Fancy Dance Star Isabel Deroy-Olson Talks Lily Gladstone & Big Screen Debut

Courtesy of Apple

If you’re a young Indigenous actress breaking into the industry, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime to work alongside Blackfeet/Nimíipuu powerhouse Lily Gladstone, who’s leading the Native American renaissance in Hollywood. And if that entertainment trailblazer dubs you an “instant star”? Well that’s an absolute dream. (Warning: Spoilers ahead.)

That’s the reality that 19-year-old Tr’ondek Hwech’in First Nation/Anishinaabe actress Isabel Deroy-Olson is living after making her feature film debut in Fancy Dance, Erica Tremblay’s movie focused on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis. Instead of playing into the typical “trauma porn,” the queer Seneca-Cayuga director/cowriter (who worked on Reservation Dogs and Dark Winds) opted for a highly personal perspective, telling the story of the loved ones left behind in this epidemic. Simply put, it’s a coming-of-age-amid-a-crisis tale.

Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Deroy-Olson plays 13-year-old Roki opposite Gladstone’s Jax, a well-intentioned but imperfect auntie doing her best to care for her niece after her mother’s disappearance. In the midst of tragedy, they embark on a quest to an annual powwow — an important family tradition — and uncover the true meaning of family along the way. The film is at once heartbreaking, heartwarming, and humorous, in large part due to Deroy-Olson and Gladstone’s undeniable onscreen chemistry.

“Isabel knows you don’t need to push the work into anyone’s face to have a really resounding impact, which is something I think a lot of young actors can feel pressure to do,” says Gladstone, who made history earlier this year as the first Native American Oscars Best Actress nominee for her performance in Killers of the Flower Moon. “She’s unwavering and natural, with a very grounding but still playful presence. Her strength shines from within and is so compelling to watch.”

That appreciation is mutual, of course. “I’m so grateful for Lily, and I love her so, so dearly,” Deroy-Olson says. “Through this, we really became family. She’s just so generous and genuine. She has helped me so much in my career — talking me through things and sharing about her own experiences. I’m forever grateful for that, because she’s such a lovely human being.”

Despite being a bona fide movie buff, Deroy-Olson didn’t grow up with acting aspirations. She was always a performer — dancing, partaking in musical theater, and doing some reporting for CBC Kids News — but only auditioned for a role after her mom saw an open casting call on Facebook. Deroy-Olson didn’t get that part, but she persisted at the urging of casting director Rene Haynes (whose Indigenous-focused credits include Killers of the Flower Moon, Prey, Dances With Wolves, and more).

She soon booked a few jobs, including a regular role on the Prime Video mystery show Three Pines. On that set, she had a chance to learn from Indigenous talents like Tantoo Cardinal, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, and Anna Lambe. But nothing would prepare her for the master class she’d get from Tremblay and Gladstone while working on Fancy Dance.

“I was definitely nervous, but those nerves came from caring a lot about this film and looking up to both Erica and Lily so much,” Deroy-Olson says. “But once we stepped on set, it was so comfortable. This was my first feature, so getting to work with them was an absolute dream. Erica showed me the ropes, and we made decisions together to fully flesh out my character. I learned so much from her about film in general. And then Lily is just perfect.”

By all accounts, Deroy-Olson holds her own opposite Gladstone. Despite her inexperience, she powerfully portrays Roki as she navigates scenarios like grappling with the disappearance of her mother, getting her first period, and trying to understand her Indigeneity in a modern world. Deroy-Olson also added a much-needed element of fun.

“To say Isabel is wise beyond her years totally underestimates how incredibly adept and thoughtful teenagers are,” Tremblay explains. “She brought a wonderful curiosity to set and a levity to this performance while also navigating the mature themes being thrown at her young character. Her endearing sense of humor was a constant source of joy. Even after filming our hardest scenes, Isabel found a way to bring laughter to everyone on set.”

Gladstone echoes that. “Working with Isabel was effortless and so, so fun,” she says. “With some people, you just snap into a flow without even having to try. The family feel was immediate, which made the scenes so rich. She became my niece for real.” (That relationship is an incredibly important one in many Indigenous communities.)

Joyfulness is an apparent theme throughout the film to balance out its heavy topics, including the MMIW crisis, the removal of Native children from their cultures, and the disproportionate rates of poverty and addiction among tribal communities. For countless Indigenous people, this is not some dramatized version of reality — it’s real life.

“So often, Indigenous peoples are portrayed as these fictionalized caricatures of who we really are,” says Deroy-Olson. “Jax and Roki’s story brings a sense of reality to the world of Indigenous film, because even though Fancy Dance is a work of fiction, the stories we’re telling are so real and so relatable. A lot of people don’t grasp that these things are actually happening around us every single day. For everyone living in North America, you’re on Indigenous land, so you need to know about these issues.”

As for her next act, Deroy-Olson would love to work with Greta Gerwig (she totally fangirled when Gladstone introduced the two of them), Paul Mescal (for his work in Aftersun and Normal People), and Kit Connor (for his influential queer representation in Heartstopper). This is where her inner cinephile shines through, as she remarks how much she relates to Gerwig’s coming-of-age storytelling in deep cuts like Frances Ha. In terms of a dream role, Deroy-Olson would love to one day play Osage icon Maria Tallchief, the first Native prima ballerina. (Greta, if you’re reading this, make it happen.)

But most importantly, she wants Indigenous youth to see themselves accurately depicted in movies like Fancy Dance. “Growing up, I was lucky enough to be surrounded by my culture, but I never felt like I was represented in [media],” Deroy-Olson says. “I want my younger sibling and my younger cousins to see themselves onscreen, and I feel so lucky to be a part of making that happen. Erica always says that Fancy Dance is a love letter to Indigenous communities; I hope Indigenous audiences see themselves in this film and feel like it’s a celebration of our cultures.”

Fancy Dance premieres in select theaters June 21 and streaming globally on Apple TV+ on June 28.

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue

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