A STAR IS BORN ON THE PUEBLO

Joe and Michael interviewed Native American “Renaissance man” – musician, composer, painter, master craftsman, poet, actor, horseman, and farmer – Robert Mirabal, one of the stars of ROAD TO EVERYWHERE.  Robert talks about his humble beginnings, how the performing career he had never imagined took him around the world, and how he prepared for his first starring role.  Robert is an extraordinary man with an extraordinary story.

Robert Mirabal in his role as "Jake" in ROAD TO EVERYWHERE

Robert, tell us a little about growing up.  How did you decide to become a musician and an actor? 

I was born and raised on the Taos Pueblo.  The time I grew up in, the traditional ways were a huge part of pueblo life and culture and I came of age in a traditional family.  Traditional food, farming, and our language, Tiwa - which is my first language - were all part of my upbringing.  Song, ritual and dance were typical, too. I grew up with my grandparents and mom, an all-woman family mostly.  As a young boy, I was enveloped by pueblo culture and that encompassed learning songs and dances.  So, I have been singing and dancing for as long as I can remember.

Two-time Grammy Award winner, Robert Mirabal has twice been named the Native American Music Award’s Artist of the Year.

I actually got into acting before I became a musician.  I studied stage acting in high school, which was a very good outlet for me.  There was a small minority of us from the pueblo and it was my way of creating an individual expression that I felt I needed to survive in a world which was very different from pueblo life. It brought me to studying and auditioning for summer stock productions in eastern Oklahoma, which broadened my education and techniques as an actor.  I got to do everything from stage “combat” to lighting design, costume design to choreography, the last of which led me to creating my own little dance troupe and modest production company. It was during those years that I picked up a Native American flute at a local pow wow and learned how to play the instrument.  However, since there were very few flute songs available to me, my styles were influenced by lots of rock and roll and the contemporary music of the time.  There are many, many more stories but that's kinda the beginning…

Robert Mirabal's breakthrough PBS musical production, Music From a Painted Cave, remains a benchmark of Native American traditional/rock fusion and storytelling.

You've become world famous as a songwriter and performer, traveling with your band all over the world.  How did that happen?  How many years have you been doing it?  Do you still enjoy it?  

It wasn’t long after picking up that flute, that I was asked by a famous country western musician to guest spot on various shows and that went “viral” to use today’s term.  Next, I was commissioned to create a dance score for the Japanese avant garde bauhaus/buto dance duo, Eiko and Koma.  I ended up touring for a few years with them, honing my skills as a performer,  dancer and full time musician.  I eventually got signed, at the early age of 25, to Warner Western, a Warner Brothers Records imprint out of Nashville.  Back in those days, record companies gave more support to their artists to tour and get them in front of audiences.  I met a lot of my contemporaries who were coming up at the same time, like Michael Franti, Smashing Pumpkins and others, too. Then I did the PBS special Music From A Painted Cave and things just intensified. Along the way, I was also honored to be recognized with a couple of Grammys. I've been performing as a musician for over 30 years. The traveling is difficult, but I still do enjoy the aspects of live theater, song and dance, performance.  I also love composing and have been doing a bit of that lately, after getting into it when Sarah Schachner reached out to me to collaborate on the soundtrack for Prey.

Co-stars Robert Mirabal and Whip Hubley in ROAD TO EVERYWHERE

You've told me that your interest in acting actually preceded your interest in music.  I think most people don't know that you actually began as an actor.  Talk about your early years as an actor and some of your roles before ROAD TO EVERYWHERE. 

I started as a dancer with a dance troupe and performing in high school plays and such. I developed a rapport locally and acted and starred in various stage productions: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, The Mouse That Roared, Equus. But my biggest education was doing two years of summer stock in Oklahoma where I played various roles as an actor, musician and dancer. I was soaking up various media and stagecraft which I would ultimately use for my own PBS special and to create other large productions, something I still enjoy doing. Over the years, I have had roles in various films and television shows like Woman Walks Ahead with Jessica Chastain, and Georgia O'Keeffe with Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons, Yellowstone, Walker, Texas Ranger…

Robert Mirabal as "Jake" in a scene at K.E.Y. Ranch on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona in ROAD TO EVERYWHERE.

Tell us about your experience preparing to play JAKE in our film.  As written, I'm certain that it was not an easy thing to do all the preparation required for what had to be a very demanding role.

 I learned early in my career to memorize the part before ever filming or performing. I would hike or ride my horse up the Taos Mountains - Mó-ha-loh in our language - while listening to the lines I needed to respond to, and respond.  Over and over.  It helps when you find yourself in a hard predicament in a scene on stage or film to know who and what you are about to say and what you’re supposed to be doing while speaking the lines.  I won’t lie. The number of pages to memorize was a huge task!  It is essential to understand the character you’re playing and the characters you are playing opposite. Their motives, their fears, loves.  Preparation is 90 percent of performing.  Understanding what the director is looking for in any given circumstance or scene is key, too. Having a director like Michael, who knew and conveyed what he wanted to pull out of the character was a huge and helpful asset.

Robert Mirabal, Writer/Director Michael Paradies Shoob and Navajo actor, Richardson Etsitty discuss their scene together in ROAD TO EVERYWHERE

This was one of the first times that you were the lead actor in a movie.  What was it like to shoot in LA and at the Navajo Nation in Arizona?

First off, as a performer it's an amazing, reassuring boost when a director, writer and the producers value your talent enough to offer you the role of a character like Jake.  Having to present his personal story and journey, one that has so many levels of emotions attached to it was daunting, fun, intense, so many things, rolled into one.  Reaching that height of expression as an actor, creating a character that is believable and strong was a highlight for me as an actor. To be a lead actor is both humbling but also for me, I felt a tremendous amount of respect and trust, and in turn had so much respect for the actors i worked with, all of whom were so generous - particularly Whip.  They and the crew truly made it a team effort.  Shooting in LA was a blast, working on different sets and in various locations. The Navajo Nation is a beautiful, spiritual place.  You can feel it.  I think it had its own part in the film. The entire experience was one that I value and am grateful for.  

Robert Mirabal lives at the foot of the sacred Taos Mountain in northern New Mexico. He maintains a traditional life, keeping the centuries-old customs of the Taos Pueblo people.

Robert Mirabal before performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City

Robert grew up mainly with his grandparents in the Village at Taos Pueblo. From them he learned his people’s ways; the language and culture, how to farm the land, to hunt and perform ancient ceremonies and to provide for the extended family.