DeLanna Studi

                         Interview with DeLanna Studi

~ By Stephanie Deplanque ~

 I first discovered DeLanna in the film Edge of America, and since then I have been acquainted with her work as an actor, and a very good one as a matter of fact, but I also have had the opportunity to discover a charming, smart and approachable young woman who does not hesitate to give some of her time to help out others, and who also is a fierce advocate
on Native American issues.
Get ready to know Miss Studi a little better as I am sure we will be hearing a lot more about her in the future.

 
Can you tell us a little bit about you and how you arrived where you are today? 

My name is DeLanna Studi and I am a proud citizen of the Cherokee Nation. I grew up in a small town in Oklahoma. From a very young age I knew that I wanted to be an actor. I started taking drama and debate classes in high school and college. I moved to Los Angeles in 1998 and I have been working as an actor since then. I have been fortunate to work in the ABC Hallmark mini-series Dreamkeeper and with Native director Chris Eyre in Edge of America and most recently in the first National Tour of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning play August: Osage County. When I am not onstage, I am working with different youth organizations in Los Angeles and across the country and chairing the Screen Actors Guild’s President’s National Task Force for American Indians. 

-         We talk a lot about stereotypes in the American media, what do you think about it? Do you feel things are changing, moving forward, even if it seems to be a slow process?

One of our biggest obstacles is just being seen and recognized. As American Indians, or Native Americans, whatever you chose to call us, we are indigenous to this land and proud of that. We are an important part of our shared American story, not only of the past, but of the present and future as well. We have a responsibility to ensure that this vibrant and vital part of our shared experience of what it is to be an American is not lost or set aside. As Native people we are often called the “Vanishing Race” or the “Disappearing People”. One of our biggest burdens and greatest opportunities is educating the Film and Television Industry about who we really are --  to break past these stereotypes and to move our Communities forward. We live in a digital age where the majority of all of our information comes from the media, be it television, film or the Internet. In addition to our families, our communities, and education system, how we learn who we are and how we relate to others is powerfully influenced by the media, especially now. This makes it imperative that Hollywood stories move beyond stereotypes and reflect the great diversity and vitality of who we are as American Indians and Americans today.

Speaking from the experience of my community, it is not uncommon for our Native actors to go to an audition and be asked if we are “really Indian” even to the extent of asking our blood quantum or Tribal Affiliation. We have been asked if we can speak “Indian” and then told to “speak” or asked to cold read other native languages which in no way resemble our own languages. Of course, many of us are constantly reminded that we do not “look like” an American Indian. The truth is that there are over 560 federally recognized tribes with very diverse characteristics, cultures, religions and languages. If you include the tribes that are not federally recognized, there are close to 1000. We make up over 2% of the American population. In fact, Los Angeles has the country’s largest American Indian population with over 400,000 Native people living in Los Angeles County. We are a contemporary people who are thriving and existing as Americans, yet most of the American public does not see us as such.  

For every “Frozen River” or “Smoke Signals” there are at least ten “Dances with Wolves” or “Into the West.” While our Community is very happy to have major roles in period pieces (which is where the majority of our work comes from), we also want to be seen for who we are now. We are proud of our traditions. We are proud of our elders. But the way we are portrayed in Hollywood, our vitality is sealed behind museum glass as an exotic other of the long ago.

The most recent Screen Actors Guild Magazine survey which detailed the “Share of All 2009 TV/Theatrical Roles” revealed that we, Native Americans, are only 0.3% of all hiring in this Industry, an increase of 0.1% from 2006. We do not even have a full percentage! If the media seeks to reflect an accurate portrayal of the American Scene, then we ought to achieve a 2% ranking. We are making progress, one step at a time. There are more contemporary roles being created for and by Natives and we hope to have more. 

-         You often work with young people in an art related project I believe. Can you tell us about you work as a mentor?

My parents always taught me to think seven generations ahead and they emphasized the importance of giving back to the Community. When I was a young girl, I never thought my dream of being an actor could be anything but that: a dream. When I was given an opportunity to travel to reservations across the United States and work with youth, I didn’t hesitate. Since 2000, I have been touring in an Encompass “Compassion Play” KICK, a one-woman show, written by Peter Howard. KICK explores Native American issues and the power of images, stereotypes, and Native American Mascots. In fact, I recently returned from my sixth KICK tour of Wisconsin. I have worked as an acting mentor to Native youth for the program Young Native Playwrights in Los Angeles, at the Coeur D’Alene Reservation in Idaho and at the Native American Youth Association in Portland, Oregon. Angelique Midthunder and I directed 22 students (ages 4-14) in a play about the history of the Viejas for the Viejas Cultural Camp. I also appeared in the educational DVD We Are Still Here that explores the life of Cahuilla elder Katherine Siva Saubel through history and Cahuilla legends. This DVD is to be used in California classrooms as part of California’s new Indigenous Curriculum. One of my greatest joys was volunteering as a mentor/ counselor at NCCJ’s Brotherhood/ Sisterhood Camp. This camp had a social justice focus and was designed for Los Angeles youth from different backgrounds to learn to develop a multi-cultural, interracial, inter-religious community through dialogue. I worked extensively as the acting mentor for the American Indian Film Institute’s Tribal Touring Program, with the youth of the Yakama Nation in their “Challenge to Say No” program and has worked with the youth at All Saints Theatre Camp and Encompass’ Creating Bias-Free Classrooms. I graduated from the Shakespeare Festival‘s Los Angeles Youth Arts Professional Program where I was placed at City At Peace working with 50 youth from diverse backgrounds to create a musical.

A message for the Native youth and everyone else who might be reading?

When I was a senior in high school, I had to make a stand against a great injustice. When it was my turn to speak, I walked to the podium. I was so terrified that my knees were shaking and I couldn’t find my voice. From the back of the room, my father stood up with me. As soon as he stood up, I found my voice and was able to make my speech. On the way home after the school board meeting, my father explained to me why he stood up with me. This has always stayed with me. “As a Native person, whenever you make a stand, you are never standing alone. All your ancestors are there with you. Always.”

Any projects we should be looking forward to? Both on a personal level and work related.

I am honored to have been selected to be part of the company of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon. Oregon Shakespeare Festival has produced non-Shakespearean works since 1960, and I am excited to announce that I’ll be performing in August: Osage County and Willful.