Echo is the latest TV entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The series focuses on Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) when she returns to her home in Oklahoma following the events of Hawkeye. There, she reconnects with her family and gets back in touch with her Native American roots. She also begins to forge her path forward, deciding if she wants to be a hero or continue down a path of crime like the life she was raised in. The series is a big swing for the MCU, as it is not only the first TV-MA Disney+ MCU series but also being pitched as a more grounded, self-contained story.

One thing fans of MCU projects can expect is that while they will likely love the hero, their supporting cast of characters also has a way of breaking out. Who didn’t love Michael Pena as Luis in Ant-Man, the Iron Man supporting character Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), and the Thor original MCU character Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings)? Some have become so popular they have appeared outside the franchises they originated in and also recently got to star in a new episode of What If…? So, even a supporting role in an MCU series can mean a big future for a character.

Echo features two respected actors, Devery Jacobs and Chaske Spencer, stepping into the roles of Bonnie and Uncle Henry, respectively. Notably, this is not the first MCU project for either of them, as Spencer previously appeared in Jessica Jones, and Jacobs recently voiced a high-profile original character in What If…? season 2. Yet, with Echo, the duo gets to play more real people with complex connections to the titular hero. Both Spencer and Jacobs were part of a press conference that MovieWeb was fortunate enough to attend. They spoke about their characters, their connection to the main character, Echo, as well as the importance of representation both in front of and behind the camera when it comes to telling the stories of indigenous cultures.

Chaske Spencer as Uncle Henry

Chaske Spencer is likely best known to audiences for playing the role of Sam Uley, the leader of the werewolf pack, in the Twilight saga. In Echo, Spencer plays Henry, Maya’s uncle, who runs his operations out of a roller derby rink. He is a figure who is looking out for Maya but also trying to keep her from bringing big city problems, like Kingpin and his connections, to Oklahoma.

“I had a fun time playing him. I always looked at him as a touchstone, a go-between between Maya’s past and her present and where she is. I thought he was basically a witness to this and everything; when Maya comes into Henry’s world, he has no control over anything, so it was nice to play a character that’s trying to play catch up with Maya a lot, and I enjoyed working with that,” says Spencer. “I really like Uncle Henry. I think he’s just a regular guy thrown into a very unique situation.”

“I was very honored to work with everyone. All the cast, the crew, everyone. I knew I was going to be in something special. I think I got a call. I don’t remember how it went, but they had told me about the project, and they were interested in me, and I jumped at the chance, and I wanted to work with everyone.” Spencer speaks highly of the series star, Alaqua Cox:

“Working with Alaqua, it’s phenomenal. She was present and right there, and I think the audience and people who see this when it’s released are going to be very impressed with her. I really learned a lot from working with her, and that’s what I love about this job. You get to work with some interesting, talented people, and at the end of the day, you create something special, and you give it to the audience. I think they’re going to be very, very happy with the result.”

Devery Jacobs as Bonnie

Devery Jacobs has become a rising star in recent years. She has appeared in a wide variety of projects, from the comedy-drama series Mohawk Girls to recurring roles in American Gods and Rutherford Falls to the horror film Blood Quantum. Her biggest role, though, was on the FX series Reservation Dogs, which began in 2021 and concluded in 2023. Through that series, she also would eventually get to write and direct, as well as collaborate with Echo director Sydney Freeland. This is also notably her second MCU role as she recently lent her voice to Kahhori, an original Mohowk superhero in What If…? season two, which aired two weeks before Echo’s premiere date.

In Echo, Jacobs plays the role of Bonnie, a former childhood friend of Maya Lopez but one whom Maya stops contacting after her move to New York City. “Getting to be involved in this project has been incredible. I think that leading up to playing Bonnie, we really wanted to make sure that it felt real between myself and Alaqua and that we had that history feel between us. We did a lot of work beforehand to make sure that that history could be felt and just making sure that we were able to root it in that relationship between them was really the key,” says Jacobs.

While Maya went down a life of crime working for the Kingpin, Bonnie becomes a hero in her community working as a paramedic. “I think through the series we’re able to uncover Maya in her journey of figuring out what family means to her and Bonnie being part of that and a glimpse of who Maya might’ve been had she not been pulled away to New York.” Jacobs went on to speak in detail about the importance of family between the two characters but also how it is reflective of Native-American culture. She says:

“I love how it’s like, sister-cousins and then also like uncle-dads, and it’s just like — I think that’s so true in Indian country that it’s just like I call my aunties, aunties, except they’re actually technically my cousins. I think that there’s just like such a blend and, through Echo, the fact that it’s an ensemble cast filled with indigenous folks and that there is such a sense of family in the whole arc and through the whole series, I think just lends to how authentic our storytelling is in it, that we had so many community members because in so many of our cultures, it’s not just about you being an individual, it’s you being a collective of your nation. When we introduce ourselves, it’s like, I’m Kanien’kehà:ka, I’m from the Mohawk Nation so when it comes to Echo and seeing that like, Maya is one of many Choctaw community members. I think that just fills me with so much sense of pride and makes it feel that much more real. That’s kind of some of the textures and flavors we get when we’re able to tell stories from our own communities.”

Related: The 10 Best Native American Actors of All Time

Jacobs also commented on how a piece of art helped inspire her work on Echo and develop the dynamic between her and Alaqua Cox. “Before going to Atlanta to shoot Echo, I had a chance to stop in at the Choctaw Cultural Center in Durant, which was so beautiful. There was a piece towards the very end, and I’m kicking myself that I can’t remember the artist’s name, but there was a piece that was about these two cousins. There’s an older cousin and a younger cousin, and through Echo, the relationship between Maya and Bonnie is, even though they’re cousins, it’s almost like they’re sisters. And so it was that piece before heading out to Georgia to shoot that I realized it was really inspiring to me. I remember texting the image to Alaqua [Cox] and was like, oh my God, this feels like this is our characters.”

The Importance of Representation
Hulu/FX/Apple TV+/Paramount Pictures

Recently, there has been a great deal of discussion regarding representation in media, and who is the author of these stories. Jacobs herself spoke about it earlier this year following the release of Killers of The Flower Moon by Martin Scorsese. Jacobs expressed disgust at the gruesome and violent imagery depicted against Osage characters in the film, which forced many to have a conversation about the role of white filmmakers in telling indigenous stories. That certainly puts a lot of attention on Echo, which is looking to tell a story about an indigenous hero and explore that culture while also being part of a shared universe. For both Spencer and Jacob, it was important that Echo was representative of indigenous cultures and told by the people it wanted to represent.

Related: Killers of the Flower Moon’s Lily Gladstone Shares Message for Film’s Native Audience

“It’s extremely important,” says Spencer. “It wasn’t that long ago when I was a struggling actor in New York City. It was hard to land an indigenous role that was written very well, actually. I had to pay my dues doing some roles that weren’t all that great. To see people behind the camera is really extremely important because that’s where the control is, and they can write stories for indigenous actors, talented young thespians up and coming.”

“To borrow from the disabled community and a saying that they have coined, they say nothing about us without us. And I think that’s so true for any marginalized community, including indigenous folks. I think when it comes to telling our stories, making sure that there are as many storytellers from that community as possible is paramount,” says Jacobs. “There’s been a hundred years of lack of representation and misrepresentation and an intentional exclusion of indigenous voices in Hollywood. So, I think to have us be a part of these conversations is integral to making sure that we’re able to accurately tell our stories. Aside from that, to be able to just be free to tell human stories and tell stories from our perspectives.”

“I have to say, I’ve seen more indigenous actors now than ever. I’ve been around for a while, so it makes me really proud to see that. I’ve always thought that the power is behind the camera and that the stories that indigenous writers write are more authentic and more believable. At the end of the day, we’re all human beings, and what [we relate] to is emotion. If you can relate to that emotion and all of us can relate to that.” adds Spencer. “There’s still a long road to go. But right now, it’s a really phenomenal time for indigenous film because there’s a lot of talent out there, and they’re being seen. Stream all five episodes of Echo on Disney+ on Jan. 9, 2024.