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This
Interview is posted with the permission of the "Oklahoma
Woman/Oklahoma Man" magazine and is taken from the November 2004
issue
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- A Man of Depth and Determination
- by Jim Kettler
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- You may remember Wes Studi as Magua in “Last of the Mohicans”
or as “Geronimo” in the movie of the same name, or maybe even
the Pawnee warrior in “Dances with Wolves”.
Wes has acted many roles very well with passion and depth,
but his best role is that of Wes Studi.
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- I spoke
to Wes Studi by telephone on a recent afternoon.
He was in his Santa Fe, New Mexico home and I was in a
friend’s office in Broken Arrow.
We had arranged this visit a few weeks prior.
My business brought me to Broken Arrow for the day.
In retrospect, it seems to me that it was altogether proper
to be in the city by that name, talking to Wes Studi.
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- I found
Wes Studi to be a soft-spoken, gentle man, easy to talk to,
interesting and interested in the one to whom he is talking.
Wes was born December 17, 1947 in Nofire Hollow, Oklahoma.
This is place between Stillwell and Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
He grew up in the Tahlequah area, attending
school at Chilocco Indian School located in Northern
Oklahoma. After this,
he attended Tulsa Community College, then known as Tulsa Junior
College, and then Northeastern State University in Tahlequah.
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- Wes is
not only an accomplished actor, but also a horseback rider and
trainer, a sculptor, a musician, a writer, a director and a teacher
of his original language, Cherokee.
All of these skills and talents have served to open doors for
him on his personal journey. His
modesty belies the depth of his passion and abilities.
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- He first
became involved in acting during the time he was attending Tulsa
Junior College. His
first role was the lead in a play called “Royal Hunt of the Sun”
with the American Indian Theater Company.
Some time later, he was cast in his first film, “Long
Arm”. He said that he
got this part, at least partially because he could ride, shoot a
weapon and speak a native language other than english at the same
time. His experience
and comfort with horses along with his heritage of growing up in the
Cherokee culture made this performance not just possible but also
good enough to bring him the attention he needed in order to be
offered more meaty roles later on.
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- According
to Wes, his roles in “Geronimo” and “Last of the Mohicans”
have been very satisfying artistically.
And his artistic side is not to be underestimated.
As was mentioned earlier, his acting chops are well-known by
movie-goers and TV-viewers alike, but he has established himself
very well in other artistic pursuits.
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- Early in
his working life Wes wrote two children’s books, “The Adventures
of Billy Bean” and “More Adventures of Billy Bean”.
Starting out as short stories for a newsletter to the
Cherokee Nation, they were made into books at the request of the
director of the bilingual program Wes worked in.
Although out of print now, they enjoyed a robust initial
distribution and are still sought by many readers.
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- Wes is
part of a band called “Firecat of Discord”.
They recently played the Ryman Auditorium, the original home
of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
Their reception there was so enthusiastic that they plan a
return performance in the near future.
Wes plays bass, his wife, Maura, is the lead singer, his
brother plays rhythm guitar or drums, and three others round out the
band. Their CD can be
purchased by going to the fan club website, www.thestudigroup.com.
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- Sculpting
is an art form that Wes became involved in several years ago through
his friendship with Pat Moss from the Tahlequah area.
Mr. Moss made pipes from soapstone and sold them at Cherokee
National Holiday and art and craft places.
Wes asked him about carving in soapstone, so Mr. Moss gave
him a piece of the soapstone and said “here, take a file and take
this piece and carve it into something”.
According to Wes, he started doing that, and as time went on,
started getting his own pieces of soapstone and pipestone and other
kinds of carve-able stone so that now he carves larger and more
varied pieces including fantasy figures as well as the more
traditional pipes. Many
such pieces have been given to friends and acquaintances and, of
late, his carving has been more for his enjoyment and relaxation
than for commercial purposes. In
his words, it gives him a chance to do something "mainly as an
opportunity to stop thinking and do something rote.
Something other than my problems and what is going on in my
world at the time.”
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- As much
as he has already accomplished in life, Wes has some things he would
like to do yet. He is
wrapping up a new film called “The New World”, a story of
Pocahontas and John Smith. Wes
plays the part of the uncle of Pocahontas.
He is working on another project called “A North Side
Story” which is set in Tulsa.
And there will likely be more stories in the series of Joe
Leaphorn, the character he has played in “A Thief of Time” and
other films. But Wes
also wants to do some traveling to places such as the Scottish Moors
and Ireland. His own
heritage and friends he has made in “the business” are calling
to him there.
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- As for
future aspirations, he reflects on his beginnings.
He says that starting out, he had no aspirations or
expectations of being a role model (although he has certainly become
one to many). He says
that his life has just unfolded in a wonderful way and this writer
couldn’t agree more. When
asked, one hundred years from now, how would you like to be
remembered? He replies
“I would like to be remembered as a man who was capable of taking
care of his family, and any more than that would be to have been
effective in a positive way, not only for the younger generation,
but even for my peers. I
would hope to have been a good man.
I would hope to be remembered as a good man who maybe had his
faults but was capable of overcoming some of them in order to live a
productive life and leave some sort of legacy that is positive.
That’s about it.”
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- Well,
Wes, it looks as though you have understated what you have already
achieved in a way that is befitting not only the many characters you
have so ably portrayed but the great man that you are.
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- Jim
Kettler
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