‘Dark Winds’ Star Zahn McClarnon on Testing Joe’s Moral Code

[This interview was conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike authorization.]

Dark Winds is returning for a new chapter in Lt. Joe Leaphorn’s story with Zahn McClarnon once again taking up the leading role in AMC‘s ’70s-set western.

This time around, he’s chasing a killer who is terrorizing Navajo Country, but in his pursuit, a secret that rips open painful old wounds also challenges Joe’s moral and professional code. Picking up a case of his own, Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), who is now a private eye, will be led in a similar direction as their paths set them after the same suspect. Below, McClarnon opens up about the ways in which Joe will be tested, changes at the station, shifting family dynamics, and much more. Plus, get a first look at what’s to come with a special exclusive clip featuring Gordon and new cast member Jeri Ryan, below.

(Credit: Michael Moriatis/AMC)

It’s been a little while since fans last saw Joe and crew on their screens. Where does Season 2 pick up?

Zahn McClarnon: Season two picks up with Joe Leaphorn finding evidence about what possibly happened to his son. That leads him throughout the whole of Season 2, of him trying to find out exactly what happened to his son. Last season was left off with Joe pretty much thinking that his son had died in a mine explosion. Something more is revealed to him this season.

Considering the personal nature of this case, how does that affect Joe’s approach in the field? Will mistakes be made?

I think in Season 2, Joe Leaphorn’s moral code gets challenged a little bit more, and that affects the relationships around him. There are certain lines. Does he cross that line or does he not cross that line in Season 2? Stay tuned. Joe does live with quite a bit of guilt from Season 1 regarding his boy and the fact that he wasn’t able to protect his boy or protect his wife Emma (Deanna Allison). Joe deals with that in Season 2. It’s a complex situation to be in.

Joe had great support from his wife during Season 1, how will their dynamic be tested this time around?

I think for Joe and Emma, it comes down to grieving and how they handle their grief in different ways. I think the tagline for me throughout the whole show would be, the restoration of balance and what that means. I think audiences will be able to get a taste of that too.

Things at the station have shifted as well, what can you tease about the changes there?

For Season 2, we brought in more of the actual Navajo force that works in the office. The relationship between Joe and Jim Chee, there’s a little bit more levity this season, and I think Joe realizes that he wants Jim around a little bit more than he thought he did. So there’s that father-son kind of relationship going on. And within the police force, we bring in some new characters [played by] Natalie Benally and Anderson Kee. And we just kind of try to open that world up a little bit bigger to what it really would be like within a small community police force.

This season is action-packed. Was it a little more challenging than Season 1 when it came to stunts?

Yeah. That’s what Season 2 for me was, I had much more physical activity this season and we shot during the winter, and you’re up 6,500 feet in elevation, it gets cold. So we dealt with a lot of snow and we dealt with the elements more so than we would in the fall or summertime. The writing and the scripts demanded more physicality out of me, and I went for it. I did get a lot of bumps and bruises, but it’s a lot easier for an actor to be out there doing those kinds of things to make it more real. And I didn’t do all my stunts, but I did most of the stuff. There’s definitely a more physical element for Season 2 in regard to Joe and his journey.

Season 2 expands Joe’s onscreen family with the introduction of his parents. What was it like getting to explore that dynamic?

We had the wonderful Joe Runningfox play my father, and we look quite a bit alike, and Joe’s been around for a long time within the Native acting community. And you know, I think the relationship between Joe and his dad is a bit contentious. They’re from different generations. Like most dads, they want certain things for their sons and those aspects come out in the relationship. There’s a lot of friction between the two and we’ll see what happens. I thought it was a great idea to bring [in a] father character, and John Wirth [our showrunner] told me at the beginning of the season, he’d like to see that. I thought it was a wonderful idea. I’ve always wanted to have a father-son relationship onscreen, and luckily I’m getting to do those things now in the later stages of my career.

You’re no stranger to playing reservation cops, what sets Joe apart from your other roles?

Joe Leaphorn is quite different from the other cops I have played, especially Big from Reservation Dogs. And he’s quite different from Mathias, the cop I played on Longmire. I think the personality traits about Joe that I enjoy doing is connecting the dots. I think Joe’s moral code and how he handles these different situations is what attracted me to the character. But mainly it’s his values as a human being.

Dark Winds, Season 2 Premiere, Sunday, July 30, 9/8c, AMC (Thursday, July 27, AMC+)

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