Justin Johnson Cortez: Indigenous actor striving for authenticity
Films often stereotype, sideline or box Native people into narrow roles.
Justin Johnson Cortez is a director, writer and actor who is now set to star as a regular in CBS Studios’ Walker: Independence, a prequel to Walker which will begin Thursday, October 6. Johnson Cortez is best known for his roles in Fox’s Lucifer and 911: Fallen Star. As a Latino-Indigenous actor, Johnson Cortez is conscientious about the projects and roles he accepts. In the new show, he plays Calian — a curious and cautious Apache living just outside of a Western town called Independence where...