Yep, Reservation Dogs Star Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs Is Just as Badass Off Screen
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Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs has our full attention with her latest role as Elora Danan on FX's Reservation Dogs. Created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, the series follows a group of four Indigenous teens living in rural Oklahoma with dreams of a better life in California. While the show is making history as the first TV series to feature an all-Indigenous team of writers, directors, and series regulars, it certainly isn't the first time Kawennáhere has graced our screens.
Kawennáhere has had a passion for acting since she was a child, with her portrayal as Aila in 2013's Rhymes For Young Ghouls being her breakout role. Since then, she's appeared in several other TV shows and movies, including The Lie, The Order, and American Gods, and she also made her directorial debut with her short film Stolen in 2015. Still, there's so much more to know about Kawennáhere. Keep reading to find out ahead.
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She "100% Geeked Out" When She Met Idol Taika Waititi
In 2018, Kawennáhere had the honor of meeting Taika Waititi at the Toronto International Film Festival. "GUYS! I met my hero at TIFF," she gushed on Instagram. "I 100% geeked out but tried my hardest to keep it inside (it didn't really work) 😵🤓🤩." Fast-forward three years later, and the two are now working together on Reservation Dogs. Funny how life works, huh?
She Launched a Kickstarter Campaign to Fund Her First Short Film
In addition to having roles on The Dead Zone, Rhymes For Young Ghouls, Mohawk Girls, The Order, and Rutherford Falls, Kawennáhere wrote and directed her first film titled Stolen in 2015. Kawennáhere launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund it, and it was named best aboriginal film at the 2017 Yorkton Film Festival. The following year, her second short film Rae won the best youth work award at the ImagineNative Film and Media Arts Festival and it was included in the official selection of the 2018 Palm Springs Shortfest.
She Starts Every New Year With a Vision Board
Kawennáhere clearly understands the power of manifestation. Every January, she creates a vision board to prepare herself for the year that lies ahead. Alongside an Instagram photo of her 2020 vision board, Kawennáhere explained, "My vision board keeps me focused on the mission; to forge space in this industry for fellow Onkwehón:we storytellers to come. To make this industry as much ours as it's currently theirs."
She Takes Halloween Very Seriously
Based on her Instagram, Kawennáhere is a big fan of dressing up on Halloween. In 2014, she paid homage to E.T., and in 2019, she went all out with her skeleton costume.
She Loves Lizzo Just Like the Rest of Us
The actor enjoyed Lizzo's 2019 VMAs performance just as much as we did.
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She's Passionate About Activism
Kawennáhere is very vocal about her support for several social justice issues, including Indigenous rights, Black Lives Matter, and LGBTQ+ rights. In fact, she's the founder of the Kahnawà:ke Youth Forum.
"Indigenous rights overlapping with environmental rights is something that's very near and dear to my heart," she said in a 2020 interview with The TV Junkies. "It's not enough to just be posting a black tile and it's not enough to just be a keyboard warrior. Action actually needs to happen and that includes making donations. I've made donations and encouraged my followers to match them, and with that I did personal videos. I'm also doing my best to be an ally by checking in on people in my life from the Black community and checking in on what they need. I'm also participating in upcoming protests, as well as challenging institutions that claim to be supportive of diversity, their Black communities, or BIPOC communities and what active steps they are moving forward with."