Made in SA: Jonathan Joss has the specs on the big screen Jonah Hex

Johnathan Joss: There's a little John Redcorn in all of us.

Jonathan Joss is an actor and musician who recently moved back to San Antonio from L.A. A graduate of McCollum High School and Our Lady of the Lake University, Joss has racked up an impressive list of small-screen credits, most often playing Native American characters. He’s probably best known for voicing “Licensed New Age Healer” and former Winger roadie John Redcorn on Fox’s animated sitcom KING OF THE HILL, which recently ended a 13-season run. His musical project, the REDCORN BAND, has released several CDs of “Native American alternative blues,” and even landed a Native American Grammy. Probably of most interest to MISSIONS UNKNOWN readers, however, Jonathan not too long ago wrapped shooting on Warner Bros.’ big-budget JONAH HEX movie, helping bring DC COMICS’ weird-western cult antihero to the big screen.

So, tell us about Jonah Hex.

It’s got a big budget, over $100 million; it’s got great actors, an incredible story line. It was an amazing project to be involved in. Just looking at the storyboards before we started shooting was like reading a really good comic book. In fact, my girlfriend and I looked through some old Jonah Hex comics, and a lot of the settings in them — this Civil War submarine, a church steeple, a mysterious sandy desert — ended up in the movie. I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about a film. It’s going to attract an audience, a serious following. My character doesn’t appear through the whole film, but he’s got an important part. He’s this sort of mysterious Native American figure who shows up and helps Jonah as he’s trying to stop this ghostly force, these ghostly rebel soldiers who are rising up.

What’s the verdict, does Josh Brolin make a good Jonah Hex?

Josh Brolin was great. He really makes the movie. The makeup, the scar on his face, just his coolness. I mean, he was walking around in 100-degree weather in this full-length duster, and he didn’t even break a sweat. He’s one of those guys where you get the sense that still waters run deep.

Jonah Hex Movie Poster

Talk to him much?

I didn’t talk to him a whole lot. I tend to spend most of my time on the set watching people like him work and learning from them. But when I did talk to him, he was great. Very cordial.

Tell us more about your character and how he fits into the film.

I play an Apache Indian who stumbles across Jonah Hex and leads him to a cave where he can hide out from these bounty hunters. You’re not really sure whether he’s a real character or a ghost or a figment of Jonah’s imagination. I also summon these crows that attack him, so you’re wondering if my character’s a source of strength for Jonah or if he’s someone he should fear. He wasn’t a Dances with Wolves kind of Native American character, where the writers tried to make him authentic and real. It was more of a comic book character — someone fun to play. I got to smile a lot when I played him, which is rare when you’re playing a lot of Native American roles in Hollywood. He was probably the furthest from a true-life Native American character that I’ve played, but in a way he was probably the truest to the Native American spirit.

When does it hit theaters?

August 2010.

You’ve been doing a fair amount of appearances at comic conventions lately, from COMIC-CON in San Diego to the LIVE OAK COMIC SHOW in San Antonio. Are you much of a comic book fan?

I do appreciate comics. Right now, my friend Gerard and I are working on a comic about a Native superhero that we’d like to get that out by yearend. It’s going to be fun to bring a real Native American to the comics instead of a stereotype. A lot of Native American people I know on the rez read comic books. You know, they’re cheap, they let you use your imagination and they let you escape about as far as you can get from the grind of everyday life.

Let’s talk about another one of your comic book connections. You played Marshal Ohiyesa Smith on a time-travel episode of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED.

That character was a Native American sheriff who was put on another planet to deal with the unruly populace there. He doesn’t have any real super hero powers. It’s kind of a frontier-type situation, and he’s the lawman who keeps everything under control. The Justice League comes to the planet to help him out because some super villains end up there. To be able to work with Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman was bad ass. I mean, what nine-year-old kid wouldn’t love that? I would like to see that character come back around. It was a fun experience.

Are the roles for Native American actors better now than when you first got into the business?

I would love to say things have changed over that time, that there are more mature Native American characters being written, but I’m not sure that’s happened. I can say that at least Native American characters are allowed to think now instead of being the old sidekicks like Tonto, where the Lone Ranger asks “Are those four men on horses?” and Tonto says, “Yes. There are four men on horses.” Our characters now are a little deeper. They’re allowed to have their own thoughts. Sometimes non-Native American writers have us doing things we wouldn’t do or saying things we wouldn’t say — stuff that’s just not in our DNA — but at least we’re getting to think now. I’m still riding horses, shooting arrows and killing white people, so a lot hasn’t changed since I got into the business, but at least it hasn’t gotten worse.

A lot of people probably know you best as the voice of John Redcorn on “King of the Hill.” Mr. Redcorn must be one smooth operator to keep Dale in the dark all these years. (Note: Redneck character Dale’s wife bore John Redcorn’s illegitimate love child.)

Either that or Dale’s just one really stupid white guy. It’s been a fun character to play, and it’s been a fun show. I like how he’s grown from the early episodes, where he was just this character who climbed in and out of the window, to where he has his own band, his own casino and he even becomes an agent, working with kids to make them stars. He matured and became a self-sufficient character. I tell you, it’s kind of sad the show’s come to an end. With the cancellation of “King of the Hill,” it’s like there’s another dead Indian whose spirit is out there wandering. But there’s a little John Redcorn in all of us. Hopefully a little more John Redcorn in your wife.

How’d you end up back in San Antonio?

I’m basically back here because of my mom. My dad passed away and she needed some help with things. It’s a family thing. And I’m also dating a woman from San Antonio, so that’s another reason. I’ve been in the hustle and bustle of L.A. for a while, so it was nice to get out of it. In a lot of ways, L.A. doesn’t seem real. You don’t see old people in L.A. You don’t see families going out for barbacoa on Sunday mornings. It’s just kind of a fantasy world that you see through rose colored glasses — if you can afford them. It’s a world on a diet, basically.

So what one thing did you miss about San Antonio when you were in L.A?

I missed the people of San Antonio, the families. I just missed seeing regular people in the grocery stores. The kids riding down the aisle on the skateboards they aren’t even going to buy. We’ve got our own culture here, our own way of looking at things, and it’s pretty different from L.A. I’m a Southsider and proud to be from the South Side. I’d like to get some work going in San Antonio. I get some calls from Austin, but that’s Austin. I’ll work on low-budget films; I’ll work on independent projects. I’d like to be able to share what I do, to give back. You know, I’m willing to share with my family in San Antonio.