling the impact that it's had, like
forget the industry, unindigenous people watching it
across the world is something that will always stay with me.
But it's like that, that sense of home, that sense of
community, that's. Great.
And what was it? So we talked about you're,
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you're ending your first day of shooting or first episode.
What was it like shooting your final scene and what was it like
that day leaving the set? What was my final scene?
I think my final scene was walking away where it's supposed
(29:05):
to be sunrise. It was sunset where Willie Jack
says her words for Fixico and weall say Humbucks J, like let's
go eat. And we walk over to the
cookhouse and like as the sunsets over and we're all there
arm in arm. That was the last scene that we
shot, but we stuck around 'causethere was still more to shoot.
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That was my last scene. And so they were doing the dig
and all like the funny stuff that was happening at the end
and we were in the woods trying not to get ticks and like it
felt like it was really charged where it was the middle of the
night. It was super late, but like,
none of us ever dreamed about leaving.
We were just, we all, as we would wrap, we would get dressed
(29:50):
into our own clothes and we'd come right back to set.
And we were just kind of like waiting and seeing.
And as it finally wrapped, we all gathered and there were like
gifts given out. There were blankets, there were
tears. There was there was all of it.
And there was still, yeah, wordsabout this potentially not being
the end. But I knew that it was.
(30:11):
There was no way that it couldn't be.
And when you leave that day, like how you know it's going to
stick with you for a long time. But do you have that, you know,
kind of like watching your kids go off to college type feel
like, you know, this is the end of this is a beginning and an
end, a beginning for you. You know, it's something we're
(30:32):
going to take on new things, butan end of this chapter.
Yeah, it felt like all through that day, it felt like the last
day of high school where you know that everybody's gonna be
separating and going on and doing other things, but you're
always gonna remember that forever.
But times 1000. And so I think I was just
soaking it all in and and takingin every every single moment of
(30:54):
that. And the the drive home.
I listened to a soundtrack from like, or not the soundtrack.
Still, I would make these playlists every season of of
music that was inspiring him or that he wanted to have in the
episodes. It was really music forward.
And so I put on the playlist forRes Dog season one on the drive
(31:18):
home and I was crying the whole time and I kept having to be
like, OK, I need to focus on theroad 'cause it's actually
dangerous at the middle of the night.
I can't be like sobbing on the highway.
But it was, it was really emotional.
I just felt like it was I was untethering Alora Dannon from my
skin and that I was letting go of this story and and giving it
(31:41):
back to Indian country. That's amazing and, and
beautiful. Wow.
So, as you come to the end of the reservation Dog's journey,
what will stick with you most? I don't know, it's so big and
it's so all-encompassing that like, I don't know if I could
(32:03):
reduce it to one specific thing.I think, yes, it's a television
show. Yes, we are actors.
Yes, we were telling a story. But it feels so, so much bigger
than that. It feels like we have really
poured our everything into this story and that we've given it to
(32:25):
our communities. Like all of our hearts are in
it. And it's for Ghanawaga.
It's for like the Muskogee Nation, it's for Indian Country,
it's for our communities and thestories that we needed to see
when we were young and stories that people are only getting
access to now that, yeah, I would just say it feels so much
(32:51):
bigger than just a television series.
And whether or not we get nominations or whatnot is kind
of, I mean, don't get me wrong, it would be great, but it's also
a bit irrelevant because it's like this feels like it's even
bigger than ATV series. I think it would be, I mean, I'm
hoping it, it does happen. It should happen.
(33:12):
It's a crime that that it hasn'thappened, you know, besides that
one nomination. But I think it's important
because it kind of puts a stake in the ground that can't be
moved and you'll forever be the nominees and people who just
like reference awards, etcetera.Well then say, wait, I've never
heard of this or I have heard ofthis and now I need to watch it
because, you know, the Emmys have said so, while others have,
(33:35):
you know, as you know, critics and and fans and, and all those
involved have already fallen in love with it and already have
such a hold to such to such highregard.
I think those the awards are important because they allow
they access a new audience and and this show definitely
deserves it. I have a feeling that Red Sox is
going to continue to grow for years, even after, even after
(34:00):
we've wrapped, even after the dust has settled, Like I have a
feeling that it's going to continue on with a life of its
own. Yeah, I mean, I, I have friends
who've been wanting to watch it and then I, I said, you know,
you have to watch it. They watch and like, they blown
away. And I'm like, it's, that's the
thing. It's like they're taking that
first step. Once you watch an episode,
you're done, you're hooked. And I think, you know, it is the
(34:22):
it'll, it'll continue to, like you said, it'll continue to
snowball those the recommends recommendations will kind of
grow and grow. And then, you know, after after
all said and done, then you'll have this huge, massive audience
and you're like, damn it, where were you?
When what do you want to the awards?
And you know, and 3rd that's. So what happened though?
Yeah, yeah, that's life, I guess.
(34:43):
So let's close out with three words to describe Ellora. 3
words to describe Ellora. I would say Moody.
I would say like heartfelt and sister like all of those things
(35:12):
that are in there. I could go on, but you've you've
left me with three. Only three, so those work.
It's probably better than the description you got when you
were off at the park. Honestly, you can run with the
boys. OK, so let's close out with some
TV topics and get you on your way.
(35:33):
Start with this one. You grab a remote control.
A genie comes out granting your TV based wish.
Based on this question, what TV show would you like to see one
more season on? And now it can be any show that
ran anytime and all the originalcast and everything.
It'll be like as if it never ended and you can add a season
at the beginning. You can add a season somewhere
in the middle or extend it with a a final final season.
(35:57):
Which one would you choose? Freaks and Geeks.
I was not ready to say bye to that show and I don't know that
anybody else was either. That just came up just recently.
And I I agree, yeah, it's like that one ends.
You're like, wait, that's it. Yeah, there's.
There's so much more to say, youjust started it, but.
Fast and like the chemistry and all of it, it was so magic.
(36:20):
It was so fun. They had struck lightning.
And yeah, the audiences and industry hadn't picked up on
that success in in real time. And we'll never, we'll never get
it again. No, yeah, it's one season
perfection, which is which is rare.
And is there a theme song you cannot skip?
A theme song that I can't skip. Hmm Oh God.
(36:46):
I mean, there's one that I like hate with every fiber of my
being so much that it's turned back around to love and it's the
L bird opening sequence. It is.
I apologies to the artist but itis like so blood curdling that
you just can't not like loving screaming by me.
(37:09):
Fucking bubble. Yeah, I I can't skip it.
It's it's in my queer DNA. And is is there a a series or
show you watch that kind of would probably be tagged with
the guilty pleasure tag that youdon't?
(37:29):
One that I would tag with the guilty pleasure tag.
Yeah. I mean, it was when I was in
high school. Gossip Girl from 2007.
It is not auteur. It is not highbrow television.
But let me tell you, there are like so many brown girls that I
(37:50):
know. I feel like it's exclusively
brown girls who like, love that series.
And I think it's the campy. I think it's the campiness of
it. Yeah, I it wasn't on my radar,
unfortunately. I mean, that's fair.
I don't blame you. And finally, if you could live
in one TV show, so you have a door you can open up whenever
you want to. You can enter this one TV show,
(38:13):
walk that world, hang out with the characters, do whatever you
do, whatever you please. You can go deliver mail there.
You can go eat at the restaurants they eat at or
whatever, but you don't have to give up any part of your life.
So once you walk in that door, things pause.
Once you come back, your your life continues onward.
Which show would it be? The first one that's coming to
(38:35):
mind for me is like SNL. SNL that that's interesting
because it's it's skits or sketches, so.
Yeah, it's kind of like always changing and just like also in
New York and yeah, that, that one, maybe that's like a
realistic view of it. Are there certain sketches that
(38:56):
you would want to kind of hang out in?
Oh my God. I mean, the one that I saw most
recently that I thought was hilarious was the one with IO
debris and the hypnotist or the,well, magician.
That'd be pretty. That'd be pretty funny.
But yeah. Well, that's it.
That's the first one. First time someone said SNL.
(39:16):
It's I'm curious how that works.Does it like you get access to
all of those? Can you go hang out with like
Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin on the news and then?
Yeah, I mean all of the above. It's you know these questions.
Luckily, you know when, when themagic does happen, you'll,
you'll be able to tell me and give me a some feedback and how
(39:37):
it all turned out for you. But keep an eye out for that
door. Well, thank you so much for your
time. Thank you for this conversation.
I really enjoyed it and I love the insight into into a
character I already appreciated and and, you know, enjoyed
watching and and going on her journey with.
But now there's so much more that you brought to it, which is
(39:57):
which is always really a wonderful thing.
So thank you. Awesome.
Thank you so much. And best of luck going forward
with everything. I look forward to seeing what
you do next. Thanks.
All right, have a great day. You too.
Thank you so much to DeVry for being our guest on TV Topics.
Be sure to watch her work on Reservation Dogs seasons one
(40:18):
through 3, now streaming on Hulu.
A shout out goes out to Emilia Yu for our funky theme song and
our announcer, Kari Loya. You can find him at
kariloyavo.com. It's in our profile.
You can also follow me directly on Twitter, Letterbox, and
Instagram, all at Filmsnort. Thanks for listening and stay
tuned for more TV topics. TV Topics is produced by Stephen
(40:41):
Przukowski, ZAP.
Hey, where's the remote? It's time for TV Topics, where
those who love television discuss the series and
performances that should be on your radar.
Welcome back to TV Topics. I'm your host Stephen
Prasikowski, hanging out today on the TV topics couch as an
actress who played Bonnie, Maya's estranged and resilient
cousin in Echo. She also played Jess Wells in
(01:01):
the criminally underrated and under viewed Rutherford Falls
and for three spectacular seasons, JUSA Laura Dannon in
FX's must watch series Reservation Dogs.
Of course, I'm talking about thegreat DeVry Jacobs.
Hey, I'm DeVry Jacobs and today I'm hanging out with Steven
Prusikowski on TV topics. All right, and we're going to
(01:24):
get into your work on reservation dogs in just a few,
but first we'll start with some TV topics.
Remember, there's no pressure, there's no right or wrong
answers. It's all just the bit of fun.
So looking back over the years, what has your relationship with
television been? Your TV junkie watches
everything very selective. Like how?
How did that work out for you? Yeah.
I mean, I think that I'm somebody who's really busy and
(01:47):
so I like don't get to spend as much time watching television as
I want to. But when I do, I do like a deep
dive in and I I go all in. So I think it's like very sparse
and then really concentrated in short spurts of time.
How about like growing up like when you were a kid?
Yeah, I mean, growing up, I think I was fortunate enough to
(02:09):
have like bootlegged cable from the USI was on my res in
Goniwaga, which is in Canada. But I don't know what they did.
They somehow hacked the system and we were able to get American
television. So I growing up around Canada
and in Canada, people would ask me about like why TV and
different Canadian programming and I would know nothing about
(02:29):
it. But I was all about that Cartoon
Network, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel life, like I had access
to all of it. You had all the good stuff.
Yes. And So what was the first
primetime show that you rememberreally loving?
There. I mean, I used to be a Law and
Order SVU addict. I also loved Avatar the Last
(02:50):
Airbender. I could probably, like, recite
both of those opening monologuesby heart.
Even now I'm not gonna do it, but I could if I wanted to.
And and yeah, I had loved those.Siri specifically, I remember
loving Whose Line Is It Anyway? I would come back after acting
class and it would always be on that I would watch religiously
(03:12):
different cartoons. But I remember the first series
that I really connected with andthat I thought was elevated was,
of course, Breaking Bad. I hadn't realized, like I didn't
realize what television could beuntil I saw that series and I
was so blown away. I think series like Breaking
(03:33):
Bad, Sopranos and Reservation Dogs, you know, this last 10-15
years has really shown what the art can bring to us.
Because forever it's been kind of, you know, you had the system
and you, you release On this date, you have this many
episodes now you're telling these really rich character
driven stories. So it's it's an amazing time for
(03:54):
television. Totally.
And there's like there's absolutely merit for having the
24 episode cable TV show series,but I think through making
things more cinematic, having things be digital, having indie
film makers come from the indie space into television where
we're able to keep up with that pace.
And we understand because we've had to work in that in the indie
(04:17):
in the indie scene for so long. That was definitely an example
of like Reservation Dogs where we all were indie film makers
and creatives and had been involved in that space first and
foremost before coming to Res Dogs.
And I think we brought a lot of those similar sentiments over.
But I'm seeing that across the board with with so many
different productions. Yeah, it gives you such a bigger
(04:39):
canvas, too. You're not limited to, you know,
to the hour and a half, you know, two hours.
You can stretch things out, you know, sometimes across episodes,
sometimes across seasons. So it's really amazing that it
allows the, you know, all, all the participants, all the
artists involved to kind of expand on what they typically
wouldn't have had that opportunity to do so.
(05:02):
It's so. True.
And is there 1 character that you connect with most or
connected with most at you any time in your life?
I mean, there are so many characters that I've connected
with. I know it's not in the TV space,
but one was Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh.
I had loved the book. I had loved the movie.
(05:23):
I was watching the animated series that they just came out
with, with Beanie Feldstein and Jane Lynch.
But yeah, that that was one thatI really resonated with and that
I saw myself in, and only as an adult realized that the author
and creator of Harriet was an out gay woman in the 60s.
And it all kind of clued in for me over.
(05:44):
I was like, Oh my God, Harriet was a baby gay and I was a baby
gay. And amazing.
It's that you know that you you don't see it, but you're
connecting in some way. And then you're like, Oh, yeah,
like you said, you're have this epiphany.
Oh, wait, there. There are.
There's things that are there. There's something that spoke to
you that wasn't maybe beyond thesurface level.
Yeah, things that spoke to me asa child, but then also spoke to
(06:07):
me like that, like the love for that character and that story
has continued from my childhood into my adulthood and has taken
on like different shapes. And yeah, I had even read the
the biography of Louise Fitzhughthis past year, learning more
about her story and her life and.
And it was just, yeah, it's, it's cool to kind of like grow
(06:28):
up with a character in in different iterations.
And what show or shows make you laugh the most?
Is there something you put on for a laugh or pick me up?
Oh my God, what shows make me laugh the most?
I mean, my comfort watch will belike Sex and the City, which I
remember moving there when I waslike, I don't know, a late
(06:49):
teenager. I was by myself and I was like
eating takeout, watching the lives of these really wealthy
white women who were straight intheir 30s and thinking the
experience that I'm having in New York is radically different
than what I'm watching on screen.
But it ended up being like such a such a comfort watch that I'll
(07:10):
just like, throw it on in the background and and yeah, I mean,
like Cynthia Nixon, come on. And are you a crier?
Is there a show that makes you cry or has made you cry in the
past? There's definitely a show that's
made me cry but also laugh and also like, I don't know, it was
a little spicy, but I always come back to Sense 8.
(07:31):
I think it has kind of everything in there.
And I'm such a fan of the Wachowski's that, yeah, that
that's definitely made me feel all of the feelings, including
crying. That's great.
That one has not come up yet. So let's get into some
reservation dogs a little bit. You know, I'm curious, when you
(07:52):
were first offered this role, how was Laura described to you?
Oh. Laura Dannon, That's a good
question. Actually.
I wonder if I have the casting. I must still have the casting
breakdown in my in my emails. I'm gonna look it up, if you
don't mind. I'm so I'm just like for myself.
I'm really I'm. Really.
Curious, I mean I would imagine I'll be scrolling forever
(08:18):
anyways. I might not have time for that
cause I've had like thousands onthousands of emails when it
comes to Red Dogs. But I remember reading it,
reading the breakdown for a Laura Dannon and feeling like I
really connected with a Laura Dannon, that there was so much
that I could bring to her that Iknew.
(08:40):
I was a little bit older than mycharacter and I was already
friends with Sterling Harjo. We had known each other from
around, like the film scene. He had seen some of my work as a
writer, as a director of short films, as an actor.
And yeah, I, I don't know that Iwas like, fully offered the
role. I kind of had to scrap for it
and, and fight for it. And then I was able to show that
(09:01):
this was a role that I was rightfor.
And oh, I do. Here I have it.
That's speedy. It's actually such a tiny
description. It's so it's so short.
Laura Dan and Posto Native American female to play age, I'm
not gonna say what age. She's a tough, spirited and
(09:24):
saucy tomboy who can hold her own with the boys and then some
series regular. So I think there was like more
that we ended up uncovering and learning.
I think I thought originally a Laura Dannon was supposed to be
more like Willie Jack's character and like her personal
style and like knowing res girlsgrowing up where it's like you
have the res bikini, which is like a tank top and super size
(09:47):
basketball shorts. And so that's what I thought,
oh, Laura Dannon would be going into it.
And then I think I quickly learned that the character was
kind of modeled after Sterling Harjo, the showrunner's
daughter, who is a teen at the time.
She's now become like a poet laureate and is like really
(10:08):
incredible and an artist in her own right, but definitely has
more of that edge to her. And Sterling had had her when
she when he was really young. And so I I saw some of that
influence. I definitely brought a lot of
myself into there. And I think we shaped Ellora
Dannon together. Is there something that
connected with you early on, like once you started?
(10:29):
Getting Yeah. I mean, I like reading it.
I knew the world really well. I grew up in that space where
it's so communal. I was a res girl growing up.
I saw a Res girl surrounding me and there was also, I think a
Laura being the source of conflict for the relationship
(10:53):
with Bear a lot of the time. And them going head to head.
I knew that the character wouldn't necessarily be the most
liked, especially off the bat, especially before we get to know
who she is and and what she's been through, which have shaped
so much of her experience, especially finding Daniel and
her relationship with her mom. Like there's a lot of drama with
(11:14):
Elora and that's where I love tolive as an actor.
I love comedy and I think it's so great, but I feel like my
strength is definitely in drama.And yeah, I think those elements
and, and having hints of who this Moody teenager, oh, Laura
Dannon is, was the the aspect ofher that I was most drawn to.
(11:39):
And let's Fast forward to the end.
I'm really curious, when you learned about the final season,
how did you react? We didn't know it was going to
be the final season. Even at the end, there was still
there was still a crack of hope in in the door.
But I had learned while I was onset directing episode six of the
(12:00):
third season, Wahoo, that I started hearing rumors that this
might be the the last season, which it hadn't been when we
were in the writers room. We had planned for it to to kind
of go on. And I honestly don't even
remember what we had planned forthe final episode.
I'd have to look back. But yeah, it wasn't the plan for
this to be for this to be it. But somewhere halfway through,
(12:24):
it started feeling like it wouldbe the end.
And it seemed like Sterling was wrapping up the story and he let
us know he's like, this may or may not be the last season.
We're still figuring that out. He had talked about maybe if
there was a season four, that itwould take place during the 70s,
during the older generation of res dogs like their childhood
(12:45):
and youth. And so I knew for myself that,
oh, Laura Dannon would be sent on her way, that she her journey
would be concluded in the show. And it was definitely
bittersweet. I think I've never had a chance
to sit with a character for so long and one that I feel so
connected to. And yeah, getting to say goodbye
(13:10):
to her, to send her off was really, really emotional.
And I had given myself that closure towards the end of it.
And then I think it was a coupledays before the third season
release that we got the concretephone call that this is the last
and final season. And so I, I don't know that
(13:31):
we've like had, we've had a few chances to be able to send the
show off it, it came out during the strikes and so we weren't
able to talk about it. It felt like it was kind of
released into a void a little bit.
But now coming back around and, and talking about it again and
feeling like we're sending it off and, and finally getting
that like catharsis of being able to talk about this last
(13:54):
season, it just, it means a lot.Are you happy how it closed out?
You know when when all is said and done, yes.
I'm so happy with how it closed out.
I feel like it finished the way that it was supposed to.
I feel like having it be at a burial, having it be at this
(14:15):
kind of wake in a community event just felt so fitting.
And being able to have the send off with each of the characters
like we there. There's something to be said
about finishing just as strong, if not stronger than when we
first started out that I don't know a lot of shows get the
privilege to do. Yeah, the, I mean, I thought it
(14:39):
was amazing. And it's like when you hear that
it wasn't expected, it's like, well, it did seem like they
really. I mean, the writing was on the
wall. I was like, if you're reading
between the lines, like our storylines done, Res dogs might
continue, but it wouldn't be with us, the res dogs.
Yeah, so, but I mean, I, I, I enjoyed it quite a bit.
I thought the that final finale was really moving and, and just
(15:02):
what you needed to, you know, 'cause it, it's like, I didn't
want it. When I heard it was ending, I
was like, really why? It's like, we need, we still
need more, but it just seemed like the proper closure.
At least it wasn't like, you know, some series where like,
guess what, it's over and you'relike, we're in the middle of a
cliffhanger, so you're you. Didn't have definitely and and
you have to respect that. I feel like there will always be
(15:23):
stories from our communities. There will always be countless
stories and shenanigans with anyone of these characters from Res
Dogs, and it just is showing that there needs to be so much
more out there from indigenous creatives that this feels like
there's such a such a void left with the ending of this show
that I want to see like 10 more pop up in its in its place.
(15:46):
And we'll never be able to placereplace Reservation Dogs, but we
will be able to hear from all ofthese storytellers who have so
much to say. And we and we shouldn't replace
it. It should never be replaced.
It should just be more stories. You know, it doesn't have to be
well, that's this one's out of the way, which which is the
next. No, it should just be like here,
here's 56710 and and get those stories out there.
(16:08):
And they can alltel their own stories all unique ways.
You know, we don't have to have a a quota, you know, and the
quota should be, if we did have a quota, it should be much
higher than one series I. Would say.
So you're an actress, writer, director on the series.
What did being in the writers room allow you to to bring to
(16:28):
Elora? I mean, I think I would hope
that I was able to bring a lot to each of the characters.
A lot of the time I was making sure that I was really focused
on story. It feels like a different part
of my brain where I'm like one gear as a writer and then the
other gear as as an actor. And it feels like I really have
(16:48):
to put a different hat on in that space.
Tommy Pico, one of the writers in Res Dogs, had had paid me a
compliment that really meant a lot to me, which was that he
appreciated that I had always focused on story and that I
wasn't just like an actor who was trying to get more scenes or
anything like that. If anything, I was giving
(17:09):
storylines away to other characters because I felt like,
oh, this doesn't make sense for Allora.
It would actually be Jackie thatis is going through this or this
would happen to Cheese. And and yeah, I had hoped to
write for other characters in their specific episodes, but
Sterling had always kind of brought it back to allure for
me, which I'm also grateful for in in another way.
(17:31):
But yeah, I think that there in season one, I had come to
Sterling with a lot of questionsand a lot of like curiosity is
an input on a Laura and like where she's at.
And so much so that when I had asked to be in the writers room
for season 2, that he welcomed me in with open arms.
And then I was I was so passionate about certain
(17:52):
storylines that he ended up having me write them.
And that was for Mabel in Season2 and then a Laura's dad in in
season 3. It's a a role that you play in
the series that is most challenging or or one and or one
that's your favorite. Like a like a tangible position.
(18:13):
Like the position is what I'm saying, yes.
Is it director, writer or or? I mean, I, I, while I've
directed shorts before and like a music video, I've like done a
handful of things. For me, directing always has to
be something that I have a passion for.
I'm not just gonna direct any episode of television.
Like, it has to really mean something for me and stepping
(18:36):
into a directing position in season three with Wahoo, I was
definitely a challenge, but one that I felt really grateful for.
If anything, I had such a home field advantage of getting to be
on the show for three seasons and know this crew so intimately
and getting to be in that space.We shoot fast, man, like season
(18:58):
one and two, we would shoot every episode in four days.
Season three, it would be every five, like we would shoot it
within five days, which felt luxurious in comparison.
But it's still like it moves andit's a steady pace and there's
minors on set, which means we have reduced hours.
And but yeah, getting to work with Sarah Podemski and Janae
(19:18):
Collins. And also I think that the to
answer your question, like the most challenging part was acting
and directing at the same time and having to juggle that hat.
I was glad that it was only for like 2 or one or two scenes in
in the production. Yeah, I mean, it's got to be
quite a bit. And especially with the the
pace, you have to be really efficient.
(19:39):
So you have to be able to step out of that one role, go in
front of the camera and, and, and focus there and then go back
and, and and, you know, reshift gears.
It's for sure. But I know like even when I was
doing my short film Ray, which Iwrote, directed, produced and
acted in, I remember thinking that was too much and I wouldn't
(20:00):
be able to take that on. But loving the movie boy so much
that Taika Waititi had written, directed, started.
And I figured if Tyka can do it,so can I.
And so now to have that full circle moment of coming back and
writing on the series, directingon the series and acting
simultaneously was. Yeah, something that I'm just
(20:22):
really happy to to have done, especially since he inspired it.
That's amazing. And you and you and you nailed
it, by the way, So Congrats on that.
One of my favorite episodes of TV this year was episode 9 of
Laura's Dad. It was amazing.
And then I found out you wrote it, so you were and and that's,
(20:44):
you know, that's incredible to have.
You have to put that out on in front of the camera, but to put
those words and ideas into your character so you get to then
bring them to life. Can you talk a little bit about
that episode and and what it meant to you?
That episode was definitely really personal.
I have two Mohawk parents. I was raised in my community,
(21:07):
but my mom is mixed and she didn't meet her white dad until
she was grown and even then it was by accident.
And so there were definitely personal inspirations and
moments in Laura's dad that I had drawn from my own family
story from. And we also knew Sterling had
(21:31):
Sterling had worked with Ethan Hawke before and wanted him to
play Rick. And so that was always kept in
mind and was actually used as inspiration when writing the
episode. Sterling wanted to make sure
that it was paying homage to theBefore Sunrise trilogy in that
we're with two people. It's happening in real time.
It's like mumblecore before mumblecore was a thing.
(21:54):
And and definitely like sitting with these characters, which we
haven't had a chance to do before in the series.
I think with being an an ensemble cast and doing these
flashbacks in different moments,like we've done everything under
the sun when it comes to Reza except for that.
And so this was a really specialmoment of getting to just play
(22:15):
and sit with these with these estranged people where it's so
loaded and so charged between them and there's so much longing
and there's also so much hurt. And at the end of the day, he
was kind of just a shit ass dad,but isn't actually a bad dude.
And so how do you sit with that?So there was a lot that went
into it. And also with Sterling and his
(22:36):
experience of, of being a young dad with his daughter, who I'd
mentioned, who had almost kind of shaped Dolora.
So it was really a a coming together.
And I was so grateful that EthanHawke had availability in his
schedule to to make time for forResdax.
But yeah, there was, there was alot of a lot of each of our
personal stories infused into that episode and.
(23:00):
Knowing that you had a chance towrite and that your characters
time you know in existence on screen it was coming to an end.
Is there something you wanted tosay in that episode about Elora?
I think it's a really beautiful place where we are leaving Elora
Dannon. If I look at her journey from
(23:20):
where we first meet her, she's quite literally traumatized.
She is very much suffering through the aftermath of having
found Daniel after he died by suicide.
And that is where we find her inthe first season.
And she's trying to run away from all of these memories, from
everything that's like causing her pain.
(23:40):
She wants to run away to California to Season 2, where
she gets to experience and witness death in the right way
for the first time and sending off her grandma Mabel and it
being surrounded by community and it's actually a really
beautiful thing. And her getting to let go of
Daniel in the ocean and and sendhim off on his way.
(24:00):
And then in season 30, Laura's like, well, what now what's, how
do you move through these thingsand move forward?
And and I think she really gets to do that with going to
college, with finding what her life looks like moving forward,
not just operating from a place of trauma, but operating from
(24:21):
like what she wants to do with her life.
She comes together with bearish and then with a Laura's dad, she
finds family that she didn't really know she had.
And it it opens up an Ave. for her that I think she has been
lacking so much in her home lifethat it it's a really special
place to leave a Laura. And you, you just, you get the
(24:42):
feeling that like, you know she's not going to be without
hardship, but that she's going to be OK.
Though I was going to ask because, you know, she having
lost her mom already, I was nervous she was just going to
get that signature and get what she needed and leave.
And it was so wonderful to have that time with them together.
Do you in your head have an idealike where that relationship
(25:03):
goes after the series? With.
With with her father, yes. Yeah, I think I could see Elora
Danning or Laura. Excuse me, I can see Elora
Danning getting closer with her siblings.
I think they were kind of the key for her opening up where she
(25:24):
felt really guarded and really closed off to Rick.
And there would be little moments where she would open up
and she'd quickly shut it back. Being the the hard ass she is
and her getting to see her younger siblings I think softens
her a little bit and makes her more open to what this
relationship with Rick might look like.
(25:44):
And I don't know that it'll be perfect.
I'm sure they'll still be disappointment to come in in
many ways, but I think she's able to see him as a
three-dimensional human outside of just being her dad or this
absence of a dad. And I think that there is also
some like really meaningful timethat they'll form a closer
(26:04):
relationship that won't always be as father daughter, but but
as like this connection that they that they share.
And you have this amazing, you know, chemistry with your three
other leads on in the series. I was wondering what is it like
working with, you know, three actors so closely?
(26:25):
I mean, it was really incredible.
Get it? Yeah.
Getting to see where we first started with each of them and
then where we ended up and to see them grow into themselves as
actors and as people. Like when I first started
working with Elaine, he was literally 14, which is wild.
He was so young. And now he's just, I mean, he's
(26:47):
still so much himself, but he has grown so much.
And same for for each of them. I definitely have always felt
like a big sister to each of them because I'm was an adult
playing a kid and I was up in there like making sure they had
entertainment lawyers, making sure they had accountants, and
it was like anything you need. I was like really aggressive
(27:08):
about my unsolicited advice, butit was because I had really
needed that growing up. And I've made mistakes and have
learned the hard way and I'm still learning the hard way.
But I wanted to be able to seizeevery opportunity and, and show
them how they can also seize every opportunity of this.
And just personally, yeah, getting to work off of them, it
(27:32):
feels like family and like I'll be connected to them forever.
And there's so much to love about this series.
There's just one favorite momentor aspect of it that stands out
to you. Of this series, I mean.
Of the series as a whole, yes. It's so hard to say, but the
overwhelming feeling that I get is just of of the sense of
(27:54):
community. I felt it from day one that we
stepped on set. I remember when we wrapped the
pilot, I was like a mess. I was an inconsolable mess.
But it was because I felt so much joy and love for this story
that we were telling. And I had no idea if we would
ever be able to tell it again. And we were.
We ran for three strong seasons and yeah, the the impact that it
(28:19):
had on me and now feeling the impact that it's had, like
forget the industry, unindigenous people watching it
across the world is something that will always stay with me.
But it's like that, that sense of home, that sense of
community, that's. Great.
And what was it? So we talked about you're,
(28:41):
you're ending your first day of shooting or first episode.
What was it like shooting your final scene and what was it like
that day leaving the set? What was my final scene?
I think my final scene was walking away where it's supposed
(29:05):
to be sunrise. It was sunset where Willie Jack
says her words for Fixico and weall say Humbucks J, like let's
go eat. And we walk over to the
cookhouse and like as the sunsets over and we're all there
arm in arm. That was the last scene that we
shot, but we stuck around 'causethere was still more to shoot.
(29:27):
That was my last scene. And so they were doing the dig
and all like the funny stuff that was happening at the end
and we were in the woods trying not to get ticks and like it
felt like it was really charged where it was the middle of the
night. It was super late, but like,
none of us ever dreamed about leaving.
We were just, we all, as we would wrap, we would get dressed
(29:50):
into our own clothes and we'd come right back to set.
And we were just kind of like waiting and seeing.
And as it finally wrapped, we all gathered and there were like
gifts given out. There were blankets, there were
tears. There was there was all of it.
And there was still, yeah, wordsabout this potentially not being
the end. But I knew that it was.
(30:11):
There was no way that it couldn't be.
And when you leave that day, like how you know it's going to
stick with you for a long time. But do you have that, you know,
kind of like watching your kids go off to college type feel
like, you know, this is the end of this is a beginning and an
end, a beginning for you. You know, it's something we're
(30:32):
going to take on new things, butan end of this chapter.
Yeah, it felt like all through that day, it felt like the last
day of high school where you know that everybody's gonna be
separating and going on and doing other things, but you're
always gonna remember that forever.
But times 1000. And so I think I was just
soaking it all in and and takingin every every single moment of
(30:54):
that. And the the drive home.
I listened to a soundtrack from like, or not the soundtrack.
Still, I would make these playlists every season of of
music that was inspiring him or that he wanted to have in the
episodes. It was really music forward.
And so I put on the playlist forRes Dog season one on the drive
(31:18):
home and I was crying the whole time and I kept having to be
like, OK, I need to focus on theroad 'cause it's actually
dangerous at the middle of the night.
I can't be like sobbing on the highway.
But it was, it was really emotional.
I just felt like it was I was untethering Alora Dannon from my
skin and that I was letting go of this story and and giving it
(31:41):
back to Indian country. That's amazing and, and
beautiful. Wow.
So, as you come to the end of the reservation Dog's journey,
what will stick with you most? I don't know, it's so big and
it's so all-encompassing that like, I don't know if I could
(32:03):
reduce it to one specific thing.I think, yes, it's a television
show. Yes, we are actors.
Yes, we were telling a story. But it feels so, so much bigger
than that. It feels like we have really
poured our everything into this story and that we've given it to
(32:25):
our communities. Like all of our hearts are in
it. And it's for Ghanawaga.
It's for like the Muskogee Nation, it's for Indian Country,
it's for our communities and thestories that we needed to see
when we were young and stories that people are only getting
access to now that, yeah, I would just say it feels so much
(32:51):
bigger than just a television series.
And whether or not we get nominations or whatnot is kind
of, I mean, don't get me wrong, it would be great, but it's also
a bit irrelevant because it's like this feels like it's even
bigger than ATV series. I think it would be, I mean, I'm
hoping it, it does happen. It should happen.
(33:12):
It's a crime that that it hasn'thappened, you know, besides that
one nomination. But I think it's important
because it kind of puts a stake in the ground that can't be
moved and you'll forever be the nominees and people who just
like reference awards, etcetera.Well then say, wait, I've never
heard of this or I have heard ofthis and now I need to watch it
because, you know, the Emmys have said so, while others have,
(33:35):
you know, as you know, critics and and fans and, and all those
involved have already fallen in love with it and already have
such a hold to such to such highregard.
I think those the awards are important because they allow
they access a new audience and and this show definitely
deserves it. I have a feeling that Red Sox is
going to continue to grow for years, even after, even after
(34:00):
we've wrapped, even after the dust has settled, Like I have a
feeling that it's going to continue on with a life of its
own. Yeah, I mean, I, I have friends
who've been wanting to watch it and then I, I said, you know,
you have to watch it. They watch and like, they blown
away. And I'm like, it's, that's the
thing. It's like they're taking that
first step. Once you watch an episode,
you're done, you're hooked. And I think, you know, it is the
(34:22):
it'll, it'll continue to, like you said, it'll continue to
snowball those the recommends recommendations will kind of
grow and grow. And then, you know, after after
all said and done, then you'll have this huge, massive audience
and you're like, damn it, where were you?
When what do you want to the awards?
And you know, and 3rd that's. So what happened though?
Yeah, yeah, that's life, I guess.
(34:43):
So let's close out with three words to describe Ellora. 3
words to describe Ellora. I would say Moody.
I would say like heartfelt and sister like all of those things
(35:12):
that are in there. I could go on, but you've you've
left me with three. Only three, so those work.
It's probably better than the description you got when you
were off at the park. Honestly, you can run with the
boys. OK, so let's close out with some
TV topics and get you on your way.
(35:33):
Start with this one. You grab a remote control.
A genie comes out granting your TV based wish.
Based on this question, what TV show would you like to see one
more season on? And now it can be any show that
ran anytime and all the originalcast and everything.
It'll be like as if it never ended and you can add a season
at the beginning. You can add a season somewhere
in the middle or extend it with a a final final season.
(35:57):
Which one would you choose? Freaks and Geeks.
I was not ready to say bye to that show and I don't know that
anybody else was either. That just came up just recently.
And I I agree, yeah, it's like that one ends.
You're like, wait, that's it. Yeah, there's.
There's so much more to say, youjust started it, but.
Fast and like the chemistry and all of it, it was so magic.
(36:20):
It was so fun. They had struck lightning.
And yeah, the audiences and industry hadn't picked up on
that success in in real time. And we'll never, we'll never get
it again. No, yeah, it's one season
perfection, which is which is rare.
And is there a theme song you cannot skip?
A theme song that I can't skip. Hmm Oh God.
(36:46):
I mean, there's one that I like hate with every fiber of my
being so much that it's turned back around to love and it's the
L bird opening sequence. It is.
I apologies to the artist but itis like so blood curdling that
you just can't not like loving screaming by me.
(37:09):
Fucking bubble. Yeah, I I can't skip it.
It's it's in my queer DNA. And is is there a a series or
show you watch that kind of would probably be tagged with
the guilty pleasure tag that youdon't?
(37:29):
One that I would tag with the guilty pleasure tag.
Yeah. I mean, it was when I was in
high school. Gossip Girl from 2007.
It is not auteur. It is not highbrow television.
But let me tell you, there are like so many brown girls that I
(37:50):
know. I feel like it's exclusively
brown girls who like, love that series.
And I think it's the campy. I think it's the campiness of
it. Yeah, I it wasn't on my radar,
unfortunately. I mean, that's fair.
I don't blame you. And finally, if you could live
in one TV show, so you have a door you can open up whenever
you want to. You can enter this one TV show,
(38:13):
walk that world, hang out with the characters, do whatever you
do, whatever you please. You can go deliver mail there.
You can go eat at the restaurants they eat at or
whatever, but you don't have to give up any part of your life.
So once you walk in that door, things pause.
Once you come back, your your life continues onward.
Which show would it be? The first one that's coming to
(38:35):
mind for me is like SNL. SNL that that's interesting
because it's it's skits or sketches, so.
Yeah, it's kind of like always changing and just like also in
New York and yeah, that, that one, maybe that's like a
realistic view of it. Are there certain sketches that
(38:56):
you would want to kind of hang out in?
Oh my God. I mean, the one that I saw most
recently that I thought was hilarious was the one with IO
debris and the hypnotist or the,well, magician.
That'd be pretty. That'd be pretty funny.
But yeah. Well, that's it.
That's the first one. First time someone said SNL.
(39:16):
It's I'm curious how that works.Does it like you get access to
all of those? Can you go hang out with like
Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin on the news and then?
Yeah, I mean all of the above. It's you know these questions.
Luckily, you know when, when themagic does happen, you'll,
you'll be able to tell me and give me a some feedback and how
(39:37):
it all turned out for you. But keep an eye out for that
door. Well, thank you so much for your
time. Thank you for this conversation.
I really enjoyed it and I love the insight into into a
character I already appreciated and and, you know, enjoyed
watching and and going on her journey with.
But now there's so much more that you brought to it, which is
(39:57):
which is always really a wonderful thing.
So thank you. Awesome.
Thank you so much. And best of luck going forward
with everything. I look forward to seeing what
you do next. Thanks.
All right, have a great day. You too.
Thank you so much to DeVry for being our guest on TV Topics.
Be sure to watch her work on Reservation Dogs seasons one
(40:18):
through 3, now streaming on Hulu.
A shout out goes out to Emilia Yu for our funky theme song and
our announcer, Kari Loya. You can find him at
kariloyavo.com. It's in our profile.
You can also follow me directly on Twitter, Letterbox, and
Instagram, all at Filmsnort. Thanks for listening and stay
tuned for more TV topics. TV Topics is produced by Stephen
(40:41):
Przukowski, ZAP.
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