Along with the Dutton family working to save their ranch on Yellowstone, the people of Broken Rock Reservation are also trying to preserve and protect their land. Leading them are Chief Thomas Rainwater and his right-hand man, Mo, who are played by Gil Birmingham and Mo Brings Plenty, respectively. So, when I had the chance to speak with the Rainwater actor about the final episodes of Yellowstone’s fifth season, I asked him about his friendship with Mo. In response, he told me why he loves it and why it’s important for Indigenous representation on TV.
Ahead of its premiere on the 2024 TV schedule, I interviewed the Yellowstone cast about Season 5B. When I spoke to Gil Birmingham, we chatted a lot about how Indigenous stories are shown in the series and the importance of representing them with care and compassion. That is done in part through Rainwater and Mo’s on-screen friendship as the actor told me:
Well, I knew Mo about 10 years before we started working on it, so I always knew him as a genuine and a spiritual human being. And we were just so grateful to be able to work together, because oftentimes native characters will be cast in the show, and they’re by themselves.
He makes such a good point here. It is common to only see one Indigenous character in a project. However, on Yellowstone, the Broken Rock Reservation plays a big role in the story, and over the years the friendship between Mo and Rainwater has become an imperative part of the show.
Plus, they simply have a wonderful chemistry on screen. While Mo was a small character at first, he’s really grown and become a beloved member of the Yellowstone cast. I adore every moment he’s on screen, and his friendships with characters like Rainwater and Kayce are wonderful.
However, Birmingham’s co-star doesn’t just do work on-screen, he also plays a vital role behind the scenes to make sure the Indigenous representation on the show is accurate.
Earlier in the interview, the Wind River actor noted that Mo Brings Plenty is a consultant on the show too. Telling me that his co-star was “born and raised on the Lakota Reservation, and he was on [the show] as an advisor.” Explaining that they are all very “sensitive” about how their culture is represented, especially when it comes to “ceremony and sacred things,” he has a lot of appreciation and gratitude for the work his colleague does.
Later in the interview, he reiterated that to me. While he cited the importance of Rainwater and Mo’s relationship on-screen, Brings Plentey’s role off-screen is just as vital as Birmingham explained:
And you’re left with somebody that the studio who said, ‘Well, they look like a legitimate consultant.’ And they may be or may not be. You can’t possibly be that versed in 575 tribes that exist here. So that was a wonderful thing that we had to support each other. And like I said, Taylor’s absolutely open to any of the real, authentic portrayals and presentations.
Mo Brings Plenty serves as the Native affairs coordinator for Yellowstone’s fifth season as well as the American Indian affairs coordinator on its prequel series 1923, per THR. Part of his job is making sure the shows have fluent language speakers from the tribes being represented on screen, and he works with lots of different tribes to achieve that goal.
Considering 1923’s second season is among Yellowstone’s upcoming shows, I imagine Brings Plenty will continue to work behind the scenes. However, with talks of spinoffs involving characters like Rip and Beth happening, maybe we could continue to see Mo and Rainwater on our screens too!
But for now, to see these two men in Yellowstone, you can catch new episodes as they air on the Paramount Network every Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, and you can stream all previous seasons with a Peacock subscription.