By Lasia Kretzel

Sask. First Nations actors not concerned about HBO mini-series

Apr 26, 2015 | 3:57 PM

Saskatoon aboriginal residents aren’t worried about inaccurate or disrespectful portrayals of their community in an upcoming HBO show. 

A couple hundred people lined up outside the Saskatoon Inn Saturday morning to audition for the network’s upcoming Lewis and Clark mini-series.  The show follows American explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their 1803 expedition.

Casting crews are looking for extras with horseback riding experience and First Nations men, women and children for background roles and some speaking roles.

The auditions come just two days after more than a dozen First Nations actors walked off the set of Adam Sandler’s movie “The Ridiculous Six” because they felt the film was disrespectful towards their culture. 

However, many at Saturday’s audition felt confident the same mistake would not be repeated at HBO. Russell Badger said his first impressions of the script were positive. 

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“It’s pretty genuine and doesn’t demean us as a people. It portrays us in a good way,” Badger said, adding he will reserve final judgment for when he sees the whole script. 

Originally from the Mistawasis First Nation, Badger has worked as an actor since 1987. He has had roles such as the Sioux Chief in Jackie Chan’s Shanghai Noon, the war chief in DreamKeeper and Tom in Disney’s Summer of the Monkeys. 

“I make sure that the parts I’m doing are portraying us in a positive way because there’s too much negativity a lot of the times in movies,” he said. “I refuse to lose my morals and beliefs just to keep a job or position because if I think something is not right, I address it.”

A former teacher, Badger left his position when he felt he wasn’t allowed to teach Canadian history from a First Nation’s perspective. He said he uses his movie roles to dispel stereotypes and misinformation.

“What they call racism, it’s not really racism, its no understanding (and) ignorance. So we need to bridge that gap,” Badger said, adding having the mini series on such a popular network may encourage more people to ask questions about history.

Aspiring actress Meghan Dombowsky said having executive producers such as Edward Norton, Tom Hanks and Brad Pitt lends the show some credibility.

“Knowing that they have previous experience, they probably have done their homework,” she said as she waited to enter her audition. 

Filming for the mini-series will take place in Southern Alberta this summer.

panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @lkretzel