A Conversation with Matthew Settle

Jacob Wheeler

Q: What attracted you to INTO THE WEST? 

A: My first thought was about the hardships the people suffered.  So finding a way to bring my character to life in that world was a challenge and very difficult but enjoyable.

Q: Although this epic tale contains some Western characteristics, describing it as such does a disservice to the series overall.  Therefore, how would you describe this limited series?

A: I would describe INTO THE WEST as a clash between two cultures: the Native Americans’ spirituality and the manifest destiny-empowered Anglo-Saxon European settlers. 

Q: One aspect of this story that fascinates me is Native Americans being portrayed as civilized; this perception is history-altering. 

A: You’re absolutely right.  It’s typical and problematic to see Native Americans portrayed always as villains.  What’s great about this series and the approach is that it deals with the dichotomy of two worlds and two ways of living, and how ultimately one had to give way.  The reality is that history is not as black and white as other Westerns have made it.    I think this narrative can help us better understand our roots.  I have a newfound respect for what it must have taken to have survived here like the Native Americans did for centuries. 

Q: How much liberty as an actor was given to you within this narrative?

A: No one really knows the complete truth when it comes to this period of history.  Some things are going to be arbitrary.  The liberty I took was in how I developed truth within my character. 

Q: Tell me about your character and his journey. 

A: Jacob is one of the younger sons of the Wheeler family.  Because of his economic advantages, he is able to travel without financial strain.   He goes through a rite of passage into manhood.  In addition to becoming a man, he takes an Indian wife, so he becomes our link between the two cultures, which is another challenge in this role.  Jacob ages from 16 to his 40s, so I had to create relationships and background to his character for his life to be believable to an audience.

Q: Rather than conveying and transposing the view of American history, Spielberg seems to have given balance and understanding to the entire situation.  Is that your opinion?

A: Not every move that was made by the Native Americans and the pioneers was cruel, nor should all their actions be venerated.  Some were and some were not.  This film offers balance and understanding to history. 

Q: Having worked on the Band of Brothers, what was your initial thought of Spielberg pursuing another epic story like this?

A: I know Spielberg has an intense aptitude for transforming dreams into reality, and I wanted to be part of that experience.

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Entertainment Magazine

2005 EMOL.org

INTO THE WEST

Weekends:
Friday, Saturday & Sunday
Starting Friday, June 10, 8/7c
Turner Network Television (TNT)

Episodes

Episode One of INTO THE WEST, entitled “Wheel to the Stars,” is directed by Robert Dornhelm (Anne Frank, Spartacus, Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story), from a script by William Mastrosimone.  It tells of Jacob’s marriage to Thunder Heart Woman and the beginning of Loved by the Buffalo’s spiritual awakening.  In addition to the main cast, it features Simon R. Baker (I, Robot, The Sweet Hereafter); Sean Blakemore (Keepin’ It Real, Woman Thou Art Loosed); Josh Brolin (Hollow Man, Mister Sterling); Gary Busey (Lethal Weapon, I’m With Busey); Will Patton (Armageddon, Remember the Titans); Francesco Quinn (Platoon, 24); Geno Silva (Amistad, Mulholland Dr.); and Alan Tudyk (I, Robot, Firefly).

Episode Two, “Manifest Destiny,” is directed by Simon Wincer (Lonesome Dove, TNT’s Monte Walsh and Louis L’Amour’s Crossfire Trail), from a script by Cyrus Nowrasteh (The Day Reagan Was Shot) and story by William Mastrosimone.  It follows the story of Jacob and Jethro as they help a wagon train head west amid almost insurmountable obstacles.  In addition to returning cast, this night features Beau Bridges (We Were the Mulvaneys, Without Warning:  The James Brady Story); Jessica Capshaw (The Practice, Minority Report); Emily Holmes (TNT’s The Goodbye Girl, Paycheck); Robert Maloney (Panic in the Skies); Keri Russell (Felicity, We Were Soldiers, The Upside of Anger); Jay Tavare (Cold Mountain, Executive Decision); and Derek De Lint.

Episode Three, “Dreams & Schemes,” is directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan (Taken, Battlestar Galactica), from a script by Craig Storper (Open Range) and story by William Mastrosimone.  The story follows Jacob’s children as they make their way in the new West, while the conflict between white settlers and Native Americans continues to build.  In addition to returning cast, this night features Nathaniel Arcand (The Unknown, TNT’s Crazy Horse); Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings, 50 First Dates); Irene Bedard (TNT’s Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee, Two for Texas); Gil Birmingham (Skins, Body & Soul); Tyler Christopher (General Hospital, Out of the Black); Balthazar Getty (Ladder 49, Traffic); Rachael Leigh Cook (Josie and the Pussycats, She’s All That); Daniel Gillies (Spider-Man 2, Bride and Prejudice); Graham Greene (Dances with Wolves, TNT’s The Broken Chain); Christian Kane (Friday Night Lights, TNT’s Crossfire Trail); Russell Means (The Last of the Mohicans, Pocahontas); Matthew Modine (Le Divorce); Tyler Posey (Collateral Damage, Maid in Manhattan); John Terry (Full Metal Jacket, The Living Daylights); and Sheila Tousey (Law & Order: SVU, Thunderheart).

Episode Four, “Hell on Wheels,” is directed by Michael W. Watkins (Boomtown, Las Vegas), from a script by Kirk Ellis (The Grass Harp).  It tells the story of how the Wheelers become involved in the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, as well as the story of how tensions between white settlers and Native Americans reach a boiling point.  In addition to returning cast, the fourth night features Tom Berenger (Platoon, The Big Chill); Lance Henriksen (Millenium, Aliens); and Wes Studi (The Last of the Mohicans, Heat).

Episode Five, “Casualties of War,” is directed by Timothy Van Patten (The Sopranos, Homicide: Life on the Street, The Wire), from a script by William Mastrosimone.  This installment follows the further encroachment of white civilization on Native land after the discovery of gold in the sacred Black Hills region, and the removal of Native children to off-reservation schools.  Cast for night five includes Keith Carradine (Monte Walsh, The Long Riders); Judge Reinhold (Beverly Hills Cop, Four Eyes and Six Guns);and Eric Schweig (The Last of the Mohicans, The Broken Chain). 

Episode Six, “Ghost Dance,” is directed by Jeremy Podeswa (Carnivale, Six Feet Under), from a script written by William Mastrosimone and stars Joanna Going (Runaway Jury, Spin City), Joseph M. Marshall III, David Paymer (In Good Company), Chaske Spencer (Dreamkeeper, Skins) and Craig Sheffer (One Tree Hill, Dracula II: Ascension) This installment chronicles the events leading to the massacre at Wounded Knee.