Reservation Dogs' Devery Jacobs 'Had To Fight Every Step Of The Way' For Her Role
With two seasons under its belt, FX's "Reservation Dogs" still maintains a coveted 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, thanks in large part to the core foursome of Elora Danan (Devery Jacobs), Bear (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Cheese (Lane Factor), and Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis). Created by Taika Waititi and Sterlin Harjo, "Reservation Dogs" follows four teenagers living on a reservation in Oklahoma and boasts an almost entirely Indigenous cast and crew.
Devery Jacobs recognized just how groundbreaking the series was, and she knew she wanted in. "I was like, 'Oh my God, could I have f—ing manifested this?'" the actress recounted in The Hollywood Reporter's comedy actress roundtable. Jacobs reached out to Harjo to tell him she planned on auditioning, only to be rebuffed by the showrunner. "He was like, 'Oh, you're not right for the part,'" Jacobs recalled, with Harjo citing the twenty-something actress' age as a contributing factor. Nevertheless, Jacobs tried out and got a callback. "Basically every step of the way I had to fight, but I ended up booking the role."
During her time spent playing the grieving, dryly funny Elora, Jacobs has continued to fight her way towards a bigger role on "Reservation Dogs," ultimately nabbing a position on the writing staff for Season 2.
Devery Jacobs earned behind-the-camera roles on Reservation Dogs
By Devery Jacobs' own admission, she was perhaps overly hands-on when it came to the first season of "Reservation Dogs." "I guess I'm one of the annoying actors who comes in with notes," she said on the Hollywood Reporter panel. While the network appreciated her involvement, they were less interested in increasing her already dense workload as one of the series' stars. "Basically, do the job that we paid you to do," she recalled.
By Season 2, Jacobs was more determined to get a seat at the table. "I'd reached out to the showrunner and pleaded my case to be a part of the room," she said. "Sterlin was just like, 'You're part of it, come on in.'" Jacobs' tenacity paid off, and soon she earned a writing credit for the whole season. "I was only supposed to be there for five weeks, and they just kept extending it."
When Season 3 of "Reservation Dogs" premieres on August 2, Jacobs will add another credit to her resume: television director. "I wrapped my first episode of TV [as a director] two days ago," Jacobs said on the panel. Indeed, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Jacobs is directing Episode 7 of the forthcoming season.