Paulina Alexis

Paulina Jewel Alexis, or Young Eagle, "Wǎgíyaŋ Čížaŋ"{{Needs IPA|date=December 2023|lang=mis}}{{cite web |title=Paulina Alexis Bio |url=https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/reservation-dogs/cast/paulina-alexis-whillie-jack |website=FX |publisher=FX Networks |access-date=10 September 2023 |archive-date=September 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925013805/https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/reservation-dogs/cast/paulina-alexis-whillie-jack |url-status=live }} in Íhârne Stoney Nakoda,{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} was born in {{birth based on age as of date|21|2021|10|17|noage=1}}{{Cite news |last=Knight |first=Ivy |date=2021-10-15 |title=A Star of 'Reservation Dogs' Breaks Barriers |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/15/style/paulina-alexis-reservation-dogs-ghostbusters.html |access-date=2023-07-27 |archive-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727151424/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/15/style/paulina-alexis-reservation-dogs-ghostbusters.html |url-status=live }} and raised on a Alexis Nakota Sioux First Nation reserve in Alberta, Canada.{{cite web |last1=Moya-Smith |first1=Simon |title=Paulina Alexis Doesn't Care If You Think She's 'Too Rez' The Reservation Dogs star won't let anything — or anyone — get in her way. |url=https://www.thecut.com/2022/10/paulina-alexis-reservation-dogs-interview.html |website=The Cut |date=October 4, 2022 |access-date=9 September 2023 |archive-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727065604/https://www.thecut.com/2022/10/paulina-alexis-reservation-dogs-interview.html |url-status=live }} Her family tree includes Treaty 6, Treaty 7, and Treaty 8 Territories in Canada.

Alexis has discussed starting to play hockey at age four, regularly practicing during her childhood, and playing left wing as of 2021. She and her mother have also discussed her experiences growing up on the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation reserve, and her experiences at school in Edmonton. Her father has made documentaries through his production company. Alexis has an older brother, Nathan, who played the role of Angus in Rhymes for Young Ghouls (2013) as well as two other brothers.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-indigenous-star-seeing/133406174/|date=September 10, 2022|page=C2|first=Tom|last=Murray|title=Indigenous star seeing impact of TV success|newspaper=Edmonton Journal|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=October 14, 2023|archive-date=June 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240608200226/https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-indigenous-star-seeing/133406174/|url-status=live}} During her childhood, Alexis went to many casting calls for commercials and acting roles; her first paid acting role was a driving commercial for which she was paid $100.{{r|Edmo220910}}

Alexis landed her first professional acting role at age 18, playing a minor character in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.{{Efn|Filmed in 2019, but not released until 2021.{{cite web |last=Lawrence |first=Gregory |date=October 18, 2019 |title=Jason Reitman Posts Wrap Photo from the Set of 'Ghostbusters: Rust City' |url=https://collider.com/ghostbusters-2020-wraps-filming/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019003825/https://collider.com/ghostbusters-2020-wraps-filming/ |archive-date=October 19, 2019 |access-date=October 18, 2019 |work=Collider}}}}{{cite web |last1=Boutsalis |first1=Kelly |title=Paulina Alexis is Reservation Dogs' breakout star |url=https://macleans.ca/culture/paulina-alexis-is-reservation-dogs-breakout-star/ |website=Maclean's |date=July 22, 2022 |access-date=8 September 2023 |archive-date=September 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230921103152/https://macleans.ca/culture/paulina-alexis-is-reservation-dogs-breakout-star/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Nelson |first1=Kate |title=Paulina Alexis Saddles Up for Reservation Dogs' Last Ride |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a44695558/paulina-alexis-reservation-dogs-interview/ |website=Elle |date=August 2023 |access-date=9 September 2023 |archive-date=September 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926095619/https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a44695558/paulina-alexis-reservation-dogs-interview/ |url-status=live }} After signing with Nathan's agent, she had a video audition; director Jason Reitman was sufficiently impressed to invite her to a live audition.{{r|Edmo220910}} Alexis' next role was as April in the award-winning Canadian film Beans (2020), a semi-autobiographical story written and directed by Tracey Deer (Mohawk) about the Oka Crisis at Kanesatake, Quebec.{{cite web |title=Beans, Blood Quantum Win Big at 4th Night of Canadian Screen Awards |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/2021-canadian-screen-awards-1.6035352 |website=CBC |access-date=2023-09-07 |archive-date=September 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908004336/https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/2021-canadian-screen-awards-1.6035352 |url-status=live }} Alexis has said that being on the set of Beans was incredibly fun, Deer allowed her to improvise some of her lines, and she met her future Reservation Dogs co-star D'Pharaoh Woon-a-tai.{{cite web |title="APTN News - Face to Face: Paulina Alexis says Reservation Dogs is representing Indigenous Peoples in a truthful way" | date=November 22, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8NQD8LiZVM |via=YouTube |publisher=APTN News |access-date=9 September 2023 |archive-date=September 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230909081444/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8NQD8LiZVM |url-status=live }}

Alexis originally auditioned for the role of Elora, a female lead in Reservation Dogs, but Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs was chosen to play her. The showrunners asked Alexis to read for Willie Jack, who was originally a male character. The character was revised to be female when Alexis was cast.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8NQD8LiZVM |title=Paulina Alexis says Reservation Dogs is representing Indigenous Peoples in a truthful way |date=22 Nov 2022 |type=Television production |publisher=Aboriginal Peoples Television Network |series=Face 2 Face |time=04:00–05:17 |access-date=September 9, 2023 |archive-date=September 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230909081444/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8NQD8LiZVM |url-status=live }} Alexis described developing her vision of Willie Jack for the audition process: "I just created Willie Jack how I think she would be, with her braids, she's always loud, with her bros, she loves hard, and just did it like that."{{cite web |last1=Brookover |first1=Sophie |title=Reservation Dogs's Paulina Alexis Found Solace in Willie Jack's Healing Journey |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/paulina-alexis-reservation-dogs-season-3-willie-jack-interview.html |website=Vulture |date=August 16, 2023 |publisher=New York Vulture |access-date=October 14, 2023 |archive-date=October 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004185348/https://www.vulture.com/article/paulina-alexis-reservation-dogs-season-3-willie-jack-interview.html |url-status=live }}

After Alexis was given the role, she was encouraged by the show producers to improvise lines for her character and helped develop the wardrobe.{{cite web |last1=Simonpillai |first1=Radheyan |title=Canada's Rising Screen Stars: Paulina Alexis |url=https://nowtoronto.com/movies/paulina-alexis-gets-back-in-the-saddle-for-reservation-dogs-season-two/ |website=NOW Toronto |date=April 6, 2022 |access-date=9 September 2023 |archive-date=September 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230917092458/https://nowtoronto.com/movies/paulina-alexis-gets-back-in-the-saddle-for-reservation-dogs-season-two/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Paulina Alexis Isn't Ready to Say Goodbye to Willie Jack |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/paulina-alexis-reservation-dogs-willie-jack-season-3-interview |website=W Magazine |date=July 31, 2023 |access-date=2023-09-07 |archive-date=September 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908004342/https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/paulina-alexis-reservation-dogs-willie-jack-season-3-interview |url-status=live }} Alexis sometimes consulted with her brother on the development of lines for Willie Jack. In an interview with W, Alexis said, "I've grown up with a lot of strong people, so I wanted to represent that - to show that we do have hearts and we care about our people a lot. Showing that - and getting our humor, because we’re funny - was the mission."

According to Sophie Brookover at Vulture, over the course of the show, Willie Jack "emerged as the heart, conscience, and memory keeper of the group." Jenelle Riley writes for Variety, "It’s cliché to talk about young actors being older than their years, but Alexis delivers wisecracks with the timing of an old pro - her one-liners are as memorable as her hats."{{cite news |last1=Riley |first1=Jenelle |title=Harold Perrineau, Paulina Alexis and Other Great Performances that Finally Deserve Emmy Recognition |url=https://variety.com/2023/awards/actors/harold-perrineau-paulina-alexis-emmy-recognition-1235646221/ |access-date=14 October 2023 |work=Variety |date=16 June 2023|archive-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727151424/https://variety.com/2023/awards/actors/harold-perrineau-paulina-alexis-emmy-recognition-1235646221/ |url-status=live}}

Alexis is also featured as the character Immpy in the film Bones of Crows (2022), an inter-generational tale about a family of Indigenous women, who are living with the traumas inflicted by genocidal Indian residential schools.{{cite web |title=Bones of Crows |url=https://tiff.net/events/bones-of-crows |publisher=TIFF |access-date=17 September 2023 |archive-date=October 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004094904/https://tiff.net/events/bones-of-crows |url-status=live }}

Alexis had a voice acting role in Inkwo for When the Starving Return, a stop motion animation interpretation of Richard Van Camp's short story "The Wheetago", presented by Spotted Fawn Productions. Wheetago, also known as wendigo, are supernatural beings from Indigenous lore, and the name Wheetago translates to "body eater" in the Dene language, which the producers of the film say "have existed across indigenous cultures to teach us about greed".{{cite web |title=Wheetago War |url=https://fcp.nux.mybluehost.me/wheetago-war/ |publisher=Spotted Fawn Productions |access-date=17 September 2023 |archive-date=September 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230918064118/https://fcp.nux.mybluehost.me/wheetago-war/ |url-status=live }} The producers confirmed in early 2023 that Alexis was cast as the gender-switching character Young Dove.{{cite web |title="Wheetego War" |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl9eYG0vXuB/ |via=Instagram |publisher=Spotted Fawn Productions |access-date=17 September 2023}}

Alexis plays hockey, rides horses, and participates in horse relay races. Alexis has said that she thinks that being around horses benefits mental health.{{cite web |last1=Barbour |first1=Shannon |title='Reservation Dogs' Actor Paulina Alexis Talks the Healing Power of Horses |url=https://www.wondermind.com/article/paulina-alexis/ |website=Wonder Mind |date=August 2, 2023 |access-date=10 September 2023 |archive-date=September 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230917092500/https://www.wondermind.com/article/paulina-alexis/ |url-status=live }} She announced her pregnancy through Instagram on August 18, 2024.{{Cite web |last=Alexis |first=Paulina |date=2024-08-18 |title=tiny bestie loading.. 🫶🏽 |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C-1DyXIygaE/?igsh=dm12dmNreWMzOXJv |access-date=2024-08-18 |website=Instagram}}

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{{reflist}}

• {{IMDb name|11279312|Paulina Alexis}}
• {{cite web |title="Indian Country Today TV: 'Meet Willie Jack'". | date=August 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUVmc3gyA9g |via=YouTube |publisher=ICTMN |access-date=October 14, 2023 |archive-date=September 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230905071244/https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=FUVmc3gyA9g |url-status=live }}
• {{cite web |title=The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon: 'The Cast of Reservation Dogs on Auditioning and Sharing Native American Humor' | date=August 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuc9R9tMiUI&t=47s |via=YouTube |access-date=2023-09-04 |archive-date=September 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230905060724/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuc9R9tMiUI&t=47s |url-status=live }}
• {{cite web |title=What were your First Fandoms? {{!}} Cast of Reservation Dogs Interview | date=August 4, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojqZn3lBDng |access-date=11 September 2023 |publisher=Gizmodo |via=YouTube |archive-date=October 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004023728/https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=ojqZn3lBDng |url-status=live }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexis, Paulina}}

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century Canadian actresses

Category:21st-century First Nations people

Category:21st-century First Nations women

Category:Actresses from Alberta

Category:Canadian women's ice hockey players

Category:First Nations actresses

Category:Nakoda (Stoney) people

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)