Gyasi Ross: Martin Sensmeier lands role in major Hollywood film

I won’t add too much commentary to this newspiece, but one of my Man Crushes Mondays, Martin Sensmeier (Athabascan and Tlingit) recently joined the all-star ensemble cast of the remake of The Magnificent Seven. In the movie, Martin plays Red Harvest.

This is a pretty big deal—he has a featured role in a mainstream, big-budget movie featuring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke and a pretty vicious cast. Also, the film is directed by Antoine Fuqua, the director of another Denzel classic Training Day. It’s a big deal because Martin is not only enrolled in a Tribe (not always guaranteed when Hollywood casts Natives), but also immersed in Native community and culture. Martin joins Tatanka Means, Jeremiah Bitsui, Misty Upham (Rest in Peace) and Adam Beach as Native actors who have had major roles in big budget, mainstream filmwork in the past couple of years; I think it’s safe to say that this generation of Native actresses and actors are finding their footing and place in Hollywood. The film is scheduled to be released in 2017.