Conversation With Christian Kane
Q&A about  Into The West  and Abe Wheeler

Q: Can you tell us what the drama is in this production?
CK: The drama in this production is a struggle of men. Men didn’t know where they fit in America, and everyone had to find their place. You cannot get much more dramatic than that.

Q: Who is your character?
CK: I play Abe Wheeler. I'm the son of Jacob Jr., and I’m half white and half Lakota. Abe is a lone wolf. He left home when he was 10 and never found a place to call home. He rode for the Pony Express, and when the telegraph was invented and the Pony Express was disbanded, he didn’t have a home anymore. He found himself on the railroad, and, for the first time in his life, he actually felt he belonged somewhere.

Q: What has been your most memorable scene?
CK: The scene when the rail workers from all different backgrounds, Chinese, Irish and Native American, had finished building the railroad and were about to take a photograph, and the white men actually shuffled us out and put all their guys in that didn’t work on the railroad. It’s probably my favorite scene in the entire series because it’s true to life and shows the struggle between nationalities at that time in America.

Q: Spielberg wanted truth represented on this production. Are we finding it here?
CK: There is truth in this. Every time I’m on the set, I’m surrounded by people who are playing very prominent figures in American history. When you put on the clothes, put the dirt on your face and stand next to someone else who’s playing these characters, it’s not acting – you’re actually in the moment. Steven Spielberg has done an excellent job of creating a story that will capture America and make audiences want to watch it but at the same time, is true to life and true to American history.

Q: What was your first reaction when you heard that Steven Spielberg was involved in this project?
CK: It doesn’t get much better than Steven Spielberg. Whenever his name is involved, you know something great is going to come out of it, and to be a part of something like that is priceless.