Edmonton Journal from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada • C2

C2 AT AY, 1 0 2 0 2 2 A AY Late last October, Paulina Alexis was given perhaps the highest hon- our of her young life so far. was Halloween and I was seeing all these kids dressed up as says the actress, best known as fan favourite Willie Jack in the breakout hit dramedy Reservation Dogs, now in the midst of its sec- ond season on Disney just dressed as Willie Jack, there was even one kid who dressed as me when I went to the Alexis recounts. was amazing. It made me so emotional, and I think about that all the This was an important moment for Alexis, who saw very little rep- resentation on television or the silver screen while growing up on an Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation Reserve just outside of Edmon- ton. Her fascination with acting started when she was very young, though she impishly admits to skipping drama class when she was in her mid-teens.

Instead, she went straight to the heart of the matter, joining with her siblings to make skits based on such films and shows as Lord of the Rings and Power Rangers, using video equip- ment borrowed from her father production company. Alexis was already auditioning for Disney shows by the age of nine, but the breaks come quickly. Her first professional per- formance came in her mid-teens, a driving commercial for which she was paid the sum of $100. It was a small gig, just one camera and camera operator, but the budding thespian was hooked. Meanwhile, her three brothers were forging their own paths in the industry.

It was through her older brother Nathan, who has made a name for himself on such shows as Tin Star and Trickster, that she picked up the next break. signed with agent and he started setting up video au- Alexis recalls. day I got Ghostbusters: Afterlife. I left it until the last day and I feel- ing it, but my mom said do it real A couple of weeks later I got the It was writer and director Ja- son Reitman, the son of Ivan Re- itman, who had produced and di- rected the original Ghostbusters films and co-produced the 2016 reboot. The younger Reitman was impressed with video audition and wanted to meet for a live one.

Alexis was excited when she was offered the small role of Bunny, though she acknowledges that she completely aware of who she was talking to. looked him up later and oh my goodness she laughs. know that this was the real thing, but then I got to meet Finn Wolfhard and see the big set with all of the equipment. I wanted to tell my dad and my brothers about it, but also I wanted to stay In Beans, Mohawk director Tracy 2020 film about the 1990 Oka Crisis, she was one of the title group of friends. Beans was also where she first act- ed with Woon-A-Tai, who would become part of the en- semble cast of Reservation Dogs.

Created by Oscar winner Taika Waititi and Seminole filmmaker Sterlin Harjo, Reservation Dogs quickly became a critical favourite, bringing home a Peabody Award, a Golden Globe nomination, plus an Independent Spirit Award for best ensemble cast. Set on a reservation in Oklaho- ma, the FX series follows four In- digenous friends as they deal with the death of their friend Daniel and dream of leaving for better oppor- tunities in California. Reservation Dogs just notable for being a show about Indigenous people played by Indigenous people, how- ever; also written and directed by Indigenous people. For Alexis, who can be found in meme form throughout the internet as the sar- castic Willie Jack, something of a dream come true. like all related in some way because we all know the same says Alexis.

as a com- munity, we all know about respect. Like, when it came to elders they always ate first, and if I saw Gary Farmer, who played Uncle Brown- ie, I always got a chair for him to sit on. like working with Since Reservation Dogs took off, Alexis has been busy. working on an animation project, filmed a role on writer-director Marie Bones of Crows, and started a fashion line of hoodies, shorts and T-shirts called SQWE Apparel. Keeping in mind Halle advice that she was capable of anything, thinking of direct- ing and producing opportunities.

At the moment, however, Alexis is back home, taking a bit of time off as her star rises. She has de- voted her break from the set to the other major part of her life: athletics. Hockey is extremely important to Alexis, who plays with Southern Sage of the Alberta Junior Female Hockey League, as is kayaking and riding horses. This summer she committed to training for her first Lady Warrior race in September, and she pronounces herself satisfied with the results. never had role models grow- ing she reflects, I kind of want people to see me and know they can do it.

Especially on TV, where maybe some kids can see themselves in what I do and know that they can do it as INDIGENOUS STAR SEEING IMPACT OF TV SUCCESS Alexis thrilled about opportunities opening up after her big break on critical favourite Reservation Dogs Paulina Alexis has been busy with projects since Reservation Dogs took off. RYA I Ivan journey from West- ern Ukraine to Canada is a bitter- sweet one. While he is fleeing his home country, he will touch down in this country with a book deal al- ready. The author arrives in Edmon- ton in early October, after flee- ing the Russian invasion of his homeland. But he will spend the last two weeks of September at events throughout the country promoting his book, (In)visible, an award-winning novel that is getting an English translation and North American release.

The book follows Adam, a 26-year-old freelance designer try- ing to make it on his own. faced with intolerance and persecution for having Tourette Syndrome. He eventually finds belonging and community, with roommates struggling with acceptance of their own visible disorders. Anna who has heman- gioma, a benign non-cancerous growth. Marta, the television anchor, has alopecia, while the makeup artist Eva has vitiligo, a condition where some skin loses its pigmentation resulting in dis- coloured patches.

topic is quite important, visible says Baidak over a video call from Slovenia in mid-July. book has) quite a strong message about acceptance and equality. definitely the right time for the book to be shared in the Baidak has Tourette Syndrome, a neurological disorder with re- petitive and unwanted move- ments or vocal sounds called tics. It was the reason he was allowed to leave Ukraine and forced into military service in the spring, when Ukraine closed its borders to military-aged men from leaving the country. While the book a retelling of his own life, he used his experiences with to inform the book, the hurt and pain he has faced try- ing to live with his disorder.

do believe quite a warm book. If I wrote this book five years ago when I was still struggling with this book would be very depressing about says Baidak. believe everyone has their own struggle. We need to accept ourselves, we need to accept other (In)Visible was first released in Ukraine in 2020, where it inspired a play and several photo exhibits. It was also named Best Book of 2020 by PEN Ukraine, an interna- tional organization dedicated to supporting writers and authors in free speech.

Baidak was living in Lviv, in Western Ukraine, when Russian forces invaded his country in Feb- ruary of this year. Baidak has lived in the United States, France, Slove- nia and Poland over the years. He had returned to Ukraine to settle down and was working with an IT company doing sales and market- ing when had to flee. Fortunately, he was able. last two or three years were great for me living in Ukraine.

I felt that my place, I want to be here. Ukraine was developing re- ally fast. Ukraine was becoming a great He has been getting help with his journey to Canada from a cousin living in Winnipeg. Baidak refers to him as a cousin, though there is almost 50 years separating the two. The pair started sending let- ters back and forth almost 15 years ago when son Michael visited Ukraine looking to reconnect with his roots.

gave him the name of the vil- lage where my ancestors came from in 1910. He and his wife, when they got to that village, they hired an English-speaking says Baidak. took them to the vil- lages, along with where my moth- ancestors came The people they met had to call Baidak at university in order to translate. Len and Baidak have been communicating back and forth ever since. Len tried to help his Ukrainian cousin in 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea, but that fell through and the war was over quickly.

daughter helped to set Baidak up with Guernica Editions, which is publishing the English translation of (In)visible. His niece will host Baidak when he arrives in Edmonton. While biggest connection to Canada lives in Win- nipeg, he decided to come to Ed- monton and settle here for a while. normally trust my intuition and Edmonton seemed like a place I would enjoy living says Baidak. While he works to get settled in Canada, Baidak says he has been working on a book about the ongo- ing war in Ukraine.

Tentatively ti- tled Letters With No Address, ongoing feelings about the war in his home country. matter what you do, no matter where you are, still in this war. hard to focus on different says Baidak. To learn more about the author, visit his website at ivanbaidak.com Ukrainian author journeys from pain to acceptance Ukrainian author Ivan Baidak will be on a nationwide book tour for his award-winning novel (In)visible, before settling in Edmonton in October. For A FREE Quote BEFORE AFTER Visit our showroom at 2988 Parsons Road NW, Edmonton, or view it online at www.refacemagic.ca.