‘True Detective: Night Country’ Star Kali Reis On Historic Emmy Nomination: “The Indigenous Community Are Going To Be Rolling Deep, I’m Real Proud Of That”

World middleweight boxing champion Kali Reis can now add a new title to her belt. Reis made history during the 76th Annual Emmy nominations on Wednesday morning as Reis, nominated for Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for True Detective: Night Country , alongside Lily Gladstone for Supporting Actress in a Drama for Under the Bridge , became the first Indigenous actresses nominated for an Emmy.

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“It means so much to have been nominated,” the actor said. “We have women of color and diversity in this category; two of them being Indigenous women. And then on top of that we have different stories from Indigenous storytellers in the mix of it all. It means so much to be a part of this and also be a different face of being a mixed native Indigenous, two-spirit, woman. And just being able to be a part of a story that did their best to show the Alaskan Iñupiat people authentically, that’s really huge for me personally in the indigenous community.”

Reis also went on to add, with a laugh, that maybe for the first time ever in the history of the show, “the natives in the Indigenous community are going to be rolling deep, and that means I’m real proud of that.”

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Here, with Deadline, the boxer-actor talks a little more about her harrowing breakout performance as Detective Evangline Navarro.

DEADLINE: You’ve talked a lot about the power of manifesting this role. Can you now, looking back, reflect on your journey thus far to this moment of your nomination?

KALI REIS: I’ve had this type of attitude toward [acting] where if it’s meant for me, [roles] will find me from the very beginning of even getting into acting. And that’s kind of how True Detective started.  They reached out to me, wanting to speak to me about the project, which I didn’t know was True Detective at the time. They spoke to me about my process, what I did, nobody knew about me yet, and then I did audition and I had that same mentality where I wrote it in my journal that I really wanted the part. I loved the story and also loved what they were trying to do with it authentically. So, I just let it be what it was, I wasn’t obsessive about it. I just let it go. And then when I got the call, it was a big shock or surprise, but then again, it kind of felt like it was meant for me. But the intention of just telling the story authentically and really diving into this character the way I would and just telling the story the best way I could, is really how I just went into this. It was like, I’d be really, really good for the story, for all the boxes I checked as being a mixed indigenous woman, two-spirit, woman, all these things that I have to represent. It would be nice and just have this trajectory of, this doesn’t normally happen, but I fill in the blank. So when we had these started having these talks, I’m like, this would be really good, but I’m not going to force it. I’m just going to let it be. If it’s meant to happen, then it will. And I let the universe put things into place.

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And now having heard about the Emmys announcement in the same part of my house that I was in when I first got the news that I got the part in the show, I’m like, “Oh, my God.” I’m sweating. It’s really that same thing that goes down to the intention that we have of just doing the best that we can, and also accepting the fact that if it’s your no, it’s somebody else’s yes, and vice versa. I’m just so thankful for this moment.

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DEADLINE: You’re one of two indigenous actresses to be nominated in the supporting category for the first time in the show’s history. What does this representation mean for you? Especially having played such a harrowing and nuanced character.

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REIS: Personally, it means so much. We have women of color and diversity in this category; two of them being Indigenous women. And then on top of that we have different stories from Indigenous storytellers in the mix of it all. So overall, this is insane. It means so much to be a part of this and also be a different face of being a mixed native Indigenous, two-spirit, woman. And just being able to be a part of a story that did their best to show the Alaskan Iñupiat people authentically, that’s really huge for me personally in the Indigenous community. There is nowhere to go but up from here, so I’m just really excited. I do know that the natives in the Indigenous community are going to be rolling deep, and that means I’m real proud of that.”

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DEADLINE: What did playing Detective Navarro teach you? Here you are in the Emmys lineup, not new to acting, but getting acclaim for your breakout role in True Detective .

REIS: There’s no ceiling to learning. But when you think you know everything about yourself, about a situation, about others, about life, something else comes along and teaches you.

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I mean, I had to dig down so deep to find out who Navarro was, not to create her, but to find out who she was. See the similarities in myself. Really embrace the differences because the differences are the unknown. And as human beings, we are fairly unknown. But it was something that I was brave enough to dive in because I knew it was an important story and a perspective to tell. It taught me that I am capable. I had no idea what I was walking into at all. And it terrified me, but it also excited me. I knew I was going to learn so much about myself that I’m throwing up in a room full of people in a strange [place] doing this job that I just got.

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This is my third job, and it’s in this big entity in this show that’s already established. It was so much pressure, but pressure makes diamonds. And that’s the first cut of many of my diamonds going into this industry. So, I’m just really grateful. This role taught me to be me, it taught me that having a really good support system is important as well and having a place to ground yourself is really important. That’s balance. It’s not wrong for us to explore the dark parts of ourselves or others, but also just have that contrast of balance too. It taught me that it’s OK to make mistakes and also have fun. And I will say that I’ve learned to just embrace that every day is a new reality and just kind of go into it fearlessly, and here I am being nominated. This is crazy.

[This interview has been edited for length and clarity]

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