Three weeks after his memorable walk on the red carpet at the 2016 Academy Awards, Duane Howard returned to the quiet and peaceful home of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht peoples near Gold River, B.C.
The actor played the role of Elk Dog in the blockbuster movie The Revenant, which won Oscars for its director, Alejandro G. Iñárritu,and star Leonardo DiCaprio.
Howard delivered a motivational speech to the students of Gold River Secondary School at the Wahmeesh Community Hall located on reserve at Tsaxana. Also in the audience were the grades 6 & 7 students of Ray Watkins Elementary School.
Howard introduced himself to the students by saying that he is from this small town. He told them he was young when he moved to Vancouver and said he really didn’t have anyone to look up to. He admits he took his first drink of alcohol at age 10.
“But I don’t like to focus on that,” he said. Howard gave up drinking in his early twenties and pursued education. At age 23 he took an assessment test that showed that his reading ability was at a Grade 3 level.
“I wasted years by drinking, not educating my mind, so I went back to school,” he said.
Howard said he’d been told many times that he couldn’t do this or he couldn’t do that, but he was determined to succeed.
Howard accomplished in one year what most learners take four years to do; he completed his high school equivalency and graduated.
“You need to change your dialogue,” he told the young people, adding that they need to put in the work in order to succeed at whatever they choose to do.
Howard said they might ask themselves, will I fail that test?
“Don’t worry. There will be another test.”
Will I get that job?
“Well, there’s another job across the street,” he said.
“The great thing about hurt, pain and disappointment is that it’s only temporary,” said Howard. He told the students they must be willing to walk through these challenges and not give up.
Speaking about his success, he said, “Here’s a guy from Gold River, Mowachaht/Muchalaht, who couldn’t read. Now he’s working with big celebrities in Hollywood.”
Howard says the acting industry, though glamorous and well-paying, is difficult and he works hard at it.
“It’s not fun waking at 5 every morning, spending 14 hours on set, then go home to memorize lines at night; I maybe get four to six hours of sleep at night,” he shared, adding that it was hard work, but it is what he wanted.
Starting out as a stuntman, Howard says he must stay in shape and put in his time at the gym, so that he can safely do his own stunts. In one of the battle scenes in The Revenant, Howard’s character Elk Dog was shot off of his horse.
“I had to fall off of that horse 14 times – and I’m 53 years old,” said Howard.
The movie, he explained, was all about survival.
“When I look at life today, that is what it’s really about – survival.”
The students were asked what they dream about. Some said they wanted to be actors, others said teachers. Howard told them they needed discipline in order to succeed.
“It’s hard, but you have to do the work,” he told them.
Howard challenged them to set goals and told them to finish school and go to college.
“I had four years college and two years university, and this kid off the skids made it,” he added.
Howard’s advice to aspiring actors is to finish school and to take drama or writing classes if they want to become a script writer. He encouraged them to participate in theatre plays and to move to the cities where the opportunities are.
Later that evening Howard was invited to the House of Unity as guest of honour at a community dinner. Tyee Ha’wilth Yathlua (Michael Maquinna) welcomed Howard home, saying he’s been away for a long time.
“This man pursued his interest, he stuck it out through thick and thin, away from home and now he’s had great success with The Revenant,” said Yathlua, adding he asked Howard to come home to deliver positive messages to the people.
Also at the dinner were the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council President Deb Foxcroft and Vice President Ken Watts.
“You are a true leader, teacher, role model and I just feel so much positive energy; it’s a proud day to be Nuu-chah-nulth,” said Foxcroft to Howard.
Watts said being with Howard reminded him of a quote from Nelson Mandela.
“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
“We acknowledge Duane as he basks in celebrity status – he deserves it,” said Yathlua.
Howard talked about the thrill of going to Hollywood’s biggest party – the Oscars. He credited his father, Barney Howard, for being there for the family in the city, always in support of his children. He also acknowledged his mother, Irene, saying he knows both his parents are so important to the Mowachaht/Muchalaht community.
While he said he wasn’t there to tell people what to do, he said it was when he sobered up and did the work that things started to change for him.
Howard is grateful for those that supported his culturally along the way.
“Culture saves lives; some of us may have let it go, but it’s never too late to pick it back up,” he told them.
“Everywhere I go, I think about you, my relatives, because I can never forget where I come from,” he told his people.
