Sandra Hale Schulman
Special to ICT
After a retro 1970s role in season 4 of “Dark Winds,” Angelina LookingGlass has landed a major role in a feature film, at just 22, “The Rivals of Amziah King,” with actors Matthew McConaughey and Kurt Russell.
Growing up she studied theatre and dance and performed in her local community theatre productions, then studied with the Stella Adler Conservatory in New York City in 2021. Still it’s a big leap from local theater to acclaimed TV series and then a feature film debut in just a few years for the Oglala Lakota, Navajo, Seneca, Kiowa, and Comanche actress.
Director Andrew Patterson of the film worked on projects for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma with Indigenous programs, and got the idea to make a western from the Choctaw point of view.
He said: “What if a cowboy shot down the father of a Native young lady and then she got up on a horse and went after them? Not the point of view of a cowboy, but the inverted western where the cowboy emerged from the Native.”
“The Rivals of Amziah King” is a bold original story with unexpected characters and plot twists. Set within the backwoods of rural Oklahoma, the film follows musically gifted beekeeper Amziah King, portrayed by McConaughey, who runs the premier honey-making operation in town.
His estranged foster daughter Kateri, played by LookingGlass, unexpectedly shows up, they work toward a renewed connection and creating a family business. But all is not so sweet, as the honey game turns ruthless, and Amziah’s rivals try to destroy everything he has built.
LookingGlass found her way to the role through an Instagram post.
“It all started with casting director Angelique Midthunder,” LookingGlass told ICT. “I stumbled upon this casting call on Instagram for a feature film and they were looking for an Indigenous lead. I auditioned for it, I sent out a self-recorded tape. Then I met the director Andrew Patterson and did a chemistry read with Matthew McConaughey in LA and it was all really wonderful.”
She said she was nervous at first.
“Me and my mom were talking about it and I was jittery,” LookingGlass said. “But when I met him it just felt so at ease because I was picturing who Amziah was gonna be and seeing him tied everything together for me and my character and how our dynamic was. Off the bat it was completely just like a father and daughter relationship and I saw how our energy matched pretty well.”
Due to unfortunate events LookingGlass’s character has to take over the business and take revenge in a shocking turn halfway through the film.
“In the beginning Kateri is so bright and wonderful and just this really blossoming girl and you can see how much she shines with Amziah and how much that relationship is the
heart of the movie,” she said. “Her dynamic with him is just so wonderful to see on screen and I remember it felt exactly how it did on set where it was meeting a parent you haven’t seen in a while.”
LookingGlass continued: “Then in the second act Kateri has to become strong and independent and you see this different side of her and I know, there’s so much mixed opinions about it. That’s what I love so much, there are people that love and hate her, but there’s a deep feeling where you’re rooting for her.”
Bee careful on the set
While the film focuses on a father and daughter relationship, LookingGlass had to learn a little bit about beekeeping.
Poster of “The Rivals of Amziah King.” (Photos courtesy Black Bear Films)
Patterson, the film director, mentored and guided her every step of the way, she said. He made sure she was comfortable and having fun, but there was a lot to learn about the dangers of beekeeping.
“I had one day of beekeeping lessons with Matthew (McConaughey) and some of the other cast that had to work with the bees as well,” she says. “I’ve never gotten stung ever. Matthew got stung once during the lesson and there’s a photo on the internet of the side of his face that is all swollen, but he’s so chill about it. He just didn’t care.”
She continued: “The first day on set I did get stung on my neck, that was the first time I ever got stung by a bee and nothing happened. No bad reaction though everyone on set was watching me to see what would happen. Then for the rest of the shoot I got stung seven times and still nothing happened. So that was a gift. I feel really lucky about that and it shows how special Kateri is even if she gets stung, she won’t react.”
To bring Kateri to life, LookingGlass used her mother as inspiration for her character.
“I have a lot of strong women in my family and I was pulling from my mother when I was playing Kateri because her and Kateri have a similar way of how they hold themselves. My mom holds herself in a very quiet confidence and Kateri has a similar way to her, it’s a subtle thing,” she said. “It’s good to see that even when Kateri had a traumatic thing happen to her she prevailed and she grew from it and she had this strength at the end that I think is a very good message, even though there’s some questionable things that she did in the movie.
“This was something I wanted to do for so long, being an actress and getting to play a role that’s a strong woman, a strong Indigenous woman and getting to portray that meant a lot to me,” she said.
“The Rivals of Amziah King” premiered at the 2025 SXSW film festival and was released theatrically on August 14, 2026. It’s now streaming online.
The post Beekeepers revenge in ‘The Rivals of Amziah King’ appeared first on ICT.
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