Dark Winds Stars Geek Out Over Hollywood Icon's Secret Cameo — Grade The Season 3 Premiere

The following contains spoilers from the Season 3 premiere of Dark Winds on AMC/AMC+.

"George, the whole world's waiting! Make a move."

Seriously, George R.R. Martin, will you get off your duff and do something...?

Midway through the Season 3 premiere of AMC's Dark Winds on Sunday night, Det. Joe Leaphorn (played by Zahn McClarnon) moseyed on over to the jail cell inside the Navajo Tribal Police station, to observe two men playing chess. On one side, glimpsed first, was a man named "George" — played by novelist (and Dark Winds executive producer) George R.R. Martin.

"George," deep in thought, was egged on to make a move by his opponent — played by Academy Award winner Robert Redford, who is also a Dark Winds executive producer.

Between sips of coffee, onlooker Joe suggested to George a move which led to a checkmate. Redford's character, beaten, peered up at Joe to sniff, "Thanks a lot."

Ahead of Dark Winds' Season 3 premiere, as part of our spoiler-free TVLine Spotlight conversation (watch above), McClarnon teased that the "few seconds" he shared on-screen with Redford were no less than "a dream come true. It put a big, big smile on my face." (In fact, he said that co-star Kiowa Gordon observed on-set, "Zahn, you look like a little boy right now.")

Following the TVLine Spotlight conversation, with the cameras off and the crowd out of earshot, TVLine invited McClarnon to freely elaborate on the very special cameos.

Obviously, "I've met them before...," he noted of his fellow EPs. But to actually share a scene with them? "What can you say!" he smiled.

George R.R. Martin "is a legend" as a novelist, McClarnon opined. "In the last two or three decades, he's probably the best fantasy writer we have."

Staring at Redford through those jail cell bars, though, hit even harder.

"I mean, I grew up in the '70s, '80s, and Robert Redford was one of my heroes" — dating back to the 1970 film Little Fauss and Big Halsy, McClarnon shared. "He was definitely one of my inspirations, and I've seen just about everything he's ever done."

Reflecting on that shoot day, the actor said, "The moment he turns and looks at me, I was like, 'Oh! He still has the movie star looks.'"

Watch the scene below, then read on for more:

The fact that Redford has made precious few on-camera appearances in the past decade (and even fewer outside of the MCU) — he kinda-sorta retired from acting in 2018 — gave the experience added heft for McClarnon.

"I might have been in his last scene he's possibly ever gonna do," the Dark Winds star suggested. "I hope we see more of him," but if not, "it's pretty cool to be a part of, possibly, one of the last scenes Robert Redford ever shot."

Jessica Matten, who plays Dark Winds' Bernadette Manuelito, made a point to be on-set the day of Redford's cameo, even though she wasn't working — in part because she knew how excited McClarnon was, but also to witness an iconic moment herself.

"I grew up on Robert Redford's films as well, and with his age (currently 88), you never know if this is going to be the last project he's going to be in," she told TVLine. "So I was like, 'I've got to go, I've got to see him, I've got to support Zahn.'

"And I've got to say, whatever that 'X factor' is, he has it!" the actress raved of Redford. "He even surprised me, once it got rolling with the way his eyes twinkle and light up. It was phenomenal."

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