Breaking boundaries: Jessica Matten returns as Sgt. Bernadette Manuelito in 'Dark Winds'

Editor’s note: The interview with Jessica Matten took place before the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Stepping into the shoes of Bernadette Manuelito can seem intimidating to some, but Jessica Matten has it down.

The actress is back for season two of the AMC series, “Dark Winds,” as she portrays Manuelito for another six episodes.

“I love Bernadette,” Matten says. “To play her is an opportunity because she has all these layers. She can be tough but vulnerable. And then there’s the fans rooting for the character.”

“Dark Winds” season two picks up with Lt. Joe Leaphorn, played by Zahn McClarnon, as he reunites with Jim Chee, played by Kiowa Gordon, his former deputy turned private eye when their separate cases bring them together in pursuit of the same suspect. The second season premieres on Sunday, July 30, on AMC and AMC+.

They find themselves in the high desert of Navajo Country chasing a killer who’s turned his sights on them to protect a secret that rips open old wounds and challenges Leaphorn’s moral and professional code.

With the help of Sgt. Manuelito, played by Matten and Valencia County Sheriff Gordo Sena, played by A Martinez, Leaphorn and Chee must thwart their would-be assassin and restore balance not only to their own lives but to the reservation that depends on them.

Guest stars for the second season include Jeri Ryan as Rosemary Vines, a femme fatale whose physical frailties hide her naked ambition as she plays Jim Chee, leaving a trail of bodies in her wake, as well as Nicholas Logan as Colton Wolf, a twisted assassin with a secret that puts him on a collision course with Leaphorn.

Manuelito is Leaphorn’s loyal employee and the lone female police officer on the reservation. Matten says her character is a tough-as-nails Navajo woman. She is an especially welcome antidote to the male-driven crime narratives that have historically dominated television. The marked scarcity of portrayals of Native women in mainstream television –– whether positive or negative –– makes Matten’s performance all the more groundbreaking.

“Bernadette is the most favorite character I’ve gotten to play. She’s a cool woman,” Matten says. “I’m definitely not that cool in real life.”

Matten says as Manuelito’s role has grown this season, she was invited into the writers’ room.

“The writers wanted me to talk about my personal life,” Matten says. “They wanted to infuse some of my life into Bernadette’s personal life. It was a joy because as different as Bernadette and I are, we have a lot of similarities and can draw some of those emotions together.”

Matten was happy to showcase a different side of Manuelito this season.

“We get to see her soft side,” Matten says. “You get to see more of what’s in her heart and where her heart lies and how she relates to the community members. There’s a storyline between her and a young Indigenous youth. That helped open up a vulnerable side to her. That was one of my favorite storylines this season.”

While filming in northern New Mexico at Camel Rock Studios, Matten was able to meet Richelle Montoya, who is the Navajo Nation vice president.

“She’s the first female vice president of the Navajo Nation,” Matten says. “You have to have courage to take on a role like that. She’s laying down some history, and it was inspiring to meet her and be in character as Bernadette. Two forces coming together.”

Matten says she utilizes acting as a way to help her Native community.

“Acting is my platform to get me on board to give me the resources to help heal my community,” she says. “I was very inspired when the vice president came. There’s change happening in Native communities. We just have to be ready to help and push them forward.”

Production for “Dark Winds” also helped Matten accomplish some goals.

“I learned how to get over my own fear of horses,” she says. “Whenever you have an opportunity to grow, it comes in the form of discomfort. You have to break out of your comfort zone because what you’re doing is not part of your routine.”

Matten recalls a moment when Tony Hillerman’s daughter, Anne, dropped by set to see some of the production.

“I told the stunt coordinator to give me the slowest horse,” she says. “We were filming a scene and I needed to go fast with the horse and it didn’t move. Anne was listening to me cussing at the horse. She was a good sport and we all had a laugh. ‘That’s just Bernadette,’ I said.”