Before FX gave us The Bear, it first introduced us to Bear Smallhill, the unofficial leader of a quartet of Native misfits at the heart of FX’s Reservation Dogs. Equal parts warmth and outright mischievousness, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai is the only actor from the three-year comedy to earn an Emmy nomination — an honor the 21-year-old Oji-Cree First Nations actor doesn’t take for granted. Here, Woon-A-Tai talks about working on the Sterlin Harjo comedy, which is up for Best Comedy for the first time, and how he hopes this won’t be the last time he works on a series that offers a fresh perspective on Native American life.

DEADLINE: Where were you when you found out you were nominated for the Emmy?D'PHARAOH WOON-A-TAI: I just got back to LA from visiting friends and family in Oklahoma. I woke up to a notification from my friend Michael saying, "Congratulations, next time I'm in LA we should celebrate." I had no idea what he was talking about. I was so confused. He was like, "Man, your Emmy nomination!" It was the best news to wake up to. That's actually how I first found out I was cast in Reservation Dogs.

DEADLINE: Wait, what? WOON-A-TAI: My mom woke me up from a deep sleep to tell me I got the job. I was like, "Oh, cool." And I just fell back asleep. So my idea is to just sleep and hopefully wake up with good news every time.

DEADLINE: How much have you and the other Rez Dogs cast members talked about the Emmys? Have you wondered why the show was overlooked for its first two seasons?WOON-A-TAI: We're one of the few Native shows that's ever accomplished what we've accomplished. So even if I wasn't on the show, I would feel the same way… we were overlooked for both Season 1 and Season 2, which I thought was amazing. The cast and crew poured their heart and soul into it. It was something that people have never seen before. So yeah, we've had our little conversations about being overlooked, but I'm glad that the voters are recognizing how great the show was.