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Kauchani Bratt

16th October 2024

Interview & Digital Editor: Pankhuri Bhutani

Photographer: Roger Kisby

Grooming: Emily Zempel

Stylist: Monty Jackson

Kauchani Bratt joins ReVamp to discuss his experience starring as young athlete and high-school student 'Jimmy Holiday' in Netflix's phenomenal new offering "Rez Ball"; a project showcasing the rich Native American culture further revolving around the intricate elements of friendship, grief, family, sports, resilience, unity, and much more. 

Holiday is initially showcased to be an immensely ambitious student struggling to make ends meet as he attempts to aid his single mother financially by working both a job and pursuing his education simultaneously. 

An unexpected tragedy halts Jimmy's life further turning it upside down as he is now forced to deal with unimaginable grief alongside trying his absolute best to lead his Native American Basketball team- the Chuska Warriors to the State Championship. 

Bratt's tribal affiliations are with the Quechua and Coahuiltecan Nations and 'Rez Ball' marks Bratt's debut role. 

We recently had an exclusive conversation with the talented Kauchani Bratt as he delves deep into the making of the film as well as reveals significant insights into his professional journey; discussing more about his debut, overall creative process, any challenges he faced while portraying his character, his audition process for Jimmy Holiday, and all things REZ BALL. 

Hi there Kauchani. Thank you so much for joining us on ReVamp! How are you doing and how has 2024 been like for you so far?

This past month has been one of the most intense and magical experiences of my life. In September, I traveled to Toronto for TIFF to debut Rez Ball on a world stage and celebrated at the Netflix/Vanity Fair Afterparty. I also went to Los Angeles, was on live television, attended screenings, and met LeBron James. One of the biggest honors for me was to screen the film in the Navajo Nation with some castmates and receive an official proclamation for “Rez Ball Day” from the Navajo Nation’s president, Buu Van Nygren. 

Everything in between, from meeting so many new people, doing countless interviews, sharing this project with the world and reaching Netflix’s Top 10 list, has all been incredibly rewarding. I am also looking forward to attending screenings with the Native American Health Center and Friendship House in the Bay Area this October, as well as an event in Yanaguana (San Antonio, Texas) for the ‘Yanaguana Fest’ with the American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions, this November.

Before delving into your phenomenal new project, I would love to know a bit more about what it was that brought you closer to the landscape of entertainment. 

Was this something you always wanted to pursue from a young age or did this passion emerge at a later stage of your life?

I never thought that having an acting career could be possible for me. When I learned about the project, I was studying philosophy at UC Santa Cruz and figuring out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Scrolling on Instagram, I saw the casting call for a film about a game that I grew up playing, Rez ball.

Growing up, I traveled to All Indian Basketball Tournaments and played on reservations, and my team even won the 2019 Native American Basketball Invitational (NABI) silver division championship in my senior year of high school. So when I saw that Netflix and LeBron James were making this movie, I instantly knew this was going to be groundbreaking and special, and I just wanted to be part of it.

The best possible case scenario I imagined when sending in an introductory video was to be a background character or an extra. But now having gone through this whole experience, I know that I would love to continue telling stories on screen, and I am dedicated to the process and journey of an acting career.

I obviously have to mention your recent film with Netflix "Rez Ball". First of all, huge congratulations on your involvement and absolutely surreal portrayal within the project!

Kindly walk me through the initial audition process for this role. Do you remember how you first got to know about this part?

When I became aware that this film was being made, I instantly sent off an introductory video of myself to see if I would be a good fit to audition. I went to the basketball court nearest to me and made a quick thirty second video. Later down the line, when I found out I got the part, I was interning with the Golden State Warriors, working with the coaching staff under the Director of Basketball Operations. 

I received a FaceTime call from Angelique Midthunder and an unknown number, who wound up being none other than Sydney Freeland. They asked me if I would like to play Jimmy Holiday, the lead character in Rez Ball, and in that moment I was over the moon.

And what were your first impressions of Jimmy when you were initially offered the script? Do you think those impressions stayed the same throughout the duration of shooting the film or did you come out of the project with a distinct perspective of Jimmy as an individual?

When they first asked me to audition for the part of Jimmy, I couldn’t believe it. In some sense I was questioning whether I could take up such a large and important role, and in a similar way, the character Jimmy Holiday is unsure if he can take the spot and role of Nataanii. But like Jimmy, I had to stay true to myself and focus on the bigger picture at hand which for me was to try and tell this story as best as I could, and for Jimmy it was to try and do his best so that their team could win the state championship– relying on instincts, but also looking to let other people help me in any way, shape, or form. 

I did prepare before shooting, but throughout the shoot I was constantly exploring and learning more about Jimmy. Ironically, by the end of filming, I felt like I was just getting started because I had come to learn so much through gaining experience, but I suppose that was just the nature of this project and how it happened to play out as a first time actor.

A lot of actors that I talk to usually have a specific element that they love about their project. For some, it is the costumes, the makeup, the set, the dialogues, or even the memories with their cast and crew. 

What element was it for you that you think you took away from your time on this project?

Having a majority-Indigenous cast and crew was so special, and I immediately felt a connection with everyone as if we were already family. I felt right at home on set. Sydney Freeland was such an amazing director and leader, showing up to work everyday with so much energy, passion, and patience for us first-time actors. 

Before coming on set, we spent a week with each other in basketball camp, acting and dialect classes, which really brought us all together and created a real-life bond that is reflected on the screen. Before we ever set foot on set we had already become the Chuska Warriors. The veteran actors– Jessica Matten, Julia Jones, and Amber Midthunder– all helped in leading by example and were such amazing people to work with.

Rez Ball is truly a significantly impactful project that not just deals with the competitiveness of sports and chasing the accomplishments but also revolves around those intricate elements such as grief, fractured relationships with one's family, those frustrated, confused, and angered feelings at a lost loved one alongside so many other elements. 

So, in terms of that, what kind of message or lesson do you personally aim and hope the viewers to take away from watching Rez Ball?

I hope that this movie can be a source of hope and inspiration, on many levels. During the process of making this film I was really thinking about that Native kid wherever they are, on the rez, or from an urban community, who might’ve never seen themselves depicted in this way on screen before. I wanted to do right by them, and let them know that they matter and that their stories matter. 

And while it is so amazing to see the current buzz for Indigenous media and all the barriers that are being broken, I’m hoping this is not just a trend and we see continued steps in the direction of a red future. But also, I really aimed to uplift and inspire anyone and everyone who might need it. This is a basketball movie, and this is a Native film, but I hope and believe it can resonate with everyone.

Watching Rez Ball, one of my favourite parts of this project was how they not only transitioned the spotlight from Nataanii to Jimmy as having the protagonist's perspective but also the contrasting way the film showcased how both of them dealt with their grief. 

Pertaining to that, did you have any favourite aspects of this film that you absolutely loved shooting and can't wait to get everyone's reaction on?

One of my favorite aspects of the film was the strength we see our players draw from their community and culture. Jimmy’s entire world comes crashing down on him, he has no idea how to navigate it, and it feels like he has no one to turn to. That’s when we see role models like Coach Heather Hobbs and Benny Begay introduce good medicine and teachings to their players, “going back to their old ways.”

You also see Krista intervene and help Jimmy in learning his own Diné language. All of these lessons and interactions for Jimmy really help him navigate this painful loss and tough transition, even allowing him to inspire his mother who was dealing with her own traumas. And that is one of my favorite aspects of the movie– not only is it an amazing underdog basketball film, but we are able to show such heavy and real topics while still highlighting the power and the beauty that we have as Indigenous peoples.

Did you have any particular acting ritual that you liked immersing yourself into in order to get yourself into the mindset of your character?

For this role in particular, given my circumstance as a first-time actor, I knew the best thing to do was to just be myself. I knew that I shared enough characteristics with Jimmy, having gone through my own challenges in life, being Native, and having grown up playing rez ball. I really relied on this connection to immerse myself into the character and world of Jimmy.

The film has a plethora of immensely intricate, emotional and difficult sequences. I'm very curious to know how you prepared yourself to portray those particular scenes and ensure they didn't affect you in real life. 

Did you face any challenges knowing your character was about to put himself in such a dark mindset.

For this I have to give a lot of credit to Sydney Freeland. She created a safety net for us, to not be afraid to go to these difficult places because we knew that we were safe and that she was there for us. Outside of the set, I’ve created some really meaningful relationships with my castmates. We would have late night conversations about our life experiences, and having that real-life connection not only helped the characters’ relationships but it helped us feel like it was okay to go to those emotionally challenging places together.

Any memorable or funny behind-the-scenes you'd like to share with us and the fans?

One of the most memorable scenes for me was the first bus scene, where the audience meets all of the Chuska boys for the first time. We shot that scene towards the end of the shoot, but all the time leading up to it we were rehearsing anywhere and everywhere. We all knew each others lines, and we would bust them out at restaurants, on outings, and pretty much anytime we were all together. So by the time we actually filmed that scene, we felt like we had it down. 

And yet, one of the castmates was unable to say his lines for the first ten minutes because he couldn’t stop laughing for some reason. Sydney had to take a pause and ask him if everything was alright, and that made everyone erupt in laughter. He eventually got the giggles out, but that scene was super fun and hilarious to shoot.

What's next for you, Kauchani? Now that we are about to witness your phenomenal debut and portrayal in this film, are there any other projects in the pipeline for the future that you'd like to tell us about?

During this whole experience, I wanted to be as present as possible and soak it all in, and now that it’s out in the world, it’s time for the world to enjoy it and soak it all in. I have just signed to a management company, and we are strategizing the best next steps moving forward Hopefully that means I can book another role, and bring everything I have learned in my debut and continue to learn and grow as an actor and human being.

Ending Note: Thank you for joining us on this interview, Kauchani! Wishing you lots of luck on the launch and success of Rez Ball!

Lastly, I'd love to know if there's any message that you wish to convey to your fans and supporters currently reading this interview?

I would like to say thank you to ReVamp Magazine for this feature, and I would also like to thank everyone who has tuned in and supported the film. Rez Ball has meant a lot to so many different people for many different reasons, and I am just so grateful that I got to be a part of it and help tell this beautiful story.


Rez Ball is now streaming on Netflix.

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