If you love Westerns, detective fiction, or other noir-style mystery tales, thenDark Windsmay be your best bet. Set on the Navajo Nation circa the 1970s, the series follows Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), and Sgt. Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) as they protect their lands and solve some of the most heinous crimes across Navajoland. Based on the originalLeaphorn & Cheebooks byTony Hillerman, the series is now heading into its third season on AMC and AMC+, and we couldn’t be more excited.Before Season 3 premieres, Collider spoke with McClarnon about what’s to come onDark Windsand how Joe Leaphorn has evolved as a character over time.
‘Dark Winds’ Season 3 Puts Joe Leaphorn Through the Wringer
MICHAEL JOHN PETTY: I can’t tell you how glad I am thatDark Windsis coming back. This show is easily one of my favorites of the past few years, and I’m continually impressed by it. Having already seen much of Season 3, what I’m most impressed by this year, though, is the further exploration of Joe’s psyche. How did you prepare for getting into his inner life and the additional layers to his backstory?
ZAHN McCLARNON: That’s such a difficult question for me. I have a really hard time articulating my process. Hmm. Just as human beings, we’ve all gone through painful experiences — loss, tragedy, joy, etc. And as an actor, I just try and lean into and draw from those lived experiences. It’s something I don’t mind doing. I really find it cathartic at times, and it’s a process that I do enjoy. I just try to feel those emotions, and explore those states of mind, and be truthful with them.I found myself in an interesting position this year, where blurring the line between reality and pretend was a lot of fun. And I’d find myself at times where it was very blurry. Again, I do have a difficult time articulating my process, but the great James Cagney said, “Hit your mark, look the other actor in the eye, and tell the truth.”
Throughout the show, Joe Leaphorn is often seen as a man of honor who holds to a pretty distinct moral code, but then, at the end of Season 2, he breaks that code. How has leaving B.J. Vines to die affected Joe in the time between the seasons, and do you feel that this has at all compromised his ability to enforce the law?
McCLARNON: Again, in Season 3, we continue the exploration of the tragedy that befell the Leaphorn family, including all the ramifications of their son’s death and what those consequences are for Leaphorn for his actions with B.J. Vines last season. How it affects his mental state and his marriage with his wife, Emma (Deanna Allison).This season,Joe does struggle with a lot of guilt and the moral gray area he’s found himself in. Questioning those decisions he made, questioning his moral compass, and what those choices may have cost him. [It] puts him in a lot of fear and anxiety this season, but also I think Leaphorn’s growth this season is more about self-understanding. Healing. When people watch [this show], it’s a reconciling of his traumatic past and [the] choices he’s made, and, again, how they’ve affected his loved ones around him.
Joe and Emma Leaphorn Are the Heart of ‘Dark Winds’
I think you see that, for sure, in Season 3, especially with Sally and the baby having moved out too after last season. Now it’s just Joe and Emma in the Leaphorn household. So, those secrets have to come to light in a new way. They can’t be hidden behind other relationships like maybe they could have in the past. Was it interesting for you, exploring this new facet of Joe and Emma’s marriage as far as trying to keep a secret from her, but also wanting to tell? How did all of that play out in your mind?
McCLARNON: First off, I really think thatthe heart ofDark Windsis that relationship between Joe and Emma. To me, personally, that’s the heart ofDark Winds. In our history of television, you haven’t seen very many love stories between two Native American characters, and that’s… We’ve kind of broken through with this relationship. I get a lot of people telling me that they never thought that they would see that kind of a relationship between two Native people on television. I think that’s a very positive thing. It’s a beautiful thing. Again, the relationship, I found myself this season — which was another interesting emotion I went through, was how much I, as Joe Leaphorn the character, loved his wife.
As a human being, Deanna and I, Zahn and Deanna, get along very well, but I don’t have that romantic love, that emotional love, obviously, for Deanna Allison. And I found the lines being blurred there, where I realized how much Joe loved his wife in this season. And you’ll see in some scenes — that you probably haven’t seen yet because they’re later on in this season — how much Emma means to Joe, and what she means to him. And it was just fun exploring that. It’s never happened to me before. First off, I don’t play very many romantic leads, you know? I just haven’t in my career. And so…Experiencing those things as an actor, those brand-new things as an actor, are just unbelievable. I never thought I’d be able to experience those things as an actor. I’m very grateful, and very fortunate [that] I am.
‘Dark Winds’ Season 3 Takes Leaphorn in a Different Direction
Perhaps the biggest relationship dynamic aside from [Joe and Emma’s] marriage inDark Windsis the partnership between Leaphorn and Chee. I don’t know about you, but I really missed their rapport when Chee was working in the private sector last season. Before, in Season 1, Chee was the one with the secret, but now Joe is the one keeping things close to the chest. How has their dynamic changed or shifted this season, and what do you appreciate most about their partnership in general?
McCLARNON: Well, just that. Joe has chosen to keep these things from Chee, and that obviously does affect their relationship. And there’s moments throughout the show where you will see how that affects Jim Chee. He has no choice but to keep these secrets to himself to figure out what he is going to do, and how he is gonna explain to his loved ones what he did and what he’s going through.Hopefully, fingers crossed, in a Season 4, we’re able to explore more of that relationship between Chee and Leaphorn. Being around Kiowa [Gordon], the person, Kiowa brings a levity to the set. He brings a goofiness in messing around that helps me quite a bit during the day. I hope that the audience is able to see, in moments, that relationship between Joe and Chee, because Joe is more like the father figure. I hope that’s coming out to the audiences, that the audiences are able to see that.
Moving in a bit of a different direction, it’s not been since Season 1’s witch character thatDark Windshas ventured into the supernatural. But now, Season 3 has a new monster of its own. How did you feel about getting back into these more spiritual themes this season?
McCLARNON: Well, it’s difficult. Authenticity is extremely important toDark Winds. We have people who are consultants that we put everything through.There are certain things that Tony Hillerman put in his books that we can’t really show on television, out of respect for the culture. So, it’s very difficult to navigate through the mysticism aspects of the show. “Ye’iitsoh” is a part of the oral — that’s the character you see, the monster — Ye’iitsoh is a part of all the oral stories, the creation stories of the Navajo. I wasn’t familiar with Ye’iitsoh before this season, but tribes all have different oral creation stories, obviously. I’m told the translation for Ye’iitsoh is “big thing that creates fear.” In the way that it’s used today, it’s more of a general word for “negative energy.” One of the positive rewards I get from working onDark Windsis [that] I get to learn so much about the Navajo culture. So, it’s hard to navigate through these things, and I think the audience will be pleasantly surprised when they see the whole arc of this creature.
Watch the First Five Minutes of the ‘Dark Winds’ Season 3 Premiere [Exclusive]
Joe Leaphorn is in big trouble.
The Authenticity of ‘Dark Winds’ and Pulling From Tony Hillerman’s Novels
Getting into the authenticity aspect you were mentioning there, when I told my dad that I was interviewing you today, he was very excited. He’s a major fan of the show and an avid reader who loves the original Hillerman novels. So, when I asked him if he had any questions for you, he wanted to know if you feel that your portrayal of Joe Leaphorn, despite taking place in the ’70s, is an accurate representation to the Navajo Tribal Police of modern day.
McCLARNON: Yeah. I spent some time with some Navajo cops and there was a great documentary about the Navajo police department on HBO recently[Navajo Police: Class 57]. I think it was last year that came out. Sure, there’s a lot of similarities. Except for the hair. [Laughs] You know, I had long hair in the ’70s and Leaphorn’s is a bit more traditional and wears his hair in a Navajo bun. So, you know, there’s those differences, but yeah.There’s a lot of similarities to the way I portray Leaphorn as a cop to contemporary cops on the reservation.
Were you familiar with the Hillerman books or the previousLeaphorn & Cheeadaptations before you got on the show? I know your formerLongmireco-star Lou Diamond Phillips played Chee inTheDark Windmovie in the ’90s.
McCLARNON: Yeah, yeah.Tony Hillerman’s been in the ethos of Native culture since he started writing the books. And I think it’s the ’70s that he started writing the books, and I think he’s got 18 of the books. So, I’ve obviously been familiar with it, and obviously with the productions that Robert Redford had produced. I can’t remember the dates, late ’80s and then late ’90s, with Wes Studi and Adam Beach. Lou Diamond and Fred Ward and Gary Farmer. So, yes, I was very familiar with the Hillerman novels, andI’ve read just about all of them.
Was it daunting then, knowing the legacy of this character, when you were cast in the title role?
McCLARNON: Daunting? You know, it’s just a matter of… A lot of the foundation for Joe Leaphorn was already set through the Hillerman books, so it wasn’t that daunting,it was just a matter of me bringing my own lived experience to Joe Leaphorn. The prep, and bringing my life perspective and how I would embody these characters [specifically] Leaphorn, it’s just part of the job. You kind of have these realizations of how pragmatic he is, and he’s always connecting all the dots in his professional career, and his relationships and events going on around him. What does that look like? How do you embody that? It’s work, but that’s what I do for a living as an actor.
Could a ‘Longmire’ Reunion Happen?
In addition to being bigDark Windsfans, my dad and I are also really bigLongmirefans. Seeing you and A Martinez working together again on this show, albeit in a very different context, is a real treat. Has there been any real talk of a potentialLongmirereunion? And would you even be interested in returning as Mathias, if there were?
McCLARNON: I think everybody would be interested in returning. Those are just a wonderful group of people. I talked toKatee [Sackhoff]yesterday through text. I’m in touch with Adam all the time, Adam Bartley. And Robert [Taylor], whenever he comes to town, we try to get together. And obviously A Martinez, who’s been working onDark Windsand we have a special relationship. Just wonderful humans. And Greer Shephard, who ran the show, and all the producers, I would love to see them do a film, aLongmiremovie, andI would jump at the chance to be a part of that.
What’s Zahn McClarnon’s Favorite Part of ‘Dark Winds’ Season 3?
Well, my last question for you — without spoiling anything — do you have a favorite moment from Season 3 that you’re able to tease us with untilDark Windsreturns?
McCLARNON: Favorite moment? God, there’s just so many moments. Just the moment of, as an actor, going through these lines that get blurred between acting and reality. Make-believe and reality. And being in that moment of when that line becomes blurred as an actor and experiencing that — because you are so far into that character, and you have been working on that character for three seasons — was kind of a cool moment for me personally as an actor. I’ve grown to love this group of people, from top to bottom, with the crew, with the cast. With Jim Chory, our UPM, [executive producer] Tina Elmo, Chris Eyre, our director, John Wirth, our showrunner. It’s just a collaborative team and I like being around these people, and I think that’s extremely important for [the] success of a show. I enjoy going to work, so,it’s all those moments put together. One big moment is my special moment this season.
Dark WindsSeason 3 premieres March 9 on AMC and AMC+.
