Who Plays Tiger Lily In Peter Pan And Wendy?

The Disney+ feature, "Peter Pan and Wendy," stars Jude Law as the infamous Captain Hook persona alongside a talented cast of several promising up-and-comers, such as the actress portraying the character Tiger Lily.

While most fans are split over Jude Law's take on Captain Hook in the updated live-action adaptation of the 1953 animated feature, there are several other players from the cherished children's tale for viewers to look out for. Among the many notable personalities set to show up is the warrior princess of Neverland's indigenous tribe, Tiger Lily. The actress tasked with bringing the character to life in the 106-minute take on the source material is Alyssa Wapanatâhk. If people have trouble recognizing her, don't be alarmed because Wapanatâhk is just getting started when it comes to the acting game.

After starting out in an assortment of short films, she has had significant roles in films like "Rehab" and "Bones of Crows." In addition, the actress also appeared in an episode of "Riverdale” titled "Chapter One Hundred Twenty: Sex Education" as a character named Lizzo. With a solid start, Wapanatâhk has now made the jump to playing personas like Tiger Lily in a full-length Disney motion picture.

Although her time in the industry has been brief, the actress is arguably off to a stellar start securing a role like Tiger Lily in "Peter Pan and Wendy," especially considering the fact that Wapanatâhk's run with acting was never actually part of the plan.

Those that assume Alyssa Wapanatâhk was always vying to star in Disney flicks or had aspirations from a young age for the silver screen would find themselves wrong on both accounts. According to the actress, she was never a fan of performing in front of others and never really showed an interest in that particular art form. "No it's so funny because anybody who's known me growing up I've never been into drama at all. I would be so scared to be in front of anybody doing any performing," the actress revealed in an interview with PowWows.com. "I was not a drama person growing up, but then suddenly one day my mom had a friend who was in the film industry and she just asked us to go out for an audition."

It turns out Wapanatâhk fell into the world of acting by chance, and while she did get somewhat of a late start on things, she has certainly made up for lost time quickly. This is especially true since making it on the roster for "Peter Pan and Wendy," which was a role she apparently knew she was going to get when she first learned it was up for grabs. "When this came across on my computer I had this really weird feeling like I had to tell it to everybody because it felt like it was gonna happen from the moment I did it," the actress said on APTN News. "And I was like, I don't know what that feeling is but it feels cool." Her instincts ended up being accurate, and not only did she land the part, but she also provided crucial inspiration for the character of Tiger Lily.

The filmmakers responsible for "Peter Pan and Wendy" made sure that any depictions of indigenous culture utilized in the film would be as authentic as possible. This even came down to carefully crafting the updated take's version of the Tiger Lily. Alyssa Wapanatâhk has confirmed that her Cree heritage not only helped lay the groundwork for the character but also served as a vital bit of inspiration to achieve the best depiction of the persona that has ever been attempted. "The filmmakers were looking for somebody who was obviously authentic (and) who actually comes from Native lineage — somebody who's actually Indigenous," the actress said in an interview with Native News Now. "They wanted to correct things to make things right. When I saw that, that was like a really big point for me, I realized I wanted to be part of this. I want to help out and be that person to help correct this thing that's going on in the world."

The actress also talked about how excited she was when she discovered director David Lowery's interest in Cree history and culture in regards to making them part of the film's narrative, saying, "Once I saw them bringing Cree culture into the film, I thought this is really everything for me. And it's gonna be everything for people to see this." It seems safe to assume that not only has the actress made her presence known as the warrior princess in "Peter Pan and Wendy," but she has also made a significant impact as well playing Tiger Lily, and it will most certainly be intriguing for fans to see what other wonders Wapanatâhk will accomplish.