Jodie Foster recognized Alaska’s Iñupiaq people in her Emmy acceptance speech. The shoutout didn’t go unnoticed.
By Alena Naiden
Published: September 18, 2024
Jodie Foster accepts the award for outstanding lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie for “True Detective: Night Country” during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Veteran actress Jodie Foster won another accolade this month: an Emmy award for her lead role in “True Detective: Night Country,” a limited series set in Alaska. In her acceptance speech, Foster thanked the Iñupiaq people — a recognition that warmed the hearts of many Alaskans.
“They just told us their stories, and they allowed us to listen, and it was just a blessing,” Foster said in her Sept. 15 speech, to an audience of nearly 7 million. “It was love, love, love, and when you feel that, something amazing happens. It’s deep and wonderful, and it’s older than this place and this time.”
“For her to acknowledge our people — that was big,” said Patuk Glenn, who is a media creator from Utqiaġvik.“We want representation. We want people to know we’re still here. We’re not a culture in a museum. We’re still living here.”
The latest season of HBO’s “True Detective” is set in a fictionalized town called Ennis, which according to showrunner Issa Lopez is a collective depiction of Kotzebue, Utqiaġvik and Nome. The show, which premiered last winter, follows two law enforcement agents — played by Kali Reis and Foster — as they investigate the disappearance of several men from an Arctic research center. The show has received widespread acclaim from critics, became the most-watched season of the “True Detective” series and earned a total of 19 Emmy nominations.
When talking about the show, Glenn said she didn’t like the overly negative portrayal of the resource development industry but appreciated that the creators paid close attention to their cultural advisers to get the details about life in an Iñupiaq community right.
“They did a good job of making it culturally authentic, which is really cool,” Glenn said.
Producers Princess Daazhraii Johnson and Cathy Tagnak Rexford spearheaded the show’s efforts to bring accurate representation to the screen. They led an Iñupiaq advisory council that was formed in the early days of production.
In a Facebook post, Rexford wrote that she was moved by Foster’s use of her voice and award to empower Iñupiat people. “It was really inspiring, heartwarming, and reassuring that our stories are wonderful and deserving of a global cinema and television audience,” Rexford remarked.
Following the speech, Karmen Schaeffer Monigold, a resident of Kotzebue, recalled the visit from Foster and Reis, who were interested in learning more about Iñupiaq culture. They were able to sample traditional cuisine and watch our Northern Lights Dancers in action. They learned how to cut fish, discovered our medicinal herbs, and created ointment to take home, all while we conversed about a wide range of subjects and concerns, according to Monigold. “I was moved to tears when Jodie mentioned our Iűupiat people during her Emmy acceptance speech.”
Jamie Sikkattuaq Harcharek, an Iñupiaq language adjunct instructor for Iḷisaġvik College in Utqiaġvik, recently appeared in the Netflix show “Sweet Tooth.” She watched Foster’s speech as it was shared on TikTok.
Harcharek said that Foster mentioning the Inuit people is potentially impactful, especially considering the remote geography and limited opportunities in northern communities.
“We’re not out there as much as other cultures, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that we don’t have access to auditions, we don’t have access to these other opportunities,” she said. “We are so far from everybody else’s mind, like we don’t even exist in people’s minds.”
Harcharek also appreciated that Foster highlighted the beauty and diversity in her culture.
“I really love that Jodie Foster mentioned her enjoyment for hearing the different stories. We all come from different backgrounds, and our norms could be polar opposite to the rest of the world, but listening and finding connections brings people together,” she said. “It was great for her to hear these different stories and to be around these people that are very much filled with love — that hit the heart.”
Coffee & Quaq producer Alice Qannik Glenn, who hosted and co-wrote HBO’s “True Detective: Night Country Podcast,” also expressed her appreciation for Foster’s homage to Indigenous peoples of northern Alaska.
“Our stories, identities, experiences, and mere existence on Earth are often overlooked, silenced, put into a museum exhibit, or blatantly exploited for shock value, exotic appeal, or sensationalization,” she said. “By the simple act of Jodie Foster recognizing Iñupiaq people by name, she is returning the creative credit and origins of our stories to our people — for the benefit of all people. It’s a simple but revolutionary act that says, ‘The creative forces of Hollywood see us.’
“It might not seem like much, but for an Iñupiaq girl from Utqiaġvik, it reminds me that our stories have an impact all over the world, and that for creative Inuit, anything is possible.”
