On donning Sitting Bull's full-feathered costume, actor August Schellenberg says he feels 'nothing but pride'. He has played the Lakota Sioux chief three times, most recently in an Emmy-nominated turn in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.
Based on Dee Brown's historical book of the same name, Yves Simoneau's film recounts the Native American tribe's defiance of white settler expansionism and assimilation policies in the late 19th century, and its ultimate relegation to a harsh life on small reservations.
Schellenberg (right), 71, says Sitting Bull is his favourite role in a 27-year film career. '[Sitting Bull] was a champion of his people,' says the Quebec-born actor. 'He did not want anybody to join the reservation life. He fought to the very end.'
In Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Schellenberg's defiant, traditionalist Sitting Bull is juxtaposed with the Dartmouth-educated Charles Eastman (Adam Beach), a Sioux doctor regarded by Senator Henry Dawes (Aidan Quinn) and others as a showcase for assimilation. The film follows the proud chief as he comes to terms with the displacement of his people and its consequences.
Accurately portraying Sitting Bull was no easy task, says Schellenberg, as descriptions of the historical figure were often contradictory. 'As an actor, you have to put him together.'
Luckily, the actor once worked with one of Sitting Bull's direct descendants, whom he says taught him his death song and 'told me things about Sitting Bull you'd never read about'. Schellenberg was rewarded for his efforts at last year's Primetime Emmys, when he was nominated for best supporting actor in a made-for-television movie. The film itself received 17 nominations - more than any other production - and won six.