By Joe Puccio
It’s not unusual for stars of both the small and big screen to have begun their journey into the public eye via other artistic endeavors. Before gaining leading man status for upwards of six decades, Robert Redford studied painting at the prestigious Pratt Institute in New York. Long before becoming the fifth actor to portray seminal Secret Service agent James Bond, Pierce Brosnan learned the ins and outs of commercial illustration with the goal of parlaying his knowledge into a career as a graphic artist. And prior to her 2019 Best Actress nomination for hit romantic drama A Star Is Born, Lady Gaga managed to transform into one of the best-selling musicians of all time. In the case of burgeoning thespian Isabel Deroy-Olson, her introduction into show business came through aesthetic choreography.
“Growing up, I was a dancer. So, I was already very used to performing and loved the creativity and collaboration,” explained Deroy-Olson, during a recent conversation with Generation X Wire. “But acting was never really something that was on my radar. I didn’t consider it a possibility.” After being alerted by her mother to a random audition ad listed on Facebook, the up-and-coming starlet decided to give it a shot – with a caveat that the odds of anything realistically coming from it were slim. “I sent in a self-tape and didn’t hear anything back for a while. I remember thinking, ‘Well, that was embarrassing,’ and I intended to just move on and put it out of my mind,” she stated. “But then, out of nowhere, Rene Haynes Casting sent me another audition, which I got a callback for. I was there for two days, with the first day and a half consisting of an acting workshop.”
It was at said educational seminar that Deroy-Olson heard something both ear-catching and notable. And despite her winsome modesty, the statement would also prove to be quite prophetic. “One of the speakers commented that the room was filled with the next generation of Indigenous talent. And I immediately thought, ‘Me?!’ I don’t know what I’m doing here,” she admitted. “But so many of the people I met at that audition are the same ones who I continue to see in related projects, and I continue to work with. The coach that was there came up to me and actually thought I’d been acting for a long time. I wound up not booking that job, but the experience alone turned out to be worth it. It gave me the space to learn.”
Learn she did as Deroy-Olson became acclimated to the business fairly quickly, landing her first legitimate gig four years ago in the form of a six-part web mini-series titled Shadow of the Rougarou. Although each installment was brief, the role enabled her to become more confident in her depiction of an Indigenous character. Deroy-Olson’s natural charisma won over viewers – and casting directors – leading to a recurring part on the critically acclaimed sole season of Amazon Prime Video’s Three Pines, starring Alfred Molina. “Working with him was amazing,” she praised. “He’s one of the kindest people I’ve met and such a generous actor with his time.”
While Deroy-Olson’s time on Three Pines was crucial to her growth, it was her lauded performance in 2023’s Fancy Dance, in which she played a young girl kidnapped by her well-intentioned aunt, that truly allowed her to shine. The riveting drama, at its core, highlighted the systemic indifference, apathy, and undeniable hurdles surrounding missing Indigenous women, subject matter important to the Vancouver, Canada-native, a descendant of Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation ancestry. “In the history of Indigenous film, there have been so many stereotypes and so much racism perpetuated in ways that are so casual. We’ve always been here, but I feel lucky to be a part of a generation that’s really being seen. There’s enough space for all of us,” she opined. “We’re normal people, just like everyone else. Representation matters.”
Fellow Native American actress Lily Gladstone – the first Indigenous woman to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Martin Scorcese’s Killers of the Flower Moon – who worked closely with Deroy-Olson in Fancy Dance, wound up becoming an integral component to the ingenue’s success. So impressed was Gladstone by her performance, she recommended Deroy-Olson to play her younger self in the true crime Hulu series, Under the Bridge. “She’s helped me greatly. I’ve already had such wonderful mentors in my career, like Lily. She’s one of my very good friends now.”
Currently, Deroy-Olson can be seen in the tense psychological thriller Dark Winds on AMC alongside Zahn McClarnon, Jessica Matten, and Kiowa Gordon, as well as the recently released unexpected bonus episode of It: Welcome to Derry, titled “A Story of Derry,” in which she reprised her role of Kino from its inaugural season.
Joining the cast of Dark Winds this year as Billie Tsosie, a runaway teenager seeking to reunite with her estranged family, Deroy-Olson’s story arc isn’t over and is expected to return for the police procedural’s fifth season in 2027. “I originally auditioned to play a different character, a teen mom, on one of the earlier seasons of the show. But I literally looked like I was 12 so I didn’t get that one,” she laughed. “I’m so grateful to play Billie. It’s been a huge breakthrough for me.”
As for It: Welcome to Derry, the chances of TV audiences seeing Kino again are a bit thinner but as aficionados of the horror genre are aware, anything is possible. “Next season focuses on a different time period (the 1930s),” she clarified. “My character lives in the 1600s so it might be tough.” With such a prominent part on a program as frightening as Derry – known for featuring an evil shapeshifting clown named Pennywise – it would be reasonable to believe that Deroy-Olson is a fan of spooky fare. That assumption, however, would be incorrect. “I don’t do well with horror. I really can’t watch it. The 2017 version of It was the first horror movie I’ve ever watched. And I did so with my cousin while hidden underneath a blanket,” she acknowledged. “But what made it easier is that I’m such a fan of Andy (Muschietti, director of the It films and several episodes of the television show). He has a drive and such a specific vision of what he wants, which is so admirable,” she surmised. “Combining that with Tazbah’s (Chavez, director of “A Story of Derry”) excellence completely transformed the extra episode and the lore of the entire series. It was a treat to watch them create.”
Impending projects for the talented performer are presenting themselves rapidly, a fact that should come as no surprise to anybody who has not only watched her from their living room sofas or movie theater recliners but for those who have worked with her. “I filmed a baseball drama with Sean Astin, who is one of my favorite actors, called Will to Win. It turns out that Sean played baseball in high school, so he coached me both in the movie and in real life,” she shared. “He’s a total girl dad with three daughters and he told me that I was a weird mix of all of them. To be told that by someone I admire so greatly was wonderful and I feel so blessed to know him.”
Additionally, a buzzed about historical biography titled How We Stand, about three Native American sisters in the 1960s who are relocated as part of a “civilizing” program, has been garnering stellar reviews on the Canadian film festival circuit. “My character is really complicated and is carrying a lot, mentally, and there’s physicality involved as well, so it was an exciting part for an actor. And I really clicked with the cast and Marie (Clements, writer/director),” she remarked. “On our last day on set, Gil Bellows told me he thought I’d be a perfect candidate to direct someday. He said he’d always be available to help and once I processed it, I realized what an unmatched compliment it was from someone with so much experience in the industry, especially since it crossed my mind when I watched Andy do it on Derry.”
It’s clear that whether it’s dancing, acting, or even directing, both the present and the future for the striking and engaging entertainer are luminous. “I’ve been able to set the foundations of my career in independent film because that’s where my heart lies and I enjoy it so much. But beyond that, I’m starting to branch out into many other things. Obviously, my culture is very important to me, but troubles don’t only pertain to my identity and background,” she reflected. “I have a lot of stories to tell in a variety of ways and in a business like this, which is so tumultuous, I feel quite lucky to be working, learning from others, and still having fun.”
