It鈥檚 become a bit of a tradition, Wayne Baker says.
Family and friends pile into the living room. Food and snacks come out, and the television is turned on.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of strange,鈥� Baker says. 鈥淵ou see yourself differently on TV. Just like when you hear your voice, it takes a while to register it鈥檚 you.鈥�
Tuesday, Nov. 11, marked the start of the fourth season for Aboriginal Peoples Television Network鈥檚 (APTN) critically acclaimed drama Blackstone. For the past two years, Baker has played Chief Joe, a character trying to set up a legitimate manufacturing business in a world full of corruption. The Alberta-shot series follows the lives of people in the Blackstone First Nation.听
The 18-year acting veteran says he stays true to himself when playing Joe. Unfortunately, it鈥檚 not too difficult, Baker half-heartedly jokes. The plot playing out on screen mimics the politics the Squamish Nation is currently wading through, Baker says, referring to the band鈥檚 recent independent investigation that reported $1.5 million of unaccounted emergency funds.听
鈥淚 hope some of the chiefs and council watch it [the show].鈥�
Baker says he wants the series to reach people beyond the First Nations community. It鈥檚 an important show that brings about awareness to the challenges many bands face, he notes.
As a child, Baker鈥檚 favourite weekend treat was to venture down to Vancouver with his aunt to watch matinees. While he loved the razzle-dazzle, he rarely saw his people in flicks. And when he did, they were laughable.
Since jumping in front of the camera, Hollywood is slowly departing from its stereotypical Tonto-type character. But it鈥檚 got a ways to go, Baker said. One of the world鈥檚 largest online movie industry resources, Internet Movie Database (IMDB), lists only 46 First Nations actors. Baker is among them.听
The majority of his parts are still First Nation characters. It鈥檚 a trend Baker first broke out of in 2005, with his role in the television series Da Vinci鈥檚 City Hall.听
Being First Nations and acting the part in historical films places Baker in some unusual circumstances. In 2007, Baker landed a supporting role in the HBO film Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.听
The production followed the last battle of the American Indian Wars, a massacre at Wounded Knee Creek, where an estimated 300 Lakota were slaughtered.听
The set looked so realistic that Baker felt like he鈥檇 travelled back in time. The movie became very personal as Baker stood among people whose relatives had lived through the bloody event. The show later received 17 Emmy nominations and won six of them.听
Baker just got back from an audition in Washington for an independent movie. He hopes to one day act in a film shot in Squamish.听
鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to do that.鈥�
Blackstone has won 28 television awards. The Blackstone television series airs every Tuesday on the APTN at 7 p.m.听
