Viewers are curious about Kauchani Bratt's past work after his standout performance in Netflix's Rez Ball.
Rez Ball is a new sports film directed by Sydney Freeland and produced by LeBron James. It is based on Michael Powell's nonfiction book Canyon Dreams.
The film follows a Native American high school basketball team's pursuit of a state championship. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September before premiering on Netflix on September 27.
Kauchani leads the way as Jimmy Holiday, a high school senior balancing personal struggles and basketball.
Meet Kauchani Bratt - Biography Details
Kauchani Bratt Graduated from UC Santa Cruz
San Francisco native Kauchani Bratt graduated from UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. His journey to this accomplishment was anything but conventional.
Initially attending San Jose State University, Kauchani transferred to Cañada College to pursue basketball before the COVID-19 pandemic shifted his focus. He later found a home at UC Santa Cruz, which he told them was "the time of [his] life:"
"At UC Santa Cruz, we dance to the beat of our own drum, and that's the kind of person that I've always been. I wish I had been at UC Santa Cruz for all four years, but I'm glad it worked out the way it did. I had the time of my life at UC Santa Cruz, and I wouldn't have changed it for anything."
During his time at UCSC, Kauchani's passion for philosophy deepened as he sought to "study other people" and "how they see the world" to eventually work on Rez Ball:
"I wanted to study other people, how they navigate the world, how they see the world, and also I wanted to examine how I’m looking at the world. Philosophy allowed me to do that. It allowed me to understand myself a little bit more, and in doing that, it gave me the ability once something like [Rez Ball] came through, to open myself up and to just go for it."
Despite temporarily pausing his studies in Spring 2023 to film Rez Ball, Kauchani made up for lost time by completing five summer courses and his degree.
Acting Was Never Considered When Kauchani Thought About His Future
Kauchani told The Hollywood Reporter that he never imagined acting would be part of his future, but the opportunity to audition for Rez Ball felt perfectly aligned with his background.
He said that during the time of the audition, he was asking himself, "What do I want to do for the rest of my life?" and he soon knew "how groundbreaking and special this project was going to be:"
"I was trying to figure out, ‘What do I want to do for the rest of my life?’ I never thought about acting. But I knew how groundbreaking and special this project was going to be. I thought to myself, ‘I just want to be a part of this,’ even if it was just as a background character."
Despite having no formal acting experience beyond a couple of college courses, Kauchani, who spent three years on his high school varsity basketball team, felt drawn to Rez Ball.
Throughout the audition process and beyond, he has been training at an acting studio in San Francisco and studying acting fundamentals, including works by Stanislavski and Meisner, to prepare for his debut role.
Rez Ball Is Kauchani's First-Ever Acting Role
Rez Ball marks the 23-year-old's first-ever acting role, a breakthrough for the newcomer. Despite having no prior acting experience beyond a few college courses, Kauchani decided to submit an audition tape, hoping for even a minor part in the film.
To his surprise, out of 5,000 submissions, Kauchani landed the leading role in 2023.
Reflecting on his decision, Kauchani shared with UC Santa Cruz that stepping out of his comfort zone led to this life-changing opportunity:
"At that moment, I realized I have to try and put myself out there, because if I don't because I'm scared to fail, then I'm not living life. So I sent off a 30 second clip of me dribbling the basketball, introducing myself, and my tribal affiliations. They got back to me and said that I could potentially be a good fit for the film."
In an interview with Cowboys & Indians Magazine, Kauchani also explained that the first day of shooting was probably the most "intimidating" for him because he had never acted before.
He recalled the night before when his "mind [was] racing" and he "didn't know what to expect," having never been on a set like Rez Ball before:
"I would say for me, probably, the first day was, you know, one of the, you know—I don't know if 'scariest' is the right word—but, you know, certainly intimidating. Especially, you know, the night before. It's like, I don't know if you've ever had, like, a super serious event or a special occasion where the night before you're just laying in bed, trying to sleep, your mind is racing, and you're trying to calm yourself down. But, you know, I didn't know what to expect. I had never set foot on a set before, I hadn't had any acting experience prior to this, and it was kind of, for me, like, maybe the moment of truth. I didn't know what to expect, and maybe people didn't know what to expect of me. You know, once we got started, we took the first couple of takes, and after a while, I feel like I finally got the hang of it, and I caught wind of the story we were trying to tell."
Kauchani Got Invited to the Premiere of Marvel's Echo
Kauchani recently attended the premiere of Marvel's Echo, expressing his gratitude for being part of the event.
In an Instagram post, Kauchani congratulated director Sydney Freeland, cinematographer Kira Kelly, and the rest of the cast and crew for their outstanding work on the series.
He highlighted the significance of the Indigenous representation showcased in Echo, calling it "amazing" and celebrating the team's success:
"So grateful and beyond blessed to have been able to attend the launch event for 'Echo.'
Congratulations to [Sydney Freeland] & [Kira Kelly], but also to the rest of the cast and crew who absolutely crushed it! It’s so amazing to see all this beautiful indigenous representation."
Kauchani, who is of Quechua and Coahuiltecan heritage, praised the groundbreaking visibility of Native voices in the project. In an exclusive interview, Echo cinematographer Kira Kelly discussed the creation of a historic scene depicting the Choctaw Nation's story of creation, emphasizing the honor and care involved in accurately bringing this significant moment to life through practical and VFX elements.
How To Follow Kauchani Bratt Online
Fans looking to keep up with Kauchani online can follow him on Instagram.
Rez Ball is streaming on Netflix.
