“History ‘Whispers of Darkness’ was laid out for us. If I'm not mistaken, Tony Hilerman wrote 18 novels in the Joe Leaphorn series in the 1970s and 1980s. Of course, the story doesn't take place in these times, it's a story about Native Americans. We show Navajo culture – it's a good time to present our history on TV screens. Now we can tell them ourselves – from our perspective. We recontextualize the books of a writer of Caucasian origin and we present them from our point of view. The creators of the show – the writers, directors and producers – are Native Americans,” McClarnon said.
Before the premiere of the second series in Poland (new episodes started on March 21) We had the opportunity to talk to Zachn about the series, his character, changes and how he views the second installment of the adventures of Joe, Chee and Manuelito.
What can we expect from the second season?
“(…) We are still in the 1870s and we have a new crime mystery to solve. And since the series is a crime thriller, we are again dealing with a cat and mouse game. The heroes face important, life-defining decisions that I have to take and which will also impact the community and their place in that community. Everyone will face their own demons,” McClarnon summarizes the plot.
For two seasons, viewers follow the typical series plot of a pair of law enforcement officers who, according to all television rules, should create an interesting relationship. As it turns out, McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon and Jessica Matten, who play these characters, have known each other for almost ten years.
“Kiowa (plays the role of Jim Chee – editor's note) and Jessica (the series' Bernadette Manuelito – editor's note) I've known him for almost ten years. We worked together on the set of the series ‘Frontier’which is a Canadian production available on Netflix, Zahn says.
“We shot in Canada and got to know each other very well, we are really good friends. I'm so glad they were able to join me in ‘Whispers of Darkness’. Both Kiowa and Jessica are good people – it's really easy to get along with them, we have a lot of fun on set. Playing with them, being with the crew and just having the joy of making the show are wonderful moments.”
“Whispers of Darkness” is a series thriller. What problems will Joe face this time?
During the conversation, Zahn McClarnon told us that the biggest problem while working on the set, due to the weather, is frost. At the same time, he compared the work on the first and second series, stating that filming subsequent installments is definitely easier than the first season.
“The first seasons of series, in most cases, are more difficult to produce. Everyone has to find their rhythm. At ‘Whispers of Darkness’ There is a strong team of producers and scriptwriters who worked on the first and second series. But I think in some respects the second season is a little better – we introduce new characters, the crew feels more comfortable.”
“Whispers of Darkness”, as we already know, will return with a third season. Is there anything the actor can tell us?
“I love playing Leaphorn. It's easy to identify with him, but he's a very complicated character. He's really been through a lot in his life – whether it's about the events that took place in the Navajo community or how he found himself in the 1970s without being a white man. For this he must do his job well and find a balance between all this, so… we'll see what time brings.”
The premiere episode of the series will debut on AMC on Thursday, March 21 at 10 p.m. New episodes every week. The second season consists of six episodes.
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