I've read a couple of scripts that were on the money. It doesn't matter what tribe we are from, what color we are, or what socioeconomic background we come fromand usually it is pretty shitty in Indian country. We're just dressed in, you know, regular garb and doing things that other people do, and they're timely. ES: No, I haven't actually. There were guys from all over the place. So, you have the tradition to work with. but are you interjecting your own mood? Col. Dave Webster runs this thing out of Columbus, I teach them and they teach me. PART 2: ERIC SCHWEIG: AN INTERVIEW MP: Okay, well.. aside from the masks, which will obviously be going to take a lot of your time and focus are you still pursuing your acting career? I don't know. I'm getting sick of looking at the same usual suspects all the time. And, hang out with my girlfriend. SOUNDTRACK || MP: A lot of people have been coming to our web site and checking out your masks. MP: Okay. like that. Or maybe it would be a I didn't know the Russians, the Europeans, came from the west coast. ES: Yeah. It was hot and it was annoying because Michael wanted to .. you know, like I said before.take after take. And I love to be around the sets, learning things. ES: Yeah, they taught us how to pack the wadding and the powder and the ball and all that kind of stuff. retrospect, how do you feel about the quality of that film? Like the kiss between Hawkeye and Cora? films. HISTORY || I went over to his hotel and sat around with him. Put us into 1992 along with everyone else. We had a love scene that was cut out. He's all business. Mohican Press - ALL But it is hard hitting and touches on all of the socioeconomic problems that we have on the reserves. They both have the same kind of drive so it was pretty funny. But Russell Means (Chingachgook) said, "NO, I'm an Indian. Then laughter] You know, The following interview - apparently from late 1992 - appeared in the pages of Trail Dust magazine. Daniel, he's pretty laid back, to say the least. there. there's such a thing as senility. You know? Invited to the conference to share his own experiences and perspectives, Eric was pleased to have the opportunity to speak on a topic close to his heart. As long as Europeans or Euro-American film makers are making movies about Indian people, there is always going to be this. He opens up about the joys and challenges of being a new foster caregiver to two siblings. There seems to be something simmering below the surface in much of what he has to say. I: Was there another person in your canoe one that wasn't scripted? It is the quality of the account that relegates a piece as history, not necessarily the race or nationality of the chronicler. STOREFRONT || Does he realize that all history is written from a viewpoint? I'll see you at the movies.". We were down there for about a month and we worked with this guy with a beard who was a real outdoorsman. ES: Yeah, absolutely. Year by year. That a European version of an event is no less valid than an Indian version? It'll probably never happen, but if it came around, I would. Senility is a social disease. He's pretty intense. have been because they had aged so much and the paint had flaked off. it was aged down, but we just took a shot at it and it turned out wicked. An anger at the people who made the film and some of those who were cast in it. It was incredible. E: Yes, to an extent! I've never been, well.. they treated me like royalty. You know, what goes around comes around. Eric Schweig was originally born as Ray Dean Thresher, in Inuvik, Northwest Territories on June . I don't believe Well, like I said, Red River has received a lot of attention in Europe and people have described it as beautiful. They sort of fashioned him after Tony Soprano, I think. So, by the time It's pretty good. you see a lot of them come out of their LINKS I: Yes, I guess that's a little difficult to survive. taken care of and respected and THAT is what makes them, keeps them wise. [laughs] There could have been a few more women. My birth name is Ray Dean Thrasher while my adopted legal name is Eric Kurt Schweig. I'd go in there and buy 50 CDs at a time. E: Well, they are using real Indians now. I don't like to refer to it as a reference. He was in Columbia, SC at a conference called "Calling All Colors" at the American Indian Center of South Carolina He went to talk to kids about Turning Anger into Art. MP: I hate to tell you this but it's supposed to be released over here, real soon, in English. PATHFINDING || AMERICAN HISTORICAL SIMULATIONS. shoot. ES: Well, the doors are opening now. MESSAGE BOARD, STOREFRONTS! . You see a lot of people, like I was telling Gail the other day, you see the PMRC , the Parents Music Resource Center, and Tipper Gore and her butt head husband and they're running around bands like Marilyn Manson, and they're banning them from ES: Yeah, absolutely. Although I was forcibly detached from my Inuit culture I always knew I was Inuit in my heart and I knew I had a real mother somewhere. We have this image of . perpetual image of running around with battle axes and screaming and yelling .. and running around in loin cloths and hats. I: And you were out there for five months in the Smoky Mountains what was it like? Yeah, you know, I am a good guy. That Cooper's "history" was, in many ways, stunningly accurate? MP: Yeah! MP: Well, a lot of people feel put out! GATHERINGS || So, that's good to see. We don't have all of the character actors that we need, we don't have bad guys, we don't have comedians, and we don't have the bodies to fill all of the positions. RIGHTS RESERVED - Use of material elsewhere - including text, images, and SOUNDTRACK || effects - without our expressed, written permission, constitutes copyright Yeah, they cut that out, they must have. ES: Yeah. We hope this helps you to know him as he is MOHICAN PRESS: We've read many bits and pieces of information, in print and on the Internet, by people who claim they know who you are. And, you know, it's the Personal use on your own home PC is permissible! It's absurd. Besides that, he's a pretty private person. ES: Yes. ES: Oh You know, I can't remember. It's a shame we [Indian actors] haven't been given the opportunity to well, you know, Wes is doing really good. I: So you made the movie in Richmond: now what? He is not an enemy, but Hawkeye's half-brother, Uncas (Eric Schweig), likewise armed with a musket. Stars: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Alexander Calvert, Sarah Troyer, Jonathan Cherry, Eric Schweig Writer: Davy Perez, series created by Eric Kripke Director: Nina Lopez-Corrado . Although at one point they wanted to shave everybody's hair off. MENUS! People are treating kids like animals. And I said, "If you want to be historically correct in this movie, you must realize that the clans back then would adopt this young white baby and we grew up with him. MP: Personally, I think he was deserving of an Academy Award for his work in The Last of the Mohicans. Either your adopted or your natural family? Mohican Press - ALL Actually, the same school that had kicked them out, that couldn't handle them, were phoning them back and saying "How do we start this multi-culturalism in our school?" In COLOR! But, nobody went to work. ES: Oh yeah, Lake James. They were the stars so they acted accordingly. MP: Okay! As the film nears the end, the group progresses up a precarious waterfall, one of Hawkeye's friends, Uncas (Eric Schweig) is killed by the men tracking them, and he falls off the edge of the waterfall. MP: Alice, played by Jodhi May, was obviously your love interest. ES: You know, I don't know where the collection is. RIGHTS RESERVED - Use of material elsewhere - including text, images, and MP: Well, what I mean is that you guys, in the movie of course, went through every possible trial and tribulation. So, they did film something and obviously you GATHERINGS || So what if the film was not shot in the MP: Would you describe yourself as a private person? ES: I got along with Russell. Born: June 19th 1967 Height: 6'2 Weight: 210lbs Eyes: brn Hair: blk Marital Status: none Heritage/Tribe: Inuit/German country: Canada E: Yes, it was. There was a golf tournament out there. I am an outreach worker in real life. I can't remember which scene it was. Something that minuscule I wouldn't remember. Usually they paved the way so we didn't have much of a problem. If you go onto a reservation and you see the dogs and their heads are hanging, that's a bad sign . you know, people don't care about them. Return To Part 1 Of ERIC SCHWEIG: AN INTERVIEW, See Eric As Uncas, From The DVD-version: UNCAS & ALICE, A cause dear to his heart, read: Eric Schweig is a Canadian born Inuit actor, who is best renowned for his work in the 1992 film, The Last of the Mohicans in which he stars as Chingachgook's son, Uncas. them in the first place. MOVIE TITLE: The Last of the Mohicans. I: Where there any significant problems with the movie? I mean Russell and I did, but you know, Russell and I Daniel and I come from we might as well be a zillion miles away. Well, I did in '92. You know, bad things happened to me and I left home. and I did bad things. Now you see movies like Dances With Wolves or The Last of the Mohicans and there is some attempt to show Indian people as people, so when my little girl says to me, while pointing to YOU, "That's one of the good guys", you've done We chose to post them on this site because a great deal of it is relevant to the making of the movie and we felt most of you would be interested in reading it. It looks like this interview was written very tongue in cheek, so don't take everything too seriously. ES: Yeah, Asheville's really nice. AMAZON.COM/LOTM STOREFRONT. You have a rather large following. it to them. They sort of fashioned him after Tony Soprano, I think. on our Book Store page. And I have to say that out of all the cast members, I think you gave a fine performance and we wanted to interview you primarily. Being brothers, we would be the same. SCRIPT || It was stupid not to! were there. Cause they just kind of stuck us in this little part of the field, when in the 1700s there was a thousand guys on the damn field guys getting killed, bones being broken. I wish they wouldn't. in Deep Rising. So, anything contemporary, it doesn't matter. ES: Uhhh no.. not my adopted family, but I hang out with my Uncle Willie from my biological family once in a while. I'm getting a script in a couple of days. Powwow Trail (2001- ) Episode: White Man's Indian Was she just a pleasant observer or. ES: Yeah. I know MP: Granted, we've held this film up to extreme scrutiny, but how do you reconcile this meticulous behavior with some of the flaws, like the blue cap and megaphone at Massacre Valley, that made it into the final cut? I: The dialects in Mohicans what are they? Enjoy! He was somewhat reticent, probably because of the time lapse, about I: Some of the scenes, especially in the canoes - was that really you guys? an Inuit duo! Certainly, we have a new found appreciation for interviewers! And it was one of the six. It was the 1700's, so unless you're over 200 years old you can't really say what went on back there. MP: Do you think society all societies. have lost their sense of nurturing and protecting. or seeing children for what they are? You know, you can't just take a couple of whacks at it with an adze and take off for three weeks and come back and do it, it will take forever. ES: No. It's about this concert violinist who befriends all of these wolves in Alaska on his property. He was just all work, then go home. think I'd hesitate. He is such an integral part of our favorite movie. ES: I guess I'll have to. in place of the word. Sometimes I felt like I wanted to scream or something. You know what? They made me dive from one canoe to another. It's not in the middle of downtown San Francisco where they I also am an adult survivor of abuse by my adoptive parents. MUSINGS || So, when you carve .. are you trying to recreate an exact image of another mask? Even Daniel did. E: I had fun, really. Does he realize war and violence do really take place, even though we are "not born to hate each other"? It would have been really cool if they had made it a little more sprawling. I: Did you have to be really physically fit? I see a lot of people who look all over the place for answers, except inside themselves. Born on the 19th June, 1967, Inuvik, Canada FILMOGRAPHY 1990 : The Shaman's Source : Robert Crow 1992 : By Way of the Stars (TV) :. MP: The concept of art for art's sake is somewhere in there, but what is your main objective in recreating the spirit masks? He was ALWAYS doing that. Like this week. there's 7 or 8 guys that I'm going to speak with. (A boyish laughter interrupts the train of thought.). Okay, I just want to backtrack just a little bit. MP: Then they'll be there for future generations? But people still, especially kids who have this .. it changes the way they see things. E: I've been with PRIME TALENT for about three years and they audition all over the United States and Canada. infringement! It's jacked up obviously for television so the story is more interesting. ES: Yeah, THE INDIAN. But I did a thing recently called Broken Chain, and I'll use that as a reference. [Sad voice. when you do too much of anything too much alcohol too many drugs. As a former foster child himself, he knows all too well the obstacles that youth can face when growing up in care. What did you guys feel, or you personally, when you were filming those scenes? The point is that it's not really E: Very, very hot and sticky and it rained a lot. ES: No, not really. It was a real pleasure to have the opportunity to talk with Eric. With the village? Does he know that the six nations are of the Iroquois, and the Mohawks are one of the six? that would be upsetting, too. and I get with her and we start scrapping about this and that and he shoots me dead. ES: Yeah, as opposed to a few years ago, it's reasonably quiet, yeah. effects - without our expressed, written permission, constitutes copyright Made for the talented actor and artist that is Eric Schweig. Many visitors have commented upon the quality of your masks. They take their sense of history and their wisdom A lot of elders are sharper than most 16 year olds 20 or 30, they're sharper than people half their age. Just a cop. I like to hang out with my friends. Rick, I think. of symbolic imagery. These kids are our future and they're gonna end up going to bat for us when we're sitting around at 80 years old on the front porch. . or play a dulcimer, learn how to play a dulcimer. But after practicing, after a Really.. if it were possible, we could work out something.. maybe we could do something to "showcase" the kids in your drama group. Not to portray these times would be to "twist" history. MP: Uncas. We were in Columbus, Georgia for about a month. Eric Schweig. No one wants to see this all the time. impact, and it's art imitating life and vice versa. Where as Indian people, for the most part, everybody listens to their elders, everybody takes care of them. It could have been developed more. to see that kind of ugliness but it's the truth. For some, those are scenes that evoke a sense of the times more than any other .. they really hit you. What I thought about the movie was that it was sprawling. That's one of the nicest small towns I've ever been in. I: Firstly, I have to say that I enjoyed your role in Mohicans very much and I thought the film was excellent! Blackstone Season 1 - "The Ladies Want to Know" 48,230 views Nov 24, 2011 217 Dislike Share Save BlackstoneTheSeries 1.14K subscribers Eric Schweig answers questions about Last of the. An anger at how history has unfolded itself. MP: Do you recall any special problems that were presented by the rugged terrain that LOTM was filmed in? with us. Did you enjoy being in the midst of all that awesome scenery and wilderness? Perhaps much is taken out of context. MP: Well, you'll have to tell us about it because we've not seen it. I: You mentioned earlier about your hair. They were stiff, the leather in them was REALLY stiff, so you could carry it We come from two different distinct worlds. Regarding Vern Interview with Eric: All of this info came from an interview (my interview form) on May 2nd 2000. celebrity. COLLECTIBLES || I: The scene on the mountain when you run to save Alice at the end you didn't wait for Hawkeye and your father, as per the book? What else? There were so many locations. MP: Do you remember what scene you were filming? All kids want to do now is rap, which is great and I understand when you turn 15 or 16 you want to express yourself. ignorance. There is no question that the American Indians have been one of the most mistreated peoples in history, certainly on this continent. [Laughter] We just stood there with those guys. Running 5 to 8 miles a day. MP: It didn't leave you craving for the city lights? 30 below weather. I thought it would stink! MP: Did you get closer to Jodhi May would you say, than to say, Madeleine Stowe? Just a chance to. you can see it in them.. certain monologues that hit home with them. What was originally scripted for that scene was pretty graphic. you have to bring to the forefront. E: No, I didn't. ES: Well, that's hard to say because mostly all I did was run. ES: Yeah, they couldn't have two different love stories going on at once. He runs Many Hawks Special Operations Camp in Columbus, Georgia where he The following interview with Eric Schweig was conducted, via telephone, on February 1 and 2, 1998. But that was a superb scene! Out of all the scenes that you did, what was the most difficult? the least. People, Indian or otherwise, are not born to hate each other. COURIER || In I haven't seen him in a bit, but I like to hang out with him once in a while but, that's about it. It could have been shot better. In the past, a hundred years ago, we would watch our toddlers, and what they had predisposition for doing. They'll suck all Yeah, it's the most horrible death scene that I've ever done. MP: Okay. E: No, I haven't. You know I told everybody when this started. In an interview with ICTMN, Schweig discussed life experiences that have helped him to play his role in Blackstone, his belief in giving back to the community, and how he has obtained such success in his career. It will be cool because it will be the first time I'll be on a set and.. abstaining. Right now, with all the school violence and music and art programs being cut all over the US I thought it would be good to interview him. Or, do you even think it should be an issue? I encourage kids to do this now. Schweig plays Andy Fraser, the chief of the fictional Blackstone First Nations tribe alongside an award-winning ensemble cast that includes Gemini winning actor Michelle Thrush, Gemini nominee Carmen Moore and others. Do you really feel as though you're making a departure from yourself? EARLY They promote it. I: Well, obviously you did most of all the work yourself, but did you have a stunt person? EARLY EARLY ES: Yeah.it's a.. yeah. I: Yes, it does. MP: Well, having been here already, would you ever want to revisit western North Carolina, the scene of the crime? You should do a mask. What am I doing working in the movies? It's all hard to fathom it goes against our grain. What we'd like to start with is for you to paint a picture of who you feel you are for us. Was it just a kiss? Things usually turn out if you do it that way. MP: It seems sort of a bad time for a love scene anyway at that stage of the filming. But I made the bottom of the mask protrude a little bit more. it's burnt out. E: No, I don't think so at all. MOHICANS HISTORY || After studying traditional Pacific Coast carvings Eric refined and directed his talent toward the recreation of the traditional masks of his ancestors, the Inuit. it's getting much better here. MP: You're welcome. But they didn't want to shave his hair, so they gave into us. MOHICAN WWW BOARD. I can't remember. SOUNDTRACK || Available - Free Downloads Only! He was in good humor throughout. Our intent is not to criticize or alienate, rather to wonder why? E: Michael Mann was running around behind everyone in the editing room making them do it shouting, "What are you doing?". Can you turn it into a greater good by reaching out to those kids? In playing this character I can appreciate the other side and I can pull my own weight on the show. As a former foster child himself, he knows all too well the obstacles that youth can face when growing up in care. I was adopted at six months of age. like boxing in a telephone booth. Hopefully, his voice will be heard on this; his "activism" emulated. But we took care of them! It's sad whenever kids have an abusive childhood. The battle scenes were spectacular! So, by the time of the interview, we felt comfortable with him, and he with us. Why do you think Blackstone is so popular? He's a nice enough guy. rights, or land claims, or any of that, you have to start healing yourself. But this big uranium mining company finds out he has all this uranium on the property and they come to buy him out. ES: First of all, sober as a judge. MENUS! Could you do me a favor? Is that something you had experience with before? A little better, though. The following interview with Eric Schweig was conducted, via telephone, on February 1 and 2, 1998. All they want to do is restrict native roles to native people. ES: If I'm not working, yep! Some people don't know whether to love him or hate him. Since we came upon, posted, and discussed the above interview, both here and on the WWW Board, we have had the good fortune to be able to talk with Eric Schweig directly. It's so cheesy. PATHFINDING || MOHICANS I think if ANY Indian actor is going to use their profession, acting, as a forum it should be to advocate things like what happens to you E: There are six different nations in the Mohawk nation. One in particular was your party's arrival at Fort William Henry. ES: You know what? MP: Do you have any relationship with your family? Probably the fort scenes. We found the one-year teacher retention rate at GDL in 2010-2011 was 79%; Green Dot Locke teachers, overall, were more highly educated than their . We don't mean to be contrary to his every word, but it just seems like he was echoing sentiments he didn't really fully understand. time or was it just.. you know, "I'm just doing this"? ES: Well oh man. We were pleased with the results and hope you are too. I don't know, that's the editor's fault. Was that difficult to achieve? MP: How do feel about being cast in the real-life role of Indian activist? The more the merrier. We wish him a lot of success in all his endeavors and thank him for taking the time to speak It would seem that carving is the next step or natural progression of skills you already have. That, perhaps, is petty stuff. Not necessarily on a compassionate level because I wouldn't describe Andy Fraser as a compassionate character. Available - Free Downloads Only! It's cool, everything's cool. well, it's getting better, just dump you off and you're there. Mostly it was an hour and a half long sprint! MP: As far as roles go; is there any particular type of film you would like.. or any particular character you would want to play? MP: So, I get the impression you didn't like Red River much. [2] We were talking about some of your films and I wanted to ask you about Red River, which has received a lot of attention. And I'm a damn hand with a harmonica! I keep trying to get people to get into acting so we have someone who can focus on just being a funny guy or a bad guy or a psycho or a love interest. Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe were THE couple so they couldn't take away from them because that was the main interest. Making it more subtle? Interviewing is something we hadn't done That's what I like to see. I didn't have to say that much, just stand around tapping my feet. I haven't met them yet, but I'm going to sit down and try to talk to them and try to get them out of their shells somehow. MP: And if the opportunity arose, and it was a role you liked, would you work with him again? With funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CRESST researchers conducted a multi-year evaluation of a major school reform project at Alain Leroy Locke High School, historically one of California's lowest performing secondary schools. I like walking with my gun and my dogs in the woods near here. Then I thought about it and it's just that his work ethic is different than everybody else's. And I was told at 7 a.m. the next morning that I was hired! And they did depict the "camp-followers" and "hangers-on" in a fairly realistic manner. ES: Yeah, that's. see, this is almost right on the money. I just wish this had a bit more exposure down in the States. [Laughs] In case people liked ours better! I don't use it. I'd take a picture of every one of them, too! MP: The vehicle that has placed you before the public eye is, of course, The Last of the Mohicans. We were shooting [?? That passionate, heartfelt, and poignantly expressed. We could work out something. On the featurette that is included with the THX video, you say something to the effect that director Michael Mann has created a monumental work. You were cut by a Huron. MP: Supposedly.. Uncas was. It starts with the individual person. Where's Marion? If you do good things, good things will happen. ES: Yes! STUDIO: 20th Century Fox. I have done bit parts in Bordertown and The Black Stallion. But unfortunately, the camera doesn't capture it; you just see my feet sticking up. I: And I presume the Hurons were speaking French? I broke the cycle by not drinking and finding out what I'm NOT. You know, you gotta start somewhere and they're starting small but they're starting. There was eleven thousand gallons coming through a pump into the pool and then it's sucked back through to create the waterfall. SCRIPT || It was fun! And it seems to me, we could have been more of a family unit. them to do. ES: Well .. it was more or less just business to me because nothing's ever historically correct. And you take care of yourself Whew! shells, especially the quiet ones the really, really inward teenagers. In COLOR! Go To The MOHICAN PRESS BOOK SHOPPE, For More Mohican Musings, Use The MOHICAN MUSINGS INDEX. MP: We've read that you have been involved in a children's drama group. I'm into it. MP: Do you see that on the other end of the spectrum too, with the elderly? The people at the music store said. when I said "Well, we're almost done here. Day Lewis. like a sauna in the summertime. MP: I imagine they do! When you do that you really have to commit. MP: I guess you believe that judgment on any society falls on how they treat their children and their elders? MP: As you know, our web site centers on The Last of the Mohicans. But, you don't see you know what you don't see? ES: You gotta put a little bit of that in there. MP: So, we're not looking at masks that are all going to be the same, but all unique. ES: Well, as long as it doesn't come over this way! All of this stuff is a direct connection between that and Blackstone and a lot of these topics come up in Blackstone. Available - Free Downloads Only! SCRIPT || I think, anyway. Are you satisfied with the caliber and supply of Native acting talent these days? Would it be accurate to say you're attracted to the arts in general? I don't know what Russell's up to. But there was some kind of beef with the production company and the North Carolina tourism division. No, we don't have "Red River"! So, by the time want them to live like I lived from. you know. when I was drunk for 10 years.. Because it's ugly and it's not us. a half, two years ago, Jessica State . she was 9 or 10 years old, about 200 yards from a ball field full of people, she was raped and had her throat cut and one of her hands cut off. They had a pool and a waterfall. scripted, which was more than "puppy love". MP: That was the next question. I don't think. I don't cut my hair for nobody!" That's because people listen to them. ES: Hmmm . Well, not . not really. It's also the truth that you have to do something about it. It is up front and it is brutally honest. out but don't stay out too late. Previous to this "formal" interview, we had had several long conversations with Eric, focusing primarily on his hand carved Inuit masks. He's a hard worker. It's about me and this guy his name is Christoph and he's from France. So, what they would like to know is what would ES: Uhmm. No, it wasn't a sex scene. Filled up with all those bodies in there.. in the fort. If they were good sticks .. it was kind of a bummer .. it would've been a better game. I: Was it all shot outdoors or were there any indoor shots, i.e., like the cabin scene? unless they start writing scripts about contemporary things. I guess it worked out. People either love it or they hate it and that's what you want. MP: So, most of what you've been offered, not just yourself, but with a lot of Indian people, . it's always "the Indian" role of a hundred or so years ago? We won't have a leg to stand on STOREFRONT || Personal use on your own home PC is permissible! That's how it has to be; even Freddy Krueger was the bastard son of 1000 maniacs.

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