Devery Jacobs is one of the many rising stars we currently have in the Hollywood landscape. While she’s been acting for well over a decade now, her notoriety has especially been growing over the last few years. Her breakthrough, though, came in the form of FX’s Reservation Dogs, which received critical acclaim. Now, she’s appearing in Echo, a Marvel Cinematic Universe-set miniseries, which (like her past show) features mostly Indigenous talent. Jacobs seems to relish the opportunities she’s had and appreciates the people she gets to work with. So when she spoke to CinemaBlend, it wasn’t surprising that she shouted out the “badass” women she gets to work with.
Representation among Indigenous people has been seen a bit of a spark as of late, and it’s a more than welcome trend in the entertainment industry. Devery Jacobs deserves a lot of credit for helping to amplify those voices in a myriad of ways whether through acting, writing or directing. While chatting with us about her work amid the press day for Echo, she noted how her own experiences as a creator have helped inform her choices. From there, Jacobs praised the impactful ladies she was able to collaborate with on the superhero series:
I am a storyteller through and through, whether that's in front or behind the camera. And I think that extends to all of the work that I do. I think the work that I've done as a writer and as a director really helps me navigate which stories I wanna sign on for and which projects I feel are like thoughtfully written, but then at the end of the day when I come onto set as an actor, like I'm taking all of that off and I'm kind of trusting whichever director there is. In this case, it was both Sidney Freeland and Catriona McKenzie, who did such an incredible job on Echo, and were such badasses and indigenous women at the helm of all of this. But yeah, as an actor, I really am just like open and helping the director achieve their vision. And then when I'm on the other side of the camera, I definitely use the elements that I've learned as an actor to help me in those spaces as well.
As the Mohawk Girls alum alluded to, there are plenty of exceptional women tied to Marvel Studios’ latest small-screen production. In addition to directors Catriona McKenzie and Sidney Freeland (who also served as an EP), there were also amazing women in the cast. The lead is Alaqua Cox, who plays the role of Maya Lopez, and there’s also Tantoo Cardinal, who plays Maya’s grandmother and Katarina Ziervogel, who portrays the heroine’s late mother. Julia Jones, Morningstar Angeline and Dannie McCallum also all play Lopez’s ancestors. So yes, there are plenty of badass Native American women in the mix here.
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That was no different when it came to her work on Rez Dogs, as that show also had a number of pitch-perfect actresses. Paulina Alexis, Sarah Podemski, Elva Guerra and Jana Schmieding (who’s also part of the Echo cast) are just a few of the talented performers that can be named.
Devery Jacobs has more than shown just how much of a phenomenal woman she is. Not only did she star on Reservation Dogs (which put a sweet focus on intergenerational relationships), she also took on writing and directing duties on it. And while her role on Marvel Studios’ first superhero entry on the 2024 TV schedule isn’t as large as the one she had on the coming-of-age dramedy, it’s still vital. Jacobs’ character, Bonnie, serves as an anchor point for the wayward Maya, and their relationship is one of the touchstones of the limited series. It makes for a sweet bond between two young women who both just happen to be of Indigenous descent.
Whether we see more of Bonnie in the MCU moving forward remains to be seen. But Maya Lopez’s journey is just getting started, by the looks of it. Alaqua Cox seems excited about what the future might hold – and already knows what Avenger she wants to share the screen with. And even if Bonnie doesn’t return, Devery Jacobs still could. That’s because she also voices the original MCU character known as Kahhori, who was introduced during What If...? Season 2 (which is available to stream with a Disney+ subscription). Needless to say, Jacobs is crushing it right now, and it’s lovely to see her shout out the incredible women she gets to work with. I’m hopeful that she’ll continue to collaborate with them and others as her career progresses.
You can check out all of Echo now by streaming it with a Hulu subscription, and that same subscription will get you access to all three seasons of Reservation Dogs. Also, keep it locked on the schedule of upcoming Marvel TV shows for information about what’s on the horizon.
