The FX on Hulu series Reservation Dogs cast features a talented group of Indigenous actors who many viewers may not be familiar with. The dark comedy series is created by Sterlin Harjo and Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, and revolves around a quartet of young criminals living on a reservation in Oklahoma. They hope to save up enough money through petty theft and odd jobs to be able to leave the reservation, which they blame for the death of their friend, and move to California.
Reservation Dogs was met with near-universal acclaim, and the talented actors in Reservation Dogs are a major reason why. The series features a sardonic sense of humor bordering on black comedy, akin to the other FX comedy Waititi is involved in, What We Do in the Shadows. Reservation Dogs released its first episode in 2021 and its third season in 2023 will mark its end. The episodes focus on Elora, Bear, Cheese, and Willie Jack, but there is also a large rich, talented supporting cast of friends, foes, and family.
Devery Jacobs as Elora Danan Postoak
Devery Jacobs plays Elora Danan Postoak in the Reservation Dogs cast. Elora is the most confident and organized of the Reservation Dogs. Still wounded from the loss of her mother at a young age, Elora is the most ruthless in the group’s pursuit of money to move away from the reservation. She became the de facto leader of the group, and she is why the group decided to head back to Oklahoma for season 3. Elora is played by Devery Jacobs, a Mohawk Canadian actress who has been acting since the age of 9.
Jacobs most prominent roles include Lollipop in Mohawk Girls, Sam Blackcrow in the Starz series American Gods, and Jess Wells in Rutherford Falls. She also appeared in the Netflix series The Order as Lilith Bathory and has roles in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe series Echo and the animated Ark: The Animated Series. Jacobs is also an award winner, winning several awards for her performances in The Sun at Midnight, Stolen, and Rae.
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Bear Smallhill
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai’s Reservation Dogs character is Bear Smallhill. Bear is the self-proclaimed leader of the group, but also the most softhearted member, often concerned with the greater good more than personal profit. He also struggles with his family, a distant rapper father and a receptionist mother who is looking to move on. Woon-a-Tai was born in Canada and got his start acting in 2018 on the Family Channel series Holly Hobbie. However, it was Reservation Dogs that really provided his breakout role.
Woon-a-Tai has previously appeared as Lucky in the Netflix horror anthology Creeped Out and in Indigenous cinema projects like Beans and Tribal. In 2023, he also picked up roles in the Finn Wolfhard movie Hell of a Summer, the coming-of-age comedy Bloody Hell, and the thriller Only the Good Survive. In 2023, Woon-a-Tai earned a Critics’ Choice nomination for his role in the Reservation Dogs cast.
Lane Factor as Chester “Cheese” Williams
Lane Factor is in the cast of Reservation Dogs as Chester “Cheese” Williams. Cheese is another member of the group who seems to take more of a passive role. He is kind and very agreeable, as seen in the second episode of the series where he pretends to be an old woman’s absent grandson. However, he has gone through a lot on the show, including spending time in jail in season 2 before Officer Big got him out.
The growing interest in diversity has given many Indigenous actors new opportunities, reflected in Devery Jacobs’ projects like Marvel’s upcoming Echo and in actor Lane Factor’s career. His regular role on Reservation Dogs is his first-ever on-screen credit. However, he got an amazing opportunity thanks to his part of the Reservation Dogs cast when he picked up a role in the Steven Spielberg movie The Fabelmans in 2022, where he played Dean.
Paulina Alexis as Willie Jack
Paulina Alexis plays Willie Jack in the Reservation Dogs cast. The final member of the Reservation Dogs crew is Willie Jack. Willie Jack comes off as the spaciest member of the crew and has a belief in the supernatural, as seen when she asks Elora’s uncle to put a curse on Jackie. Willie Jack has gone through many ups and downs in the two seasons, developing an antagonistic relationship with Jackie, the leader of the NDN Mafia gang that targeted the Dogs. Alexis is a Canadian actor who had little experience before joining the Reservation Dogs cast.
Before Reservation Dogs, she had her debut role in Beans. Since Reservation Dogs, and perhaps in part because of her performance as Willie Jack, Paulina Alexis got the biggest role of her career when she played Bunny in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. She also starred as Immpy in Bones of Crows and is set to appear in the miniseries Bones of Crows: The Series.
Reservation Dogs Supporting Cast
Zahn McClamon as Officer Big: Zahn McClamon plays Officer Big in the Reservation Dogs cast. He is the reservation’s conspiracy-minded law enforcement officer and is there to not only stop the kids from committing crimes, but he is also there to help them when they get into too much trouble. McClarnon previously played Police Chief Mathias in Longmire, Akecheta in Westworld, and Hanzee Dent in Fargo. He also starred as Joe in Dark Winds and will be part of the MCU series Echo, as Maya’s dead father William.
Sarah Podemski as Rita: Sarah Podemski’s Reservation Dogs character is Rita. She is Bear’s mother who works at the town medical clinic. Podemski — who has an actor sister, Tamara – appeared in the likes of Tin Star, Coroner, and Resident Alien. She also voiced Sky in the animated series Total Drama.
Dallas Goldtooth as William “Spirit” Knifeman: Dallas Goldtooth joins the cast of Reservation Dogs as Spirit. He is a vision of a “traditional” Indigenous warrior that Bear sees when he is unconscious. In the second season, he also appeared to Uncle Brownie. Goldtooth is best known for his work in the Indigenous comedy group the 1491s, alongside series co-creator Sterlin Harjo.
Elva Guerra as Jackie: Elva Guerra plays Jackie in the Reservation Dogs cast. She is the blonde-haired leader of the NDN Mafia gang that targets the Reservation Dogs. Throughout the second season, she and Willie Jack were direct rivals, but Jackie ended up helping the Dogs as the season wore on. Guerra’s only previous on-screen role was on Rutherford Falls, where she played a young version of Charlotte. Since joining the Reservation Dogs cast, she went on to play Sally Growing Thunder in Dark Winds.
Gary Farmer as Uncle Brownie: Gary Farmer’s Reservation Dogs character is Uncle Brownie. He is Elora’s uncle and a local legend who thought Elora and her friends how to fight. He also found a new life for himself when he got to know the Reservation Dogs better. As for Farmer, he has been acting since 1976 and has quite a solid career. He starred in Dead Man, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and Smoke Signals. On TV, he has appeared in Resident Alien, Longmire, Blackstone, and the vampire detective show Forever Knight.
Kimberly Guerrero as Auntie B: Kimberly Guerrero joins the cast of Reservation Dogs as Auntie B. Aunt B is Willie Jack’s aunt, and often provides some comic relief for the TV show. Guerrero has been acting since 1988 and has had roles in several TV shows over the years, including Walker, Texas Ranger, Longmire, Grey’s Anatomy, and Seinfeld. She also joined the cast of Spirit Rangers in 2022.
Jon Proudstar as Leon: Jon Proudstar plays Leon in the Reservation Dogs cast. Leon is Willie Jack’s father and one of the few positive influences on his daughter, as he tries to protect her from trouble, no matter how hard she makes it on him. Proudstar has been acting since 1990 and his first appearance in anything was in Madhouse with John Larroquette and Kirstie Alley. He was also part of the cast of The Year of the Dog as Greg in 2022.
Kirk Fox as Kenny Boy: Kirk Fox’s Reservation Dogs character is Kenny Boy. He is definitely the comedy relief of the series, a white guy who wants everyone to think he is Native American. He also owns the salvage yard and had a lot of interactions with the Dogs in season 2 as he had impounded a car they needed to take their trip. Fox is bear known for his role on Parks and Recreation, where he played Sewage Joe. He also has appeared on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the 2023 Amazon series Jury Duty.
