Paulina Alexis

Paulina Jewel Alexis (born ), also known as Wǎgíyaŋ Čížaŋ or Young Eagle, is a First Nations actress best known for her role as Willie Jack in Reservation Dogs (2021–2023). She won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series in 2022 and in 2023 was nominated for the Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. The series won a Peabody Award. Alexis was raised on the Alexis Nakota Sioux First Nation reserve in Alberta. As a child, she played hockey and attended school in Edmonton. At age 18, she landed her first professional film role as a minor character in Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), and later featured in the 2020 Canadian film Beans. She had her breakout role as the tomboyish girl Willie Jack on Reservation Dogs, a performance which garnered critical attention. Early life and education Paulina Jewel Alexis, or Young Eagle, "Wǎgíyaŋ Čížaŋ" (wah-gee-yah chee-zha) in her native Íhârne Stoney Nakoda language, was born on and raised in the Alexis Nakota Sioux First Nation reserve in Alberta, Canada. Her family tree includes Treaty 6, Treaty 7, and Treaty 8 Territories in Canada.