Meegwun Fairbrother (Ojibwe) plays William Mitchell on Netflix's remake of Little House on the Prairie (out now!). He shares about growing up on the land, learning resilience, mentoring young people, and the one time he had to make his own costume as a struggling actor starting out in the industry. Meegwun tells JD how he decides what kind of Indigenous roles he will go up for, how hard it is not being called back again for roles you loved, and celebrating each other's wins when they do happen — the right role will come to you when the time is right!

TRANSCRIPT Available on the Actors and Ancestors website.

CREDITS

Actors & Ancestors is created, produced, and hosted by Joel D. Montgrand.

Editing and production support from Daniella Barreto.

Thank you to the Indigenous Screen Office for generously supporting this show!

Episode photo of Meegwun by Kevin McIntyre

Moral support from Awas the pod-cat.

Learn more at www.actorsandancestors.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michelle Thrush (Cree) tells JD about waiting for aliens to sweep her off to space and the power of Indigenous-led sets when handling stories of unthinkable trauma. She recounts her transformative time at the first school run by and for Indigenous people in Calgary, being mentored by the legendary actor, Gordon Tootoosis, and, most recently, her first ever lead role in a film! Michelle shares her tips for anyone getting started in the biz and what to be prepared for (with a bit of clowning around!).

CREDITS

Actors & Ancestors is created, produced, and hosted by Joel D. Montgrand. Audio editing and production support from Daniella Barreto.

Moral support from Awas the pod-cat.

Episode photo of Michelle by Nadya Kwandibens Redworks Studio

Thank you to the Indigenous Screen Office for generously supporting this show!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here's an interview with JD from a different show you might like! "Cows and Plows and Rescue Ranger Fumbles (ft. JD Montgrand)" -- Joel (JD) Montgrand, host and creator of the "Actors and Ancestors" podcast, joins Canardian to discuss the town of La Ronge, its kaiju mosquitos, the mysterious drug cartel queen of Chicken Delight, winter survival 101, and so much more!

If you loved this episode, there's a lot more Canardian where that came from. Check out the show and give them a follow!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.