How Dark Winds Scored Two Legends for a Premiere Cameo

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In the season-three opener of Dark Winds, around the 23rd minute, a brief but significant scene unfolds, lasting approximately 30 seconds. This scene, however, is not a recent creation; it’s the culmination of many years of planning and preparation, featuring actors Robert Redford and George R.R. Martin.

According to Chris Eyre, who directed the premiere of season three, titled “Ye’iitsoh (Big Monster),” the idea had been floating around since the initial season. However, it wasn’t until the third season that they managed to shoot a scene featuring George R.R. Martin, the author of “A Game of Thrones,” and both a star and director from some iconic films, who are also executive producers on AMC’s series about Navajo tribal police in the 1970s.

Originally planned for the season-two finale, but later dropped, Martin proposed an idea to showrunner John Wirth before the start of season three. This involved a scene where Martin and Redford would portray prisoners playing chess in a small cell within the police station. Last year, they filmed a short dialogue exchange, allowing Zahn McClarnon, star and executive producer of Dark Winds (who plays Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn in the series), to act alongside his friends and cultural icons. In this scene, Leaphorn suggests a move that leads to Martin’s character checkmating Redford’s.

McClarnon expresses his surprise, saying, “I would have never imagined reaching a point in my life where I’d not only know Robert Redford, but act alongside him.” Yet, the journey to that moment was intricate. As Wirth puts it, “I wasn’t always certain it would come true until it did.

Take One: Men in Black

Tina Elmo, a producer on the TV series “Dark Winds” who was friendly with Redford, was the one who initially proposed the idea of having both Redford and Martin appear in a cameo. According to Wirth, she expressed that Redford was eager to take part and wanted to work alongside George. Wirth then developed a concept for this appearance. During season two, there were discussions about someone seeing UFOs and a strange five-horned sheep being considered an alien on earth. So, the idea for these characters was like something from “Men in Black.” They would appear in suits and arrive in a black truck, looking for the sheep. Steven Paul Judd and I wrote a two-page scene based on this concept and sent it to Bob and George.

Initially, it appeared as though the cameos would take place, but then unexpectedly, Redford and Martin happened to visit the set on the same day during the season, and Martin decided against participating. As Wirth recollects, “Bob was attempting to persuade George to join in on set, saying ‘I’ll do it if George does it.’ However, Zahn McClarnon, executive producer Jim Chory, star Kiowa Gordon, and I were all there, trying to convince George to agree. But George remained firm and declined.

Wirth elaborates, “We’d journeyed quite a distance along this stream beforehand. You see, we were designing those ‘Men in Black’ outfits for everyone involved, which turned out to be rather pricey. We even acquired the ‘Men in Black’ vehicle. We had our sheep ready, but then there was a stir because the sheep had been assaulted by coyotes and was close to death, so it couldn’t be filmed. Things just started getting chaotic.

The news reached Wirth that Martin might have withdrawn due to a reference he added to the script. “I caught George on a late-night talk show,” Wirth explains, “and they did a humorous skit about him struggling with the latest ‘Game of Thrones’ books. I inserted a line in this small scene that hinted at completing something, which was a joke. Apparently, George interpreted it as mockery of his difficulty in finishing this novel, so he declined.

Martin had playfully told Wirth that he felt uneasy sharing the screen with “the most handsome man ever on-camera,” which is understandable. “I get it,” Wirth replies, “It’s challenging for a writer to share the spotlight with actors because they are often very attractive, and we writers usually aren’t.

Take Two: Checkmate

By the time season three arrived, Martin reconsidered his stance and proposed the chess game concept to Wirth. Wirth appreciated the idea, although it seemed somewhat unrelated. As Martin put it, “You need to ponder, What are two elderly white men found in a Navajo tribal police cell? Yet, if you look at it from a certain perspective, you can overlook that aspect. It might be possible to accept it.

In simple terms, Director Eyre devised a background for the actors. He said, “These characters were rowdy and drunk in a town similar to Flagstaff, Arizona, and after being arrested, they managed to hitchhike their way out. Eventually, they ended up in the Navajo Nation where one of Leaphorn’s deputies found them.” However, Eyre later admitted that this backstory wasn’t strictly needed as the actors never asked for it, but he was prepared just in case.

The setting for the shot was a closed production site at the insistence of Redford, who made his recent screen appearance in Avengers: Endgame, having filmed a cameo following his 2016 retirement announcement. A blend of anticipation and apprehension swept through the team. “I’ve been acquainted with Bob for many years,” shares Eyre, “and the thought of directing Robert Redford was daunting to me.” Eyre goes on to describe that despite Redford’s kindness and good nature on set, there were moments when he felt nervous. Zahn, for instance, expressed his excitement before filming began, saying, “You’re about to act alongside Robert Redford – that’s amazing!” To which Eyre responded, “Zahn, please be quiet! You’re making me nervous.

McClarnon admitted he was both excited and nervous during that particular moment. In terms of his behavior on set and in everyday life, he’s generally quiet and reserved. People might perceive him as brooding, but the truth is he’s actually quite focused on his tasks. That day, he couldn’t help but wear a constant smile. Tina Elmo even commented, “I’ve never seen you smile so much before.

Initially, the scene was intended to be dialogueless, with characters lacking distinct names. However, it was revealed that Bob desired to speak something and would address George as ‘Gene.’ Wirth responded, “Alright, I can see that.” The name ‘Gene’ wasn’t kept, as Redford referred to his co-star as George, but some dialogue did remain, such as an improvised line from Redford about Martin being too slow in making his next chess move. This line, “George, the whole world is waiting,” could be seen as a subtle nod to the fact that Martin has yet to release the final two volumes of his ‘Song of Ice and Fire’ series.

Wirth says, “If Redford writes something and someone sees it as mocking them – even though he didn’t intend to and wouldn’t – that’s one situation. But if it’s me writing a line and George perceives me as making fun of him in that way, it’s another matter entirely.

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2025-03-10 06:05