Wonder Woman just became one of the most successful superhero films in the country, surpassing the first Spider-Man film’s domestic total at the box office.
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The success of the film can be attributed to many reasons including the popularity of the character, the dearth of superhero movies with women in lead roles, and of course how awesome the movie is.
We spoke with one of the breakout actors from the film Eugene Brave Rock, who played one of Wonder Woman‘s allies Chief Napi, to discuss the movie’s success and the opportunities he’s received.
Hailing from the Blood Reserve in southern Alberta, Brave Rock expressed pride in his participation in the movie and his contributions to the role, collaborating with director Patty Jenkins to establish another demigod in Wonder Woman.
Brave Rock previously made headlines when he revealed Chief Napi was secretly a demigod, adding to the pantheon of deities in the DC Cinematic Universe.
We spoke about bringing culture to the character, how difficult it was to shoot in London, and whether his character will be back in Wonder Woman II.
On Wonder Woman’s Success
How has this film’s success changed your life?
Eugene Brave Rock: Honestly, the attention has allowed me to reach Blackfoot kids and reach children from other First Nations with a message of hope. Encourage them to be proud warriors and follow their dreams. I’m thankful for the platform it’s given me, definitely.
What drew you to the project? What made you want to be a part of it?
Brave Rock: First of all, just … being Native American and being a hero, that’s not something that usually happens in movies where the Native American is a hero. So it’s great … the director Patty Jenkins and Gal [Gadot], they all did fantastic work and made an epic movie. And to, the diversity of being a superhero with all of us that were involved, I think that’s really resonating, you know? It’s time for a Native superhero. That’s what drew me to this.
Why do you think this movie has resonated with so many people?
Brave Rock: Again, just the diversity. The diversity of the film, and again, Patty and Gal, I think the female perspective, it’s given light to the whole message of love conquering all. I think that’s why it’s resonating, especially at this time in life. It’s important, it’s something that needs to be heard… Maybe Donald Trump can watch Wonder Woman and get something out of it.
Do you have an insight or an opinion on why you think superhero films in general are very popular right now?
Brave Rock: I think people need a message of hope and good triumphing over evil, and that’s what superheroes do.
What is most important for you in the roles that you want to take?
Brave Rock: Giving an authentic portrayal. Speaking the right language, or whether I’m playing a Native American role or not, I just want to do it with justice.
Chief Napi, the Demigod
You made some headlines, and you in an interview revealed that your character, Chief Napi, was a demigod. Did you get in any trouble for revealing that?
Brave Rock: No I didn’t. I think they knew the significance of the name, and it means a lot to myself and my people, and I hope it was well-received. No, I didn’t get into any trouble.
How much input did you have on your character’s backstory with Patty Jenkins?
Brave Rock: Patty Jenkins is amazing. On our first initial meeting, she expressed, she wanted to express her view or her issues with portraying Native stereotypes. And with me being called Chief, she wanted to know how I felt about that. I wasn’t very keen on it, being called Chief. Those were fighting words growing up … it was tough. But you know what again, thank you to Patty Jenkins, with the respect that she had for me and my culture, she said that … and being called Chief, she said I would never, ever have to call myself Chief. And then she gave me that opportunity to introduce myself in my own language. And that’s where Napi came into play. And so again, that’s very, for me to able to share my language and a part of my culture with the rest of the world, I’m very thankful to Patty Jenkins and Warner Brothers and DC Comics for giving me the input that I didn’t have. So nothing but gratitude.
What do you feel that the inclusion of a Native demigod brings to the DC Comics cinematic universe?
Brave Rock: It just brings some diversity, for me and my people again, it brings some pride and honor. It’s bringing a Native American in a positive light as a hero figure, again it’s time for a Native American superhero.
Do you think that we’ll see your character again in a future movie?
Brave Rock: I hope so. I can’t confirm or deny anything for being on Warner Brother’s team, but I hope again to share more of my backstory with Napi with the rest of the world, definitely. It’s been an honor to share my culture. And who knows, maybe the Chief will get his own movie. That’d be awesome, that’d be great.
Working on ‘Wonder Woman’
How was working on this movie different from other movies that you’ve worked on?
Brave Rock: You know what, it wasn’t intimidating, but the sheer magnitude of it was mind-blowing. To show up on set, and I did a little bit of gun training and did some stuff on the back lot of [Warner Bros.] Leavesden Studio, and a week later, they have … the trenches of WWI built and it was amazing just to see the magnitude of it. It was great. You know what else, it’s surreal, I still can’t believe I’m a part of this. Every day I wake up, and I’m pinching myself. It’s living a dream. I have nothing but gratitude. I’ve taken a lot of footsteps that my people haven’t taken, and I’m very thankful to be able to go back home and to share with the rest of my First Nation people and Native America that there’s hope out there. Dreams do come true, I’m a living example. And it’s all cultural aspects that have brought me to where I’m at. Whether it’s speaking my own language, having long hair, riding horses, singing and dancing in a traditional way. It’s hope. I hope it inspires our youth, and as well it honors our elders.
Is there any particular moment when you realized how big of an impact this movie has had, not just on DC Comics fans, but on people in your life and in your culture?
Brave Rock: You know what, going home, I went to the premiere and then within a couple of days, I went back to Canada where I grew up, the reservation. And to come full circle, to do that little jig when I was a little kid, I saw a Native American in a movie riding a horse. You know and that was my inspiration. So to go back and talk to little kids, little boys with long hair and to tell them that I grew up on the same res, and be proud of who you are no matter what. And again, to express our cultural values, it was a hero’s welcome home. It was amazing. Yeah, so going back home, that was, again it was surreal.
Was there anything doing the shoot for Wonder Woman that was particularly difficult to do? Maybe like a hard moment, whether it be physically or emotionally?
Brave Rock: What was hard for me was being away from my family, definitely. Being in London for, I think it was almost seven months, it was tough. Being away from them. I felt like I was the only Native American in England, right. I was living in Central London, and the sheer amount of people was scary. It was a scary world being in London for that long. So it was hard for me to be away from my family. My child, I had a child birth during Wonder Woman, and I actually missed the birth of my child. So that was very tough for me. That was the hardest part of the shoot. Other than that, being on set, everything was great all the time. There was never any tension, and everything was great. It was a very awesome experience.
What’s Next
What do you have next in the pipeline for your career?
Brave Rock: Well again, I’m living the dream, and I’m just taking every opportunity as they come. And being a hero in Wonder Woman’s definitely a dream come true, and I just want to keep on taking every opportunity that comes my way. I’m very thankful and you know, it’s nice to be able to educate the world on Native culture, and I’d like to share more of that, definitely from a Native perspective.
Do you have maybe a particular dream project that you would like to work on in the future?
Brave Rock: Wow, I have so many. You know what, again, with Chief Napi having his own project, his own movie, that’d be amazing.
Anything non-superhero related maybe?
Brave Rock: You know what, I’d like to just get out there and do as many roles, whether it’s Native or non-Native roles, I just want to go out there and do it with some justice.
Was there any conflict where you didn’t want to portray a stereotype, or be seen as that kind of actor where you’ll be type casted in only Native roles?
Brave Rock: I think the conflicts that do come up are issues based on perspective, right. A lot of times the perspective is non-Native, or when it comes down to language, the language isn’t right. And maybe the style of dress isn’t right. So I mean, those are small things I think that with communication can be changed, which is what happened in Wonder Woman. And it’s maybe not changed, but just more insight into our culture. There’s good stories and there’s bad stories, right. And good people and bad people. I just think it’s important to portray every character with some justice and dignity.
Is there anything maybe that you want to talk about that I didn’t get to hit on?
Brave Rock: Again, I’m just thankful for the platform that this have given me to be able to give back to my community and give me that opportunity to inspire our youth and honor our elders, definitely. Nothing but gratitude.
‘Wonder Woman’
Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers and her true destiny.
