Latest news with #McClarnon
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Atomic Kitten's Liz McClarnon Pregnant at Age 44 Following 2 Miscarriages
Atomic Kitten singer Liz McClarnon is expecting her first child at the age of 44. In an interview with The Mirror, published on Sunday, June 1, McClarnon detailed the emotional journey behind her pregnancy, which was announced via Instagram last month. The musician revealed she experienced two heartbreaking miscarriages before a round of IVF led to joyful news. McClarnon, who is currently in her second trimester, explained that she and her doctor husband, Peter Cho, began exploring fertility options not long after meeting each other online in 2021. McClarnon experienced three failed embryo transfers via IVF and then two miscarriages towards the end of 2024, 'following their first successful cycles.' (In vitro fertilization, more commonly known as IVF, involves mature eggs collected from ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab, per Mayo Clinic.) McClarnon told the outlet she had thought she would stop trying. 'I said I was done after the last one, and Peter was absolutely on board with that, he didn't say anything other than, 'This is your body and I'll support whatever you decide you want,' which was a huge thing for me,' she told the outlet. 'I felt so bad emotionally, it was really tough. But then we spent Christmas at home in my tiny two-bedroom flat, and my mum and dad came down from Liverpool and we all squeezed in. That time actually helped me heal.' Stars Who Struggled to Conceive Children Share Their Fertility Issues In her May 13 Instagram reveal, McClarnon posted a video of herself seated on a park bench as the camera slowly approached her from behind. Text appeared over the top of the clip, reading, 'After years of sometimes quite painful IVF and quite dark times,' before the singer stood from the bench to show her growing bump. 'I'm pregnant! We feel like we've been given the world!' then appeared alongside footage of McClarnon beaming. She also reflected on the news via the video's caption, which read, 'I just can't believe we're here. ❤️So many have been through exactly what I went through and worse. ❤️ I want to share what I can and add my voice and ears to those who already help others understand or deal with all that comes with ivf and loss after so much hope.' Over 40 — and Pregnant! See Stars Who Welcomed Babies Later in Life McClarnon told the outlet that she is 'loving life' while aware 'of the potential impact of her age on her pregnancy and labor.' She is reportedly 'already taking aspirin as she falls into the high-risk category' and is being monitored for preeclampsia, described as 'persistent high blood pressure that develops during pregnancy' by the Preeclampsia Foundation. The outlet noted that she will soon start taking 'regular blood-thinning injections' as she moves towards a pregnancy milestone — learning the gender of her baby.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Where to get support if you're going through IVF as Atomic Kitten star reveals 'quite dark times'
For many undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF), the journey is emotionally draining, physically demanding and often difficult to discuss with those who haven't experienced it. This makes supportive communities vital for those navigating the process. Atomic Kitten star Liz McClarnon knows this all too well. After revealing she's expecting her first child following a "painful" IVF journey, she highlighted the importance of these networks in helping her through it. The 44-year-old singer shared her happy news on Instagram on Tuesday, revealing in a short video that she had been staying off of social media throughout her fertility journey as "sometimes it was hard to smile", before adding: "But after years of sometimes quite painful IVF and quite dark times, I'm pregnant." McClarnon wrote in the caption: "I started to record a video of me just telling you, but I got too emotional, so I thought I'd just hide behind this little announcement instead. "I just can't believe we're here. So many have been through exactly what I went through and worse. I want to share what I can and add my voice and ears to those who already help others understand or deal with all that comes with IVF and loss after so much hope." The singer acknowledged the importance of the support groups that helped her cope, adding: "I've been a part of some beautifully supportive communities. I'm so grateful. I am so grateful!" View this post on Instagram A post shared by Liz McClarnon-Cho 💛 (@lizmcclarnon) According to the latest data from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, a total of 59,910 patients received IVF in 2022. While IVF success rates in the UK have seen modest improvements, the process remains incredibly challenging for many. According to a study published in The Lancet in July 2024, the live birth rate per embryo transfer for women around the age of 35 is approximately 30%. While this is a significant increase from the 6% success rate in patients aged 35-37 reported in 1991, many people still face significant obstacles, including financial strain, emotional distress and the uncertainty of repeated treatments that may not result in pregnancy. Thankfully, there are places where those going through IVF can receive support. Fertility struggles can take a significant toll on your mental health. The emotional ups and downs – whether it's dealing with uncertainty, grief after loss or stress from repeated cycles – can be overwhelming. The NHS recommends that anyone undergoing fertility treatment considers talk therapy, which offers a safe and confidential space to explore thoughts and feelings. Most fertility clinics provide counselling as part of your treatment plan, so ask what's available or find your local NHS Talking Therapies service online. If you would like to speak to the NHS Mental Health Triage Service, you can dial 111 on your phone. It is free and open 24/7. You can also find qualified therapists through professional directories: British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA) – search for specialists in fertility counselling UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) – directory includes therapists with expertise in reproductive health British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) – searchable by specialty and location These resources can help you find licensed professionals experienced in reproductive or grief counselling. Joining an online forum can provide a safe space to share experiences, ask questions and find emotional support. Fertility Network UK, which states that "over 3.5 million people in the UK go through some kind of fertility challenge", is one of the leading national charities offering emotional and practical support for anyone facing fertility issues. Services include: Free helpline and email support Online and local support groups Webinars and fertility awareness events For online connection and 24/7 community support, the Fertility Friends Forum is a dedicated space for people dealing with fertility issues, from IVF to donor conception and surrogacy. Speaking anonymously to Yahoo UK, one woman explains how she and her partner leaned on Fertility Network UK during their IVF journey, saying it helped them "feel less alone". She also encourages male partners to get involved and show up emotionally. "During our IVF treatment, we found it valuable to speak with others also going through similar experiences. Online group peer support organised by Fertility Network UK helped us feel less alone and provided an opportunity to ask questions and share our worries. This helped normalise our feelings and created a sense of community through shared experiences," she shares. "One observation of the sessions we attended was the notable absence of male partners from heterosexual couples. I'd like to appeal to the men in partnerships going through infertility to support your partner in every way you can. She is going through a barrage of physical and emotional challenges, heightened by a flooding of hormones that can make it feel all the more challenging." She explains that infertility often affects both partners, not just the person undergoing treatment, and says joining a peer support group was just as valuable for her husband as it was for her. She adds: "It helped him learn that we weren't alone in what we were thinking and that just because we didn't know anyone else personally who had, or was currently, going through IVF it didn't mean that we were totally alone in our experience. "It shocked me to find that support for infertility in the UK is so limited. The Women's Health Strategy is a great step forward in recognising the specific health needs of women but support for those experiencing the challenges of fertility treatment is not prioritised enough." Another woman told Yahoo UK how vital an online support group became when she was going through IVF. "Joining an online community where women shared their experiences with assisted conception and the many issues they went through (and tips!) was a literal life saver. I spent a lot of time in my own head, overthinking my behaviour, what more I could do or how a doctors' dismissiveness sometimes didn't make sense to me," she says. "Their words and experiences made me feel less alone in crucial moments. And they also made me feel like I wasn't alone or a failure, because the fact that there were dozens of other people telling me they were struggling through the same process made me feel supported and not invisible. These women were strangers online but really felt like a life line for many months and evenings." IVF can be expensive, especially for those who don't qualify for NHS-funded treatment or opt to go privately. If you're ineligible for NHS support, you can still access care through one of the many licensed private fertility clinics across the UK. However, costs and eligibility criteria can vary significantly from clinic to clinic. To help navigate the financial side of fertility treatment, the Citizens Advice Bureau offers practical guidance. Meanwhile, the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA) – the UK's independent regulator of fertility clinics – provides evidence-based fertility information, cost information and legal guidance on treatment options. Exploring these resources can help you make informed decisions and feel more in control of both the financial and legal aspects of your fertility journey. For many, the end of fertility treatment doesn't lead to parenthood – and navigating life without children, especially when it wasn't your choice, can feel incredibly isolating. Fortunately, a growing number of communities and resources offer emotional support, connection and practical tools for processing grief and building a fulfilling life without children. Founded by Jody Day, Gateway Women is one of the most established global support networks for women who are childless not by choice. It offers online courses and workshops, and a community forum. See the blog post by a member about childlessness in the workplace The Childless Collective community is a membership-based community that offers support for people who are involuntarily childless for £20 a month At Life Without Children | Fertility Network, you can watch webinars, join an online community and participate in MyJourney Contextual Cognitive Behavioural Therapy self-help online programme The Full Stop is a podcast and community space for people who are childless not by choice. It's run by hosts who have walked the same path World Childless Week has links to lots of other resources and support Dr Robin Hadley is the UK's leading academic in the area of male involuntary childlessness The Childless Men's Community is a closed Facebook group created and moderated by Michael Hughes and Andy Harrod Read more about IVF: Consider freezing your eggs if you're in your 20s - it's less expensive than you think (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read) I went through 29 rounds of IVF to get the family I wanted (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read) More than one in 20 IVF treatments for single women (PA Media, 4-min read)
Los Angeles Times
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Why Zahn McClarnon ‘broke down' over his ‘Dark Winds' Season 3 arc
He may have started the third season of 'Dark Winds' crawling across the desert in the dead of night with a wounded leg and a dart stuck in his neck, but for Zahn McClarnon's Joe Leaphorn, things can always get worse. 'There's a lot at stake for Joe,' said McClarnon, whose Navajo police lieutenant contends with marital discord, childhood trauma and a pesky FBI investigation. 'He's made some mistakes and the people around him are suffering because of it. Not only can he lose his wife, played by the wonderful Deanna Allison, but he can also lose his freedom.' The AMC series, based on the Leaphorn & Chee novels by Tony Hillerman, follows Navajo Nation tribal cops Leaphorn, Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) and Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) in the early 1970s as they solve crimes within a white power structure that routinely devalues the lives of Native Americans. McClarnon, speaking from Camel Rock Studios in Santa Fe, N.M., took a break from filming 'Dark Winds'' fourth season to talk about head trips, authenticity and the power of understatement. In the surreal episode 'Ábidoo'niidęę (What He Had Been Told),' Joe gets injected with a ketamine-tipped dart that causes him to revisit a sex abuse trauma from his past. Were those sequences filmed on a closed set? The director, Erica Tremblay, closed the set down for one scene specifically, when I'm dealing with the priest and my young cousin. It was great to be around collaborators who made me feel safe in these vulnerable moments. I could relate, since I've had events in my past very similar to what Joe's going through. Sorry to hear that. No, it's OK. It certainly doesn't define me. But it's the first time in my career where I walked into my producer's office at one point and broke down a little bit because I was having a hard time with those blurred lines between reality and pretending. Joe's also trying to solve the murder of a Navajo boy while Jenna Elfman's FBI agent looks into the mysterious Season 2 death of mining mogul B.J. Vines. When Joe left B.J. Vines in the desert to die, he kind of did [to him] what happened to the Navajo people in the 1800s when the government put them on 'the Long Walk.' A lot of them starved to death, having to walk hundreds of miles in bare feet in the middle of winter. That was Joe's justification: 'OK, you can make it back to civilization on your own.' As a Navajo man, as a principled man, Joe finds himself in turmoil over that decision. You're No. 1 on the call sheet and most of your scenes are pretty intense. How do you decompress? Usually after a season, I go up to my mom's house in Nebraska and hang out with her. I'm 58 years old and a lot more healthy now than I was in my earlier life, when I struggled with addiction. I finally got clean and sober 25 years ago, with help from a lot of people, when I had my big moment of clarity — that I deserved more than what I was doing to myself. I use those experiences in my acting today. Your mom, who's Lakota and your dad, who's white, raised you and your twin brother in Montana near Glacier National Park. How did you find your path into acting? My dad would take us every Friday to films at the drive-in. Seeing 'Three Days of the Condor,' 'Little Fauss and Big Halsy,' 'Dog Day Afternoon' — that sparked something in me, though I didn't realize until later on that it was this desire to express myself. Acting gave me purpose. In 2015, you made a big impression in 'Fargo' as the soft-spoken hitman Hanzee Dent. Like most of your characters, he exudes strength through restraint. That approach clearly works for you. The Al Pacino I saw in 'The Godfather' was so understated, he didn't have to do much. [I admire] that kind of acting. For me, a lot of this stuff is internal and I guess it just comes out through your eyes. I know when I'm being honest and when I'm not being honest, and usually, when I'm 'big,' it's not honest. You recently appeared in 'Reservation Dogs,' co-created by a Seminole Nation citizen, Sterlin Harjo, and you serve as an executive producer on 'Dark Winds.' It must be heartening to make shows that put the Native American experience front and center. It's critical that Native kids are finally seeing themselves on films and TV in an authentic, positive way. With 'Dark Winds,' even though Tony Hillerman was a white guy, we've recontextualized his books with a Native writers' room, Native consultants, Native actors, Native directors. 'Dark Winds' is opening doors for people to see us in a different way than they've ever seen us before.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Dark Winds' star Zahn McClarnon and director Erica Tremblay on unpacking trauma in a 'safe and beautiful' way
This story contains some spoilers for 'Dark Winds' Season 3 Episode 6, 'Ábidoo'niidęę (What He Had Been Told).' While shooting a pivotal scene for the latest episode of 'Dark Winds,' 'Ábidoo'niidęę (What He Had Been Told),' star Zahn McClarnon asked director Erica Tremblay to hold his hand. In the haze of a drug-induced hallucinatory dream, McClarnon's Joe Leaphorn is confronted with painful memories from his youth. Trapped behind bars, the tribal police lieutenant is powerless as he watches his young cousin be taken away by an abusive priest. As the camera tightens in on Leaphorn's reaction, the actor is holding onto Tremblay's arm just out of frame. 'As an actor, I am obviously drawing from my own life experiences and we've all had our traumatic pasts and events that have happened to us,' says McClarnon during a recent call. 'I had a really safe space to act, to access that stuff. … I just can't stress how much support I had from my cast and my crew — not just Erica, but everybody — and what that means to me as an actor to be in the space where I can just be vulnerable.' Now in its third season, 'Dark Winds' follows Leaphorn and a couple of his current and former officers as they solve crimes and maintain order in the Navajo Nation. Each season involves the investigation of a new mystery that offers glimpses into Navajo tribal life and traditions as well as larger systemic issues that affect the community. Created by Graham Roland, the AMC and AMC+ crime thriller is based on the 'Leaphorn & Chee' novel series by Tony Hillerman. In Season 3, Leaphorn is looking into the disappearance of two young boys while also navigating the moral and legal consequences of his decision to leave the man — ultimately responsible for the death of his son — to die. Although his actions were driven by the knowledge that getting any justice for his son would be otherwise elusive, Leaphorn has been struggling with the guilt stemming from this decision. 'He's a principled man,' says McClarnon of his character. 'He struggles with upholding the law as well as trying to stay a traditional Navajo person. That struggle between Indian justice and white justice and the law and being colonized. … There's just so many different struggles going on within Joe's psyche.' In 'Ábidoo'niidęę (What He Had Been Told),' Leaphorn is shot with a tranquilizer dart and falls into a sort of fever dream. During this dream, says McClarnon, Leaphorn revisits 'this traumatic event that happened to him and [he realizes] he's lied to himself through his adult life and rearranged that event in a way that wasn't true … the events in his past weren't the way he had it in his head as a kid.' Leaphorn's suppressed memory involved a Catholic priest from the local church sexually abusing his younger cousin, as well as other community members, an issue that has affected many tribal communities, explained Tremblay. Read more: 'Fancy Dance' foregrounds a Native language. Its director wants Hollywood to go much further 'All of us Native writers in the room had our own experiences or our family members have had experiences around this kind of trauma,' says Tremblay, who also serves as a supervising producer. Because of this, ensuring the safety of the cast and crew was among the director's primary concerns when approaching the episode — especially while shooting the scene when Leaphorn observes the abuse. She explained that it was important for her that the scene was shot on a closed set with an intimacy coordinator. Traditional medicine and safe spaces were also made available for anybody that needed them. 'Zahn and I had a lot of conversations around that scene ahead of time,' says Tremblay. 'We did a lot of takes. He wanted to have his coverage be last so we shot out everyone else, and then turned the camera on him so that he would be performing his part of that scene last. He was giving incredible takes … but they were all from anger, which is totally an understandable emotional reaction to what he's seeing.' But after Tremblay gently nudged McClarnon about the possibility that he was holding onto a different response within him, he tried one more time. This last take, where he sought additional support from Tremblay, was the one used for the final cut of the episode. 'As a director, there's nothing more meaningful than feeling trusted by your actors,' says Tremblay. 'Because it was me, because we were protected and safe … and because it was Zahn, he could lean on me and I could lean on him. Our collective experience as Native people allowed us to go to a very painful place, but in a way that was safe and beautiful.' The episode, written by Max Hurwitz and Billy Luther, weaves through Leaphorn's memory dream, the actual skirmish Leaphorn is caught up in and a telling of the traditional Navajo story about the Hero Twins battling a monster known as the Ye'iitsoh. 'The translation [of Ye'iitsoh] is 'something big that creates fear,'' says McClarnon. The Ye'iitsoh has loomed over the events of this season, in both the mystery around the missing children as well as Leaphorn's guilt. In Leaphorn's dream, the Ye'iitsoh is represented by the abusive priest. 'I'm Seneca-Cayuga so the Haudenosaunee stories that I've grown up with are so deeply ingrained in the way that I live my life,' says Tremblay. 'The Ye'iitsoh story … has survived because it's a really great story. … We wouldn't be doing our jobs as writers in the room if we weren't looking to these stories, not only to express really important traditional values of the Navajo people, but to get some really good [entertaining] ideas from these stories that have survived for thousands of years.' For McClarnon, learning more about Diné — or Navajo — culture has been one of the rewarding aspects of being on 'Dark Winds.' 'We don't represent the Navajo people,' says the actor, who is of Lakota, Irish and German descent. 'We're a television show. … But if 'Dark Winds' gets people to visit the Navajo Nation, spend a little time with Navajo people and learn about the culture, that's a positive thing. 'If it leads to more people getting involved politically, economically, environmentally, and it becomes an education, it's a win for the show,' he adds. Read more: Stereotypes. Taboos. Critics. This Navajo cultural advisor is no stranger to stress McClarnon shares that it wasn't until he was in junior high that he started to think more about his own identity. His Lakota mother is from the Standing Rock Reservation and grew up in Fort Yates, N.D., until her family moved to Browning, Mont., on the Blackfeet Reservation. While he spent time on the reservation visiting family, he grow up about 20 miles away in Glacier National Park. 'It was difficult for me at times,' says McClarnon. 'I'm both white and Native and sometimes I struggled with fitting in to either place. 'I didn't start really getting into my culture until I was 13 or 14 years old,' he continued. 'I started attending ceremonies — inípi ceremony, which is the sweat lodge. That's kind of how I was introduced more to the spiritual side of my culture.' An industry veteran whose resume includes roles on the shows 'Reservation Dogs,' 'Echo,' 'Westworld' and 'Longmire,' McClarnon has been heartened by the growth of Native American representation and storytelling. But he hopes to see more inclusion in leadership positions at the networks and in producing ranks. 'We're chipping away at those stereotypes, the tropes that we've all been dealing with for a long time,' says McClarnon. 'We have more of a voice and we're telling our own stories. We're telling them in an authentic way. The native kids are hopefully seeing themselves in film and TV in a positive, non-stereotypical way now. 'We've got a ways to go,' he says. But 'we're going to continue this journey and that's important.' Sign up for Screen Gab, a free newsletter about the TV and movies everyone's talking about from the L.A. Times. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
‘Dark Winds' star Zahn McClarnon and director Erica Tremblay on unpacking trauma in a ‘safe and beautiful' way
This story contains some spoilers for 'Dark Winds' Season 3 Episode 6, 'Ábidoo'niidęę (What He Had Been Told).' While shooting a pivotal scene for the latest episode of 'Dark Winds,' 'Ábidoo'niidęę (What He Had Been Told),' star Zahn McClarnon asked director Erica Tremblay to hold his hand. In the haze of a drug-induced hallucinatory dream, McClarnon's Joe Leaphorn is confronted with painful memories from his youth. Trapped behind bars, the tribal police lieutenant is powerless as he watches his young cousin be taken away by an abusive priest. As the camera tightens in on Leaphorn's reaction, the actor is holding onto Tremblay's arm just out of frame. 'As an actor, I am obviously drawing from my own life experiences and we've all had our traumatic pasts and events that have happened to us,' says McClarnon during a recent call. 'I had a really safe space to act, to access that stuff. … I just can't stress how much support I had from my cast and my crew — not just Erica, but everybody — and what that means to me as an actor to be in the space where I can just be vulnerable.' Now in its third season, 'Dark Winds' follows Leaphorn and a couple of his current and former officers as they solve crimes and maintain order in the Navajo Nation. Each season involves the investigation of a new mystery that offers glimpses into Navajo tribal life and traditions as well as larger systemic issues that affect the community. Created by Graham Roland, the AMC and AMC+ crime thriller is based on the 'Leaphorn & Chee' novel series by Tony Hillerman. In Season 3, Leaphorn is looking into the disappearance of two young boys while also navigating the moral and legal consequences of his decision to leave the man — ultimately responsible for the death of his son — to die. Although his actions were driven by the knowledge that getting any justice for his son would be otherwise elusive, Leaphorn has been struggling with the guilt stemming from this decision. 'He's a principled man,' says McClarnon of his character. 'He struggles with upholding the law as well as trying to stay a traditional Navajo person. That struggle between Indian justice and white justice and the law and being colonized. … There's just so many different struggles going on within Joe's psyche.' In 'Ábidoo'niidęę (What He Had Been Told),' Leaphorn is shot with a tranquilizer dart and falls into a sort of fever dream. During this dream, says McClarnon, Leaphorn revisits 'this traumatic event that happened to him and [he realizes] he's lied to himself through his adult life and rearranged that event in a way that wasn't true … the events in his past weren't the way he had it in his head as a kid.' Leaphorn's suppressed memory involved a Catholic priest from the local church sexually abusing his younger cousin, as well as other community members, an issue that has affected many tribal communities, explained Tremblay. 'All of us Native writers in the room had our own experiences or our family members have had experiences around this kind of trauma,' says Tremblay, who also serves as a supervising producer. Because of this, ensuring the safety of the cast and crew was among the director's primary concerns when approaching the episode — especially while shooting the scene when Leaphorn observes the abuse. She explained that it was important for her that the scene was shot on a closed set with an intimacy coordinator. Traditional medicine and safe spaces were also made available for anybody that needed them. 'Zahn and I had a lot of conversations around that scene ahead of time,' says Tremblay. 'We did a lot of takes. He wanted to have his coverage be last so we shot out everyone else, and then turned the camera on him so that he would be performing his part of that scene last. He was giving incredible takes … but they were all from anger, which is totally an understandable emotional reaction to what he's seeing.' But after Tremblay gently nudged McClarnon about the possibility that he was holding onto a different response within him, he tried one more time. This last take, where he sought additional support from Tremblay, was the one used for the final cut of the episode. 'As a director, there's nothing more meaningful than feeling trusted by your actors,' says Tremblay. 'Because it was me, because we were protected and safe … and because it was Zahn, he could lean on me and I could lean on him. Our collective experience as Native people allowed us to go to a very painful place, but in a way that was safe and beautiful.' The episode, written by Max Hurwitz and Billy Luther, weaves through Leaphorn's memory dream, the actual skirmish Leaphorn is caught up in and a telling of the traditional Navajo story about the Hero Twins battling a monster known as the Ye'iitsoh. 'The translation [of Ye'iitsoh] is 'something big that creates fear,'' says McClarnon. The Ye'iitsoh has loomed over the events of this season, in both the mystery around the missing children as well as Leaphorn's guilt. In Leaphorn's dream, the Ye'iitsoh is represented by the abusive priest. 'I'm Seneca-Cayuga so the Haudenosaunee stories that I've grown up with are so deeply ingrained in the way that I live my life,' says Tremblay. 'The Ye'iitsoh story … has survived because it's a really great story. … We wouldn't be doing our jobs as writers in the room if we weren't looking to these stories, not only to express really important traditional values of the Navajo people, but to get some really good [entertaining] ideas from these stories that have survived for thousands of years.' For McClarnon, learning more about Diné — or Navajo — culture has been one of the rewarding aspects of being on 'Dark Winds.' 'We don't represent the Navajo people,' says the actor, who is of Lakota, Irish and German descent. 'We're a television show. … But if 'Dark Winds' gets people to visit the Navajo Nation, spend a little time with Navajo people and learn about the culture, that's a positive thing. 'If it leads to more people getting involved politically, economically, environmentally, and it becomes an education, it's a win for the show,' he adds. McClarnon shares that it wasn't until he was in junior high that he started to think more about his own identity. His Lakota mother is from the Standing Rock Reservation and grew up in Fort Yates, N.D., until her family moved to Browning, Mont., on the Blackfeet Reservation. While he spent time on the reservation visiting family, he grow up about 20 miles away in Glacier National Park. 'It was difficult for me at times,' says McClarnon. 'I'm both white and Native and sometimes I struggled with fitting in to either place. 'I didn't start really getting into my culture until I was 13 or 14 years old,' he continued. 'I started attending ceremonies — inípi ceremony, which is the sweat lodge. That's kind of how I was introduced more to the spiritual side of my culture.' An industry veteran whose resume includes roles on the shows 'Reservation Dogs,' 'Echo,' 'Westworld' and 'Longmire,' McClarnon has been heartened by the growth of Native American representation and storytelling. But he hopes to see more inclusion in leadership positions at the networks and in producing ranks. 'We're chipping away at those stereotypes, the tropes that we've all been dealing with for a long time,' says McClarnon. 'We have more of a voice and we're telling our own stories. We're telling them in an authentic way. The native kids are hopefully seeing themselves in film and TV in a positive, non-stereotypical way now. 'We've got a ways to go,' he says. But 'we're going to continue this journey and that's important.'
