From “Hey Victor” to “Hey Doctor” with Evan Adams
Dr. Evan Adams | Photo provided by Dr. Evan Adams
Dr. Evan Adams is an accomplished actor-turned-doctor from Tla’amin Nation. His iconic portrayal of Thomas Builds-the-Fire in the 1998 movie “Smoke Signals” cemented him in Indigenous film history. Dr. Adams laughs with JD about just how many doctor roles he has played, explains how his traditional upbringing prepared him for the world of academia, and reveals how his acting life and the medical world can sometimes painfully clash. Join us in this season finale with one of the most recognizable faces in the Indigenous acting world!
We’d like to thank the Indigenous Screen Office for their support of Actors and Ancestors.
Smoke Signals (1998) poster (image from IMDb)
Some takeaways from this episode:
Dr. Adams grew up very traditionally, which he says still surprises people. His father kept him out of school at least one day a week and taught him how to live off the land: catching fish, hunting, sleeping on the beach. Because his mother went to residential school and didn’t learn how to do many of these things, his dad took a special care to make sure that he knew how to live on the land his people come from.
Sometimes his two careers clash, which can be really painful. But the choice is always clear when it comes to acting vs. caring for others. He says caring for others, and especially kindness, is such a core human function. “You can be a beautiful movie star but if you’re mean to your kids are you really that great?”
“Do you stop and prepare an audition for a big show that you have a little chance of getting or do you deal with a patient with a lifesaving issue or a family member who needs your care and of course the choice is obvious but it hurts like crazy. Especially when you see the show later.”
Dr. Adams is a queer icon and an Indigenous icon. His lack of self consciousness and ability to continue breaking barriers he says really comes from his dad and how he was raised.
“I wasn’t thinking about it being the 80’s and it being early... you know, gay pride or Indigenous pride or anything like that. I was just doing my thing... I didn’t want to suffer fools... ‘I can’t walk you through it, honey’.”
Lastly, they chat about how COVID hasn’t gone away. It continues to have worse impacts on Indigenous communities for all sorts of reasons connected to the social determinants of health (some communities are in remote locations, many people still have inadequate access to healthcare, and, when they do get care, often experience discrimination). Dr Adams agrees that we should still care about each other and use the things we have learned since the pandemic started to keep each other and ourselves safe.
Actors, specifically, might want to try to avoid getting COVID because it can have a long term impact on brains, hearts, and immune systems as well as cause debilitating Long COVID.
Remembering lines and doing physical activity are pretty key to actors’ jobs. Protecting your job means protecting your health. And for fans, protecting performers means protecting art!
ACTORS AND ANCESTORS’ RED RED CARPET SHOUT OUT FROM EVAN ADAMS:
Other doctors working in Indigenous medical education
“They have worked really hard to be where they are and also receive a lot of flack! We work so hard, sacrifice time with our parents and kids, it’s a tough field… it’s a tough gig. So the ones who are coming up who are really strong, I just love them because I know how hard they’ve worked to take care of their communities and each other.”
Thank you to our supporters!
Actors and Ancestors is supported by a podcasting grant from the Indigenous Screen Office
Thank you to Decolonial Clothing for partnering with us to provide each of our Season One guests a gift as well as a discount code to each of you to thank you for listening to Actors and Ancestors! Use the discount code ACTORS10 for 10% off your Decolonial Clothing orders!!