Not a single character had it simple in 1923‘s grueling first season. But whereas varied member of the Dutton clan skilled moments of pleasure interspersed among the many demise and heartbreak of life on the Montana plains, Teonna Rainwater obtained little reprieve.
We met the Native American teen when she was a scholar held in opposition to her will at a Catholic boarding faculty. All of the scholars had been indigenous kids who’d been taken from their households and compelled to desert their language and tradition in an try at assimilation. Teonna made the selection to run away after repeated bodily, emotional and sexual abuse by the hands of the nuns and clergymen who ran the power. On the run and hunted after killing Sister Mary, Teonna spent the whole season in peril; the one non permanent respite got here within the finale, when her father, Runs His Horse, and pal Pete Plenty Clouds caught as much as her and had been capable of present some safety and consolation. (Read a full recap.)
TVLine just lately caught up with Amina Nieves, whose Teonna is a forebear of Yellowstone‘s Chief Thomas Rainwater, to course of the harrowing first season. Read on for her ideas/hopes for Teonna in Season 2 and extra.
TVLINE | I’ve seen and heard lots of people discussing the present and saying that they didn’t find out about indigenous kids being taken from their households and despatched to boarding colleges just like the one Teonna was in. How does that hit you as somebody who did find out about that?
The authorities does a extremely good at protecting issues hidden that they don’t need the world to know, and it’s loopy. But for me, I thought of all indigenous communities as a complete, and not simply right here on Turtle Island, however world wide… When I first learn these [audition] pages and then I obtained the script it simply hits you all of sudden. Because you don’t usually see indigenous tales being informed so in truth, you realize? And so truthfully. It damage studying it at first. It brings up a variety of feelings, and it brings up a variety of worry and simply, all the things. But I feel it’s essential, and I’m so blessed that I’m capable of share our tales and be right here, actually.
TVLINE | Teonna has some heavy scenes within the first season — all of her scenes, actually. Talk to me about the way you transitioned out of these emotions, being in that frame of mind whenever you had been performed for the day.
Everything we felt and all the things you see is so actual, and our physique instinctually resides in it. So, when Leenah [Robinson, who plays Baapuxti] was right here with me, we’d speak about it, since you can be in the identical little automotive on the way in which house. So, we’d drop Sebastian [Roché, who plays Father Renaud] off, and then we’d drop Jennifer [Ehle, who plays Sister Mary] off and Kerry [O’Malley, who plays Sister Alice], and then it’d simply be Leenah and I. We’d form of simply have a extremely large hug collectively and be like, “We did it. Now, let’s just rest and go to sleep…” It’s arduous, although. It’s arduous discovering that dance typically, however we had been very supported, for positive. I imply, I leaned on Leenah and the remainder of the solid so closely, and they had been there each time.
TVLINE | Even as somebody who could be very conscious that tales on TV should not actual, I’m having a extremely arduous time processing the concept of you and Sebastian in the identical automotive, joking round on the finish of a day.
Yeah. [Laughs] Dude, I really like that man with my entire coronary heart. He’s so cool. He’s so candy. But yeah, I can see how it’s bizarre. I imply, my mother and father are nonetheless, like, I’ll be on the cellphone with Sebastian or one thing and my Dad’s like, “Oh, hell no!” [Laughs]
TVLINE | I’ve seen you point out that the principle type of leisure, whenever you weren’t capturing, was going to a close-by Walmart. I must know particulars. Were you getting Slurpees? Running across the aisles?
[Laughs] Oh, my gosh. If you’ll see our photographs in Walmart, we’d simply be attempting various things on, sun shades, hats. We can be working up and down aisles. I imply, all we needed to do [for fun during breaks in shooting] was experience horses, mountaineering and Walmart, you realize? So, I imply, there have been occasions the place they noticed us about 4 occasions a day, particularly Julia and I. When she was there, we’d go so typically it was loopy. Slurpees had been undoubtedly a sure. Popcorn, ice cream, all the things unhealthy for you.
TVLINE | You want some vice! Some method to self-soothe.
Right? Thank you. I feel so.
TVLINE | Most of the time that 1923’s viewers has spent with Teonna, she’s been underneath assault. In your estimation, what’s she actually like at her core? What is her essence when she’s not in fight-or-flight mode?
Yeah. I feel you form of noticed a little bit tiny piece of it when she was speaking with Pete [in the Season 1 finael]. She’s nonetheless exploring what it’s to be a baby and how that feels and appears prefer to her, however she’s a little bit sassy one, man. [Laughs] She’s good, you realize what I’m saying? She’s good in all of the methods. She’s smart-mouthed a tiny bit. She likes to ruffle some feathers in the absolute best means. I actually hope you could simply see a few of the comedy behind her, the delicate comedy that she has inside herself, in Season 2. But who is aware of, man? Who f–king is aware of? …I need you guys to see all of her in Season 2. I’m simply praying. But she’s witty, man. Teonna’s very witty.
TVLINE | That scene by the hearth, when she’s basically telling her father he can’t inform her what to do, was nice — but it surely additionally made me unhappy, since you notice how a lot of her persona she’s pushed down and hidden for her personal survival.
And I feel that’s why that final little second is form of particular too. With Pete, that little tender second by the hearth the place she form of simply surrenders into him, I imply, that’s the primary, like, trustworthy human contact that she’s felt in 5 years. And my prediction is, due to that, I hope that at the start of Season 2 you’re going to begin to see her guard be let down a little bit bit extra. Because when she was with Hank, she nonetheless had a really large protection mechanism up, as a result of she nonetheless doesn’t know who that is, and she actively is defending herself. She additionally doesn’t know what he’s able to and defending her and defending them as a unit.
But whenever you see her together with her dad, with Runs His Horse, she subtly lets her guard down a little bit bit, however is actively attempting to show to him that she’s highly effective, that she’s stuffed with energy, that she will be able to do that, and she will help, and that they will get by it and are going to be secure.
TVLINE | Teonna has been away from her household for 5 years, and she’s 15?
Yeah, Teonna is about 15, 16. In Season 2, she ought to be 16.
TVLINE | That’s a major period of time for anybody, however she’s a baby — she’s actually been gone for a 3rd of her life. That’s such a theft. Anyway, I’m simply getting offended once more on your character’s behalf, months after the episodes aired.
Dude. But you realize it is a theft, and you’re proper. I imply, it’s one thing that sadly indigenous kids are nonetheless being confronted with immediately. We’re going to know in June what’s going on with ICWA. (*2*) ICWA is mainly a legislation that may take indigenous kids from their households and put them within the foster-care system. And thus it’s stripping them of their tradition and their indigeneity. You’re simply taking their youngster once more, so we’ll see what occurs. It’s a f–king crime.
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