Long overdue recognition for indigenous actors finally came on Wednesday, when Lily Gladstone, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai and Kali Reis received Emmy nominations. Together, Gladstone, Woon-A-Tai and Reis are the first indigenous actors in 17 years to receive an acting nomination from the Television Academy after the late actor August Schellenberg did it for his supporting role in 2007 for the HBO TV movie, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.”
All three are first-time nominees.
In “Under the Bridge,” loosely based on the late writer Rebecca Godfrey’s 2005 book investigating the real-life murder of Canadian teenager Reena Virk, Gladstone plays Cam Bentland, the police officer assigned to the case. Her meaty and emotive performance as a small-town indigenous cop with her own emotional baggage, complicated relationship with Keough’s Rebecca Godfrey and complex family background was praised in TheWrap’s review.
Gladstone’s first Emmy nod comes mere months after her Oscar nomination for her breakthrough role in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.” In addition to her lead actress Oscar nomination for that film, she won the Golden Globe for lead actress in a motion picture — and became the first indigenous person in history to do so. Though Gladstone, who is of Piegan Blackfeet and Nez Perce heritage, did not win at the Academy Awards in March, she had already made history as the first Native American woman to be nominated for best actress.
The Academy recognized Woon-A-Tai for his leading role in the acclaimed comedy series, “Reservation Dogs.” The FX show about Native American teenagers has been hailed by critics since it debuted in 2021, but had mostly flown under the Television Academy’s radar, apart from a sound editing nod in 2023. But that changed on Wednesday, with Woon-A-Tai’s nomination and the show’s nod for comedy series. (It just so happens that Gladstone made a guest appearance on the final season of “Reservation Dogs.”)
Reis, who identifies as Afro-indigenous and is of Seaconke Wampanoag heritage, was nominated in the same category as Gladstone, for her supporting role in the limited series “True Detective: Night Country,” in which she costars with fellow nominee Jodie Foster.
Other nominees in the category include Dakota Fanning (“Ripley”), Jessica Gunning (“Baby Reindeer”), Aja Naomi King (“Lessons in Chemistry”), Diane Lane (“Feud: Capote vs. the Swans”) and Nava Mau (“Baby Reindeer”).
The 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air live Sunday, Sept. 15 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC and will stream next day on Hulu.
