Who is D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai? The real reason 'Reservation Dogs' star had a red handprint on his face
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards had many memorable and surprising moments. During the annual award show, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, a 22-year-old Canadian actor of Oji-Cree descent made quite a powerful statement.
On Sunday night, Woon-A-Tai well-known for essaying the role of Bear Smallhill in the Hulu comedy series 'Reservation Dogs' made his his red-carpet debut at the 2024 Emmys. He arrived at the award show while wearing an all-black suit. However, what caught everyone's attention was the red handprint all over his mouth.
The red handprint painted over Woon-A-Tai's mouth conveyed a message of support for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. As per the official website of Native Hope, the symbolic print "stands for all the missing sisters whose voices are not heard."
Woon-A-Tai's handprint "stands for the silence of the media and law enforcement amid of this crisis. It stands for the oppression and subjugation of Native women who are now rising to say #NoMoreStolenSisters.”
Did 'Reservation Dogs' star D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai win at Emmys 2024?
At the 2024 Emmy Awards, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai received his first-ever Emmy nomination for his role as Bear Smallhill in 'Reservation Dogs', competing for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. Ultimately, the award went to 'The Bear' star Jeremy Allen White.
The FX comedy 'Reservation Dogs' is about a group of Indigenous teenagers in Oklahoma who are determined to reach California and are ready to resort to theft to collect traveling expenses. The show can be streamed on Hulu.
'Reservation Dogs' star D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai wants to tell 'native stories through a native lens'
While having a conversation with Variety in April 2024, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai discussed how the Hulu series 'Reservation Dogs' has made him realize the importance of authentic representation.
"Reservation Dogs has taught me how important it is that we are the ones to tell our stories for us. Nobody should tell our stories on our behalf. That’s been going on for too long," he told the media outlet.
The Canadian actor went on to say, "We’ve had too much misrepresentation because of it. Moving forward, I am very much going to stick with telling Native stories through the Native lens."
Has 'Reservation Dogs' won any Emmys?
At this year's award ceremony, 'Reservation Dogs' earned five Emmy nominations, including categories for Outstanding Comedy, Picture Editing, Sound Acting, Lead Actor, and Cinematography. Despite these nominations, the show did not win any awards at the Emmys 2024.
