Behind the Scenes: How Redford and Martin’s Surprise Cameos Shook Up Dark Winds Premiere!

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[This story contains spoilers from the Dark Winds season three premiere.]

In the third season of “Dark Winds,” which premiered on Sunday, some observant viewers may have spotted two suspicious figures in Lt. Joe Leaphorn’s jail cell. These individuals were none other than George R.R. Martin, renowned for his work on “Game of Thrones,” and Robert Redford, famously known as the Sundance Kid. They make their appearances approximately halfway through the first episode, as Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) delves into the mystery surrounding the vanishing of two teenage boys.

At the police station, Leaphorn encounters an FBI agent (Jenna Elfman) investigating B.J. Vines’ disappearance, a matter he has personal knowledge of from season two. Before his meeting with her, he pauses at the holding cell where two inmates are engaged in a game of chess. Leaphorn offers a move that results in Martin being checkmated. Redford responds gratefully, saying “Thanks for that.

In a conversation, The Hollywood Reporter spoke to John Wirth, the series’ showrunner and executive producer, who is currently busy in the writers’ room for season four. They discussed how the guest appearances occurred, as well as other aspects of the first episode of the new season.

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I’m glad the series has returned! It seems like ages since season two aired in 2023. I can’t help but wonder if the production delays due to the strikes might have impacted you?

Indeed, it turned out to be quite a setback having issues with both actors and writers [affected us significantly]. I had been eagerly anticipating commencing work in the spring of 2023; unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan, so we persevered. Dan McDermott, AMC president of entertainment, had previously assured me that immediately following the resolution of the strike, we would be reconvening in the writers room, and that’s more or less what transpired.

I’d like to discuss the cameos by Robert Redford and George R.R. Martin. They have been ardent supporters of the Tony Hillerman books that inspired this series for quite some time, playing a significant role in bringing it to life on screen. It surely added to the enjoyment having them feature. Who came up with the idea to include them, and what factors led to the decision that now was the perfect moment?

As a passionate fan, I can’t help but feel it would be fantastic to see those two gentlemen featured on-screen, ideally during the show’s run. Whether the idea originated from someone else or was merely a thought that crossed my mind, I can’t say for certain. However, it definitely struck me as an inspired concept. It could very well have been Tina Elmo or Chris Eyre, being executive producers, who floated this idea to me during season two. I was brainstorming ideas for cameos at the time, and this possibility certainly stood out among them.

On Jimmy Fallon’s show, George R.R. Martin humorously discussed his struggle to complete the “Game of Thrones” book series, which I found hilarious. I appreciated his candidness about the time it takes to write those books and when I later conversed with him and Bob [Redford], we mused about possibly making a cameo in season two. To my surprise, Bob was eager and ready to participate. George, however, was more cautious, and after writing up a few ideas, I presented them, but it seemed one or both were not keen on our proposed plan.

As a gamer, I cooked up an unusual spin-off of the “Men in Black” towards the climax of season two, but convincing George to be part of it proved challenging. One day, Bob dropped by the set and suggested we team up for this project if he could too, yet we couldn’t persuade George to agree. In that moment, we collectively attempted to coax him into accepting the role, but he remained hesitant. Reluctant as he was, it seemed our grand plan would never see the light of day.

So how did it eventually come about?

We concluded season two, took a break, returned, encountered a writers’ strike, and eventually came back. Interestingly, I remember it was April 4 when we filmed that cameo. It was a Tuesday, and arranging both actors’ schedules wasn’t easy. Tina Elmo played a crucial role in making the necessary arrangements. Then, George proposed an idea – he seemed eager to carry it out, and his suggestion was for him and Bob to portray two men confined in our home set, the Navajo Tribal Police, engaging in a game of chess. I thought, “Alright, why not?” I decided to go along with it, thinking if it materializes, it will. There’s no need to write anything down; we’ll just be there and get them into the scene, and that’ll be that.

Initially, I received a message indicating Bob would review the script pertaining to his character. I mentally noted, “Alright, I’ll jot that down,” as it was just a brief half-page or less. I learned they didn’t want any conversations in the script, so it was dialogue-free. After sending it across, I found out Bob wanted to know his lines, implying this script was developing as we progressed. Soon, they requested dialogues, prompting me to ask what specific points they wished to discuss. It seemed George had the idea that they might be playing chess, and Bob could say something like, “George, what’s taking so long? The whole world’s waiting.” I wrote this down, sent those pages over, and despite our readiness and scheduling, I thought this collaboration might not materialize.

On a typical Tuesday, I found myself in my office in Santa Fe, engrossed in writing. I felt as though the day would pass uneventfully. However, my phone rang, and our production assistant excitedly declared, “The eagle has landed.” (Chuckles) My response was, “Which eagle are we talking about?” “Bob is here,” she replied. At that moment, I thought, “Perhaps this day will be memorable after all.” I hurried out of my office and headed to the set, where we had prepared a special area for him. The set was closed off on that particular day. George was already there, and Bob soon arrived. We were all gathered in a small green room, and they decided to rehearse a scene. I had written the dialogue with the name “Gene,” assuming that’s what Bob wanted to call George. However, when Bob saw it, he asked, “Who is Gene?” I explained that I thought that was his chosen name for George. He corrected me, saying, “I’ll just call him George.” So we made a minor adjustment to the dialogue.

Admittedly, I’m not versed in chess myself – I’ve neither played it nor do I know the names of its pieces or moves. However, I’m aware there’s a rich vocabulary associated with the game. So, when I found myself needing someone who could play chess for a scene, I had to seek help. We searched high and low until we came across Justin Skliar, a scientist from the Los Alamos Labs. I explained that the setting was the ’70s and requested a basic move leading to checkmate, which he agreed to demonstrate. He showed up on set just as the actors did, and it was then that I informed him about the cast members. This left him visibly shaken (laughs). It was all new to him – being on a movie set and interacting with stars like Robert Redford and George Martin was quite an intense experience for him.

It transpired that George is a skilled chess player, allowing him to position the pieces effectively for his upcoming checkmate move against his opponent. On this same day, Jenna Elfman made her debut on the show, marking the start of filming for her. Despite her significant role in the production, today was not about her, as Robert Redford and George R.R. Martin were there to do a cameo in her scene. Excitedly, she asked if she could meet them, which she did, displaying grace, professionalism, and patience until it was her turn in front of the camera.

So how did filming go?

We practiced, arranged the camera – Chris Eyre had meticulously planned an intricate camera movement for the scene – we made sure everything was prepared, then we started filming them. We tried a few different angles. Bob, like me, is somewhat senior, and I worried he might tire and we were taking too long, but while shooting, I watched as he drew a deep breath and transformed into Robert Redford before my eyes. He’s fantastic in the scene. He embodies everything he ever was and what you would hope for, and it was exhilarating to stand here and observe him at work. Similarly, George was fully engaged and seemed to enjoy the process, too.

It was an incredibly exciting moment! We found ourselves immersed in the “Dark Winds” universe, and all of a sudden, we took a brief detour to the jail cell. To our surprise, there were two legendary figures – a highly respected movie actor, in my opinion, and the renowned American science fiction writer. They had a short scene with Zahn McClarnon, and then he moved on to act alongside Jenna Elfman’s character, allowing us to continue with the show. It was like stepping out of time for a moment with those two icons, and then we carried on. The scene played wonderfully. We watched it at the premiere last night [March 6], and the audience immediately recognized them. We managed to keep it under wraps, not advertising or revealing its presence, so it will be a delightful surprise for viewers. They’ll watch it and exclaim, “Wait a minute!” before rewinding and marveling, “Oh my goodness, that actually happened!” It’s one of the most memorable moments in my career: I have a script with Robert Redford’s name on it, and he is saying lines written by me, even though they weren’t. So, I’m claiming credit for it, with a laugh!

In your statement, you bring up Jenna Elfman, recognized for her role as Dharma & Greg, who portrays FBI special agent Sylvia Washington in the series. At first glance, her character appears to be unfamiliar with the reservation, yet she quickly becomes suspicious of Leaphorn. Is it possible that she has his contact information already?

She’s an exceptionally skilled actress, grasping her role perfectly, knowing exactly how to portray it. Initially, she appears somewhat peculiar and disoriented, a seemingly insignificant young white woman on the reservation, but things take a dramatic turn as she swiftly captivates him, making him uneasy from the start. The plot thickens as we progress, culminating in a thought-provoking ending in episode eight.

As both a policeman and a dad who lost his son at the hands of B.J. Vines, Leaphorn struggles with the fact that he sought retribution by abandoning Vines in the wilderness, potentially allowing him to perish from cold exposure.

In the second season, Henry Leaphorn, a retired Navajo officer and father of Joe Leaphorn, expressed his belief that there’s a disparity between white man’s justice and Indian justice. He anticipated that B.J. Vines, who was arrested for the murder of Henry’s grandson and Joe’s son, would be released from jail due to expensive legal representation, which indeed transpired. It appears that Joe Leaphorn may have taken a temporary leave from reason, and instead of executing B.J., left him in the desert to perish. True to his words, B.J. did meet his end. The third season delves into the repercussions of such an action.

In the second season, Graham Roland penned an impactful line that went, “When you take a life, it clings to you, connecting you forever.” This sparked an idea: What if B.J. Vines were tied to Leaphorn, and how would this bond unfold throughout the series? By integrating this theme with Navajo folklore, primarily crafted by us, we introduced the Ye’iitsoh monster. The essence of this creature is that it embeds itself within you, causing fear that you are transforming into a beast and frantically trying to expel this evil from inside. Once you succeed in doing so, the monster emerges outside of you, forcing you to confront it in reality. Essentially, this describes the narrative arc for season three. To put it simply, we’re delving into a horror genre, while in the previous season we focused on what we call Navajo noir, and this time around, we’re exploring Navajo horror.

What hints can we gather from the initial episode that might help us predict what’s to come for the rest of the season?

This show has a way of making you care deeply about its characters, and the Leaphorn couple is no exception. The writers delve deep into their relationship in season two, and when we move on to season three, they introduce an intriguing concept – that when you take a life, it can linger with you. This idea is particularly relevant to Leaphorn, as he’s been haunted by the consequences of his actions.

In this season, there’s a poignant exploration of how losing a child can shatter a marriage, and how even a man as morally upright as Leaphorn can be affected when he momentarily lets go of his principles. This is something he’s grappling with throughout the current season.

I think that’s a great place to leave it. Is there anything else you want to mention?

Season four is proving to be quite thrilling indeed! However, I’m afraid I can’t share any details with you just yet – you’ll have to wait until around this same time next year for that! (Chuckles)

I’m looking forward to many more seasons, and I know you’ve got a lot of books to work with.

We sure do. Thank you, Mr. Hillerman.

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Dark Winds season three airs on Sundays on AMC and streams on AMC+.

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2025-03-10 17:29