Launching Jan. 10, Michael Greyeyes, associate professor in the Department of Theatre will host a virtual four-part series titled Terry Talks: Michael Greyeyes Dishes on Hollywood and the Art of Make-Believe.
Using his character, Terry Thomas, from Peacock’s new show “Rutherford Falls,” as a mechanism for disruption, the 2021 Canadian Screen Award winner will discuss his work inside Hollywood’s media-making machine and the ways Indigenous artists are reclaiming narrative sovereignty.
Greyeyes is currently filming season two of the show in Los Angeles. “Rutherford Falls” tells the story about a small town that is turned upside down when local legend and town namesake, Nathan Rutherford (Ed Helms) fights for the moving of a historical statue. The comedy series was co-created by “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” producer Michael Schur, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” producer and “Superstore” co-executive producer Sierra Nizhoni Teller Ornelas and The Hangover’s Ed Helms.
The Terry Talks series will include featured guests from “Rutherford Falls” including Kimberly Guerrero and Jana Schmieding. Hosted over four sessions, the events will take place on the following dates:
Terry Dishes on Tinsel Town – Monday, Jan. 10 at 9 p.m.
Greyeyes remembers the trials and tribulations of Indigenous representations of Hollywood in the 90s and 2000s and examines the changes he has seen more recently and how contemporary Indigenous filmmakers and show runners are re-imagining our present and future.
Native Families vs. the Tropes of Disempowerment – Monday, Jan. 17 at 9 p.m.
Greyeyes and his guest speaker Kimberly Guerrero, who plays Terry’s powerhouse wife, Renee on “Rutherford Falls” discuss how the Thomas family is a radical provocation, given Hollywood’s history of portraying Native women and families.
The Speech – Monday, Jan. 24 at 9 p.m.
In this lecture, Greyeyes recounts how he approached Terry’s iconic speech in episode four of “Rutherford Falls.” An intimate deconstruction of an actor’s approach to the most challenging piece of writing he has seen emerge from Hollywood in the past 20 years.
Joy – Monday, Jan. 31 at 9 p.m.
Greyeyes and his guest Jana Schmieding, who plays Reagan Wells on “Rutherford Falls” talk about Native Joy, her brilliant article in Vanity Fair, and the state of the nation (NDN’s in Hollywood).
To register for the Terry Talks events, click here.