KAMILCHE, Wash. — Damian Castellane has always found his balance on the boards.
"Run fast, shoot fast, and defend full-court," Castellane said.
Recreational basketball was his safe space when life was filled with turmoil. Now it's bringing him a taste of fame. Castellane is one of the stars of the new Netflix movie, "Rez Ball," the story of a scrappy Navajo basketball team that perseveres through sheer determination and a reconnection with their Native roots. It parallels the 21-year-old's own life story.
"There's a lot of alcoholism, suicide, drug use that goes on in the movie," Castellane said. "And I've experienced that my whole life."
He's a member of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, and grew up on the Squaxin Island Tribe's reservation outside Shelton.
"This is my home. This is everything I've ever known," he said. "I could leave the 'rez,' but the 'rez' will never leave me."
Life hasn't been easy. He lost his aunt.
"She took her own life when I was 13 years old," he said.
Earlier this year, he lost his brother, Alonzo, in a tragic accident.
"And not only was he my brother. He was my best friend," Castellane said.
He has had serious brushes with the law.
"I've been to jail," Castellane states flatly.
He's survived multiple gunshot wounds.
"I've been through a lot. But that don't define who I am today," he said. "I don't want to go to prison for the rest of my life, and I don't want to die. So, I had one choice to make, and that's to be a better man."
As a rap artist, he's put his sorrow into song.
"Music has always been a big part of my life," Castellane said.
Last year, he was selected from more than 5,000 applicants to join the cast of "Rez Ball." He couldn't believe it.
"In my head I was like, I'm this little rez kid, man, they're not gonna pick me. They got so many other actors they could choose from," he said.
The movie was produced by Lebron James, written and directed by indigenous filmmakers, and shot on location in New Mexico.
"I knew the humor, I knew the basketball. I know the people," Castellane said. "You didn't have to teach me nothing but how to act."
He's determined that this first acting experience won't be the last.
"I was doubting myself at first. And then it happened. And it was, like, 'man, what else can I do?'" he said.
Damian Castellane is stepping away from a troubled past to prove that reservation dreams really do come true.
"I could do anything I put my mind to," he said.
"Rez Ball" starts streaming on Netflix September 27.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email.