Why Maya's Dad From Hawkeye Looks So Familiar
Disney has another big win on its hands with the most recent Marvel show, "Hawkeye." The Jeremy Renner-led show is currently wowing fans, with Hailee Steinfeld's portrayal of future Young Avenger Kate Bishop. The maverick archer serves as a comedic presence in the show as she works with Clint Barton (Renner) and comes face-to-face with the leader of the Tracksuit Mafia, Echo (Alaqua Cox). Also known as Maya Lopez, Echo is a new MCU character who is depicted as a deaf antagonist looking to avenge the death of her father, who Clint killed during his time as vigilante Ronin.
Episode 3 of "Hawkeye" includes Maya's origin story, detailing the events of her early life. The story introduces her father, William Lopez, and the reason for Maya's dogged pursuit of Clint and Kate. Though William's time on "Hawkeye" is fleeting, viewers may note how familiar the actor looks. If you're one of those viewers left scratching your head, you may recognize actor Zahn McClarnon from other roles in his prolific acting career.
Zahn McClarnon played a reservation police chief on Longmire
Per his IMDb page, Zahn McClarnon has has roles in movies and television since the late '80s, including "Baywatch," "Walker, Texas Ranger," and "Castle." However, one of his most recognizable parts is that of Officer Mathias on "Longmire." The television series is a modern Western, a high-concept genre take currently being further popularized by "Yellowstone." The A&E show follows Sheriff Longmire (Robert Taylor) and his attempt to solve crimes in Wyoming after the death of his wife. A&E canceled after only three seasons but was picked up by Netflix (via Deadline). The tragedy was that only three more seasons were in the cards and Longmire Season 7 was cancelled.
McClarnon's Office Mathias appeared as a foil to Longmire. As the chief of police for the Cheyenne reservation, Mathias' professional interests are often at odds with Longmire. This made for interesting conflict as the series progressed. As an Indigenous actor, McClarnon's casting gave a realism and relevance to the series that depicted the lives of Native people.
He was a sentient theme park robot on Westworld
Not long after he exited "Longmire," Zahn McClarnon join the cast of "Westworld," beginning with the Season 2 episode "Reunion" (via IMDb). The HBO series is an update of the 1973 film of the same name, with showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy bringing a ton of modern flair to the show's vision of the future. This time, the robots at the titular futuristic theme park are revealed to be victims of oppression, whether or not they gain sentience.
In Season 2, Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) becomes the leader of the robot resistance after she obtained sentience. However, this narrative gets a somewhat confusing plot twist when Native American robot, Akecheta (McClarnon) enters the show. Akecheta is the leader of the Ghost Nation and is initially created as a villain to serve as part of a violent theme park narrative created by Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins). But, it turns out that he became self-aware years before Dolores and ultimately found The Door to another world where they could find some sense of freedom. How Ford and the Westworld staff choose to deal with Akecheta is heartbreaking.
McClarnon's portrayal as the Westworld Host is incredibly nuanced, and he gives an amazing and heartfelt performance in the role. As Akecheta, he struggles with his consciousness, determined to lead the hosts to The Door of the new world. He is a heroic contrast to Dolores's anti-hero, as u/YagaDillon notes on Reddit. The audience feels Akecheta's grief as he mourns the loss of his love, Kohana (Julia Jones), who he finds decommissioned in the basement of Delos.
Zahn McClarnon was a shady Stephen King character in Doctor Sleep
Zahn McClarnon proved he is able to give a varied performance in Mike Flanagan's "Doctor Sleep." The 2019 slow-burn horror movie is different from Stephen King's book and improves on the source material in many ways. McClarnon depicts a villainous character named Crow Daddy. The film is a sequel to "The Shining," where Danny Torrance is now an adult (played by Ewan McGregor) and wracked with guilt over his past. He comes across a powerful girl, Abra (Kyliegh Curran), who shares Danny's ability to "shine."
Abra attracts the attention of Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson), Crow Daddy, and the rest of their cultish group called "The True Knot," all of whom feed on children's "steam," the energy contained by a person who shines. Rose the Hat, Crow Daddy, and the rest of the True Knot are established as antagonists with no redeeming qualities. They survive only off of the death of innocents and, as a result, suffer the consequences at the hands of Danny and Abra. Crow Daddy does not live to see the end of the film because of his crimes. McClarnon shows that he can depict the worst of the worst as well as honorable characters.
He played a noble cop on Reservation Dogs
In Zahn McClarnon's most recent television credit before appearing on Disney+'s "Hawkeye," the actor demonstrated his comedic chops. McClarnon depicts Big in the FX comedy "Reservation Dogs." Created by Taika Waititi, the show is a candid depiction of teenagers living on a reservation in present-day Oklahoma. Over the course of the show's first season, viewers watch as four teenagers (played by D'Pharoah Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, Paulina Alexis, and Lane Factor) dream of escaping the confines of their life on the reservation while committing petty crimes to fund their getaway while coming to terms with their own personal traumas. For all the seriousness of the plot, "Reservation Dogs" is not watered down and puts on display the funny along with the harshness of the lives their characters lead, per Entertainment Weekly.
Per the show's IMDb page, McClarnon appears in four episodes of the first season as Big, a noble, but sometimes oblivious, reservation police office. The actor does not always get to play to the funnier side of things, which makes his character a source of levity for a show that is at times a bleak representation of reality. The Rez Dogs often find themselves at odds with the cop as they commit crimes to raise money so they can get to California. "Reservation Dogs" has been renewed for a Season 2, so audiences may continue to see McClarnon reprise his role soon.