'The Last Frontier'
Minnesota’s own Dallas Goldtooth, celebrated for the FX series “Reservation Dogs,” stopped by the Four Seasons to chat with Minnesota Monthly‘s Jerrod Sumner about his new project, the Apple TV+ action series, “The Last Frontier.” The show is a high-stakes espionage thriller where Goldtooth plays U.S. Marshal “Hutch,” a serious, buttoned-up character tasked with tracking convicts in the Alaskan wilderness. During the interview, he reflected on his roots, sharing fond memories of growing up between the Lower Sioux Reservation and South Minneapolis. As we near the month of November—nationally recognized as Native American Heritage Month—we dug deeper into the significance of Goldtooth’s heritage, both to his professional and personal story. He offered powerful insight into Native representation and spoke passionately about his belief in the resilience and enduring spirit of Minnesotans.
Q: What was your initial reaction to ‘The Last Frontier’ script when you first read it, and what about the role made you want to do it?
Dallas Goldtooth (DG): Oh dude, I love the script. I was immediately drawn to how they wrote the action; it felt visceral. I appreciate the numerous twists and turns and the focus on espionage. While there is a lot going on, I think ‘The Last Frontier’ does a really good job of keeping the audience in it and making sure they keep track of what’s happening and who’s doing what, without it becoming convoluted. As an actor, I was both nervous and excited, having never tackled a proper action role before. I also looked forward to the challenge of playing a more serious, buttoned-up character that uses a lot of military jargon, which was different for me, but I really looked forward to it.
Q: Where do you get your creative energy from?
DG: My creative energy comes from my childhood. Crazy to say, but movies were my babysitters in some ways. Growing up in the ’80s and ’90s in rural Minnesota and rural South Dakota, movies were my escape. I got lost in all those fantastical worlds. Now, as an actor and writer, I am incredibly grateful to be a part of creating that excitement. I can’t lose sight of that. I shouldn’t lose sight of that. I hope I never lose sight of that.
'The Last Frontier'
Q: What are your ‘go-to’ movies from that era?
DG: My go-to movies from that era are classics: ‘Spaceballs,’ ‘First Blood,’ and ‘Rumble in the Bronx,’ which was one of Jackie Chan’s first major crossover events in the U.S. market.
Q: Who is an actor or creator you worked with on this project that you think is going to ‘blow people away?’
DG: I have to mention the bad guys. The show establishes we’re hunting convicts in the wild, and they created some really cool bad guys. Clifton Collins Jr., who is Latino and plays one of the convicts, is incredible. I grew up watching him in the ’90s; anytime there was a Latino gangbanger, he played that role. He’s in the movie ‘One Eight Seven,’ so meeting him made me totally starstruck. I was like, ‘Dude, I am a huge fan.’ He’s an amazing actor and does such a good job in ‘The Last Frontier.’
Q: We are seeing some outstanding expressions of the Indigenous experience: ‘Reservation Dogs’ on television, Chef Sherman in hospitality, Larissa Fasthorse in theater. Where do you feel representation is today?
DG: I think that we’ve made some tremendous strides to increase representation of Native peoples not only in front of the camera but also behind the camera and in the writing process. We still have a ways to go, but I think that we need to celebrate the strides that have been made. And not only from my folks, like Sterlin Harjo, but the folks who came before, right? I want to shout out acknowledgement to the titans like Graham Green, who recently passed away, who was a titan as a Native actor and really did a lot of great work. Or even Wes Studi who’s still doing great work, or Grant Farmer—these previous actors literally trudged through the mud so that I could be in a show like I am now, or to be in ‘Reservation Dogs.’
Q: What do you want people to know about the Indigenous community in the entertainment industry?
DG: That we’re eager, that we’re looking for work. We want to be acknowledged and respected for our craft as opposed to just being respected and acknowledged for our identity as Native people. That comes first and foremost, right? We want to be treated and seen as actors, directors, writers first and foremost, but acknowledge that our identity is a part of that, but it’s not the core part of why we are doing what we’re doing.
Q: What advice do you have for an aspiring actor who wants to go down this path?
DG: I think one is to take risks and get out of your comfort zone, look for the roles that help you find discomfort, look for the roles that you can lean into that discomfort to push through and find the excellence within you. I think also collaborate, work with others, find folks that like to work the camera, find folks that like to do sound, find folks who would like just to create and create something together because that’s how I got here just by working with folks and not being afraid to say, ‘Hey, can you help me? I would love to work with you.’
'The Last Frontier'
Q: You said take risks. What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your career?
DG: The biggest risk is giving up my day job for acting and writing, that’s the biggest risk. Taking that leap and saying, ‘It’s now or never, I’m gonna go for it.’ And if it doesn’t work out, hey, at least I took the chance.
Q: Tell me a little bit about your time in Minnesota
DG: I grew up here. I’m from the Lower Sioux Indian Reservation, southwest Minnesota. My mom and my dad divorced when I was young, so I’d come spend my summers in Minneapolis with my dad. And then the rest of the school year, I’ll be with my mom out in the country. I have a lot of fond memories of growing up in the southside of Minneapolis and in the Phillips neighborhood. I’m a Minnesota boy inside and out. Me and my wife, we dream about moving back, being here, and being a part of the community.
Q: Minnesota Monthly is dedicated to the spirit of Minnesota. What does the spirit of Minnesota mean to you?
DG: Ooh, I think the spirit of Minnesota is resiliency. That definitely speaks to the Native peoples of Minnesota, the Anishinaabe and Dakota people, as well as the Ho-Chunk. But I think it can also speak to the greater population of Minnesota, being resilient in the face of so many obstacles that we experience. There are so many stories told about Minnesota that may not necessarily be true. We live in those contradictions. Especially right now in the current political climate, there are a lot of narratives about this place that aren’t true. The best we can do is stick with each other, continue to broaden our own horizons about what the future of this land is and who we share it with, right? And I think that we have to come with an open heart and open mind to that conversation.
'The Last Frontier'
