Alaqua Cox

Alaqua Cox (born February 14, 1997) is a Native American actress. She landed her breakthrough role as Maya Lopez / Echo within the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the Disney+ series Hawkeye (2021) and as the protagonist in the upcoming spin-off series Echo (2024).[2][3]

Alaqua Cox
Cox at the D23 Expo in 2022
Born (1997-02-14) February 14, 1997
Menominee Indian Reservation, Wisconsin, U.S.[1]
EducationWisconsin School for the Deaf
OccupationActress
Years active2021–present

Early life

Cox was born Deaf[4] to Elena and Bill Cox. She was born and raised in the Menominee Indian Reservation in Keshena, Wisconsin, and is of the Menominee and Mohican nation.[1] She has three siblings: Will, Jordan, and Katie. She attended the Wisconsin School for the Deaf, where she played on the girls' basketball team from 2014 to 2015 and on the volleyball team.[5][6]

Cox is an amputee with a prosthetic leg.[7] She has not publicly revealed what led to her need for a prosthetic.[8]

Career

She was cast in Hawkeye as Echo, her debut acting role, on December 3, 2020.[9] Deaf activist Nyle DiMarco and many others applauded the casting.[10] In June 2021, Echo co-creator David W. Mack reacted to the news of the Echo television series by expressing gratitude to Cox for being a representative for deaf and Indigenous youth: "I taught at the School for the Deaf in Africa, Asia, [and] Europe, in my work for the U.S. State Department, [and] the students love Echo [and] will be happy about this."[11]

Cox was on the red carpet for Marvel's Hawkeye premiere. "It's just so crazy that I'm getting my own show after Hawkeye. That was like my first acting role, ever," Cox told a reporter from Variety. "I don't know why they're giving me this opportunity, but I'm just grateful. I'm excited for the support and being able to advocate for the Deaf community. We want to have that equality and get more people involved. I'm just so grateful for all of the opportunities I've been given."[12] Cox told Disney's D23 magazine that Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld both worked to learn some American Sign Language so that they could communicate more easily with her. "I thought it was sweet of them putting in efforts to learn basic ASL to communicate with me. It means a lot to me as a Deaf person."[4]

Personal life

On Mother's Day 2023, Cox announced that she is expecting a baby boy with her partner.[13]

Filmography

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2021 Hawkeye Maya Lopez / Echo Recurring role
2024 Echo Post-production (Main role)

References
  1. "Alaqua Cox (@alaquacox) • Instagram photos and videos". Instagram. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  2. Otterson, Joe (December 3, 2020). "'Hawkeye' Series at Disney Plus Adds Six to Cast, Including Vera Farmiga and Tony Dalton (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  3. Moreau, Jordan (March 22, 2021). "'Hawkeye' Spinoff Series About Echo in Early Development for Disney Plus (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  4. Milheim, Russ (December 2, 2021). "Hawkeye: How Hailee Steinfeld Helped Deaf Marvel Co-Star Feel Comfortable on Set". The Direct. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  5. "Alaqua Cox - NDIAA". Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  6. "Meet Marvel's New Star, Alaqua Cox: All Set To Play In Hawkeye". CelebSuburb. December 17, 2020. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  7. "Echo Star Alaqua Cox Shares Training Video Ahead of Filming Start". Marvel. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  8. "Does Hawkeye Actor Alaqua Cox Have a Prosthetic Leg in Real Life?". HITC. December 2, 2021. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  9. "Mavrick Fisher retrial decision; Deaf actress Alaqua Cox to get role in Disney Plus". The Daily Moth. December 3, 2020. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  10. Schilling, Vincent (December 4, 2020). "Native actress cast as Echo in Disney+ series". Indian Country Today. Archived from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  11. DrDavidMrMack. "Looks like a character i created at #MARVEL is getting her own tv show. #ECHO, who is deaf & indigenous is being played by an actor who is…". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  12. "Hawkeye and Echo Star Alaqua Cox Speaks Out on Getting Her Own Show on Disney+". Marvel. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  13. "Marvel's Echo Star Alaqua Cox Surprises Fans With Pregnancy Reveal". ComicBook.com. May 14, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
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