In 2021, viewers were introduced to Alaqua Cox in her role as Maya Lopez through the Disney+ original series Hawkeye, but they really got to see her shine at the start of 2024 with the debut of her series, Echo, which shifted to focus to her titular character and the Indigenous community she was born from.
“I went from a small supporting role [to becoming] number one on the call sheets,” the actress shares with TV Insider. “So that meant, of course, more work hours. So that was a big difference.” But for Cox, having a primarily Indigenous crew in front of and behind the camera also made a difference. “They were amazing to work with because when you’re with Indigenous people, it felt like home… you just feel the vibes and they understand each other. The inside jokes between the Indigenous people… our community has our own little jokes and whatnot, so we joke around with the Indigenous cast and I feel like when we are together, it feels like our ancestors are there with us.”
Chuck Zlotnick/©Marvel Studios
Like her character in the series, Cox is deaf in real life, and she notes that working with fellow deaf actress Katarina Ziervogel (her onscreen mom Taloa) was empowering. “She is an amazing actress and there was a few deaf people behind the camera as well. So it was nice to have deaf and Indigenous [communities] represented while I was working.”
While fans got a taste of Maya’s connection to Vincent D’Onofrio‘s Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin, in Hawkeye, they saw her go head-to-head with Charlie Cox‘s Daredevil, a.k.a. Matt Murdock in Echo‘s premiere episode. Could there be a potential reunion on the forthcoming Daredevil: Born Again series? “I think it would be freaking awesome to be able to work with Daredevil in the future,” she beams. “I hope that does happen eventually. Working with Charlie Cox on Echo… he was so nice.”
Cox expresses hope that there may be a crossover in the future, noting that she recently appeared at AwesomeCon with the Daredevil: Born Again star and mentioned a desire to appear in the series. “So hopefully good things will happen.”
When it comes to her interpretation of the comic book character, Cox acknowledges there are differences, but that it was a collaborative process bringing Maya to life onscreen. “In the comics, [Maya] does not have an amputated amenity, I thought it was great that they were accommodating to me and how the MCU still wanted to work with me, even though I have this identifying feature. I remember sitting in the office with [director Sydney Freeland] and we were developing Maya, and I thought it was great how it was a little bit different than the comic.”
“Maya is originally from the Cheyenne Nation, but in the show, we represent her from the Choctaw Nation. So it’s a little bit different from the comic book of course, but I’m really happy that we have that difference because we were able to show the authenticity of that Nation,” Cox says. See what else she’s sharing in the full video interview, above, and don’t miss her in Echo which is streaming now.
Echo, Streaming now, Disney+