Fear the Walking Dead alum had personal reasons to join Firestarter

Michael Greyeyes was excellent on Fear the Walking Dead and took on a role in the Peacock Firestarter movie for personal reasons.

Qaletaqa Walker was a big part of Fear the Walking Dead season 3 but hasn’t been seen on the AMC zombie drama series since he was seen in the season 4 finale. Michael Greyeyes, the actor who played Walker, has been busy since leaving the show, appearing in moves and shows like Rutherford Falls, True Detective, Star Trek: Discovery, and many more.

For many people, Greyeyes is best known for his roles in projects focused on Native American stories. Movies like Crazy Horse and Smoke Signals made him a recognizable face for the representation of Native culture.

When the opportunity approached to play Rainbird in the Peacock reimagining of the Stephen King movie Firestarter, Greyeyes jumped at the opportunity as a fan of the author, according to Indiewire. However, there was more behind his choice to take the role.

Fear the Walking Dead’s Michael Greyeyes in the Firestarter reboot

Representation was a major factor in Greyeyes joining Firestarter.

In 1984, the original Firestarter movie cast Academy Award winner George C. Scott to play Rainbird, a role originally intended for an Indigenous actor if it followed the book. Greyeyes said he enjoyed his performance and was inspired by it but wanted to take the role in a direction closer to his heritage.

"“My reps had a really wonderful way of looking at it. We said, we’re not competing with George C. Scott because he’s a screen legend, Academy Award winner. We’re not competing with George C. Scott, but we are taking that role back,” Greyeyes said in the interview."

Michael Greyeyes is constantly working to increase the visibility of Indigenous persons, especially through film and television. Whether as an actor, director, producer, or any other role, his commitment to his culture and history are essential to the projects he chooses and his goals moving forward.

"I’m obviously very, very interested in working with other Indigenous creatives, but I’m also fascinated by changing the Hollywood that I’ve known."

You can watch former Fear the Walking Dead cast member Michael Greyeyes in Firestarter streaming now on Peacock. Also, be sure to check out the past work of this amazing actor if at all possible.

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