Jessica Matten

Early life, family, and education Matten was born in Edmonton, Alberta. She has British-Chinese ancestry through her father, as well as Red River Métis an activist, performer and former model. Matten is a descendant of Cuthbert Grant, the first rebel Métis leader who was known for the Battle of Seven Oaks in Canada. She worked "a little stint at Elle magazine

Beginning in 2022, Matten co-starred in the TV crime drama series Dark Winds as Bernadette Manuelito, the only female sergeant on a Navajo reservation police department. She also starred in the film Rez Ball (2024), which is about a Native American high school basketball team from Chuska Valley, New Mexico, that is competing for the state championship title but loses their star player.

Matten voices Katara in the upcoming Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender movie set to come out on the 9th of October 2026, and posted an Instagram story of the recording studio. Although Mae Whitman voiced Katara in the original Avatar: The Last Airbender, she announced that despite having been honoured to play her, she's excited to see this new iteration. According to the casting director for the new Avatar movie, Jenny Jue, the decision to recast the principal characters of the show was due to an increased emphasis on matching voice actor's ethnic and racial backgrounds to that of the character that they are portraying that arose in the industry after the conclusion of the original series.

Matten is also the president of 7 Forward Entertainment, an indigenous-owned production company based on the west coast of Canada. Partnered with Old Sun Community College, it also offers training for stunt combat.

Personal life Matten resides in her hometown, Edmonton. She runs an indigenous wellness and fitness company with her family called Lemon Cree. She also runs a campaign called #N8Vgirls to help spread awareness about the murdered and missing indigenous women in Canada.

Partial filmography + Acting performances Year Title Role Notes 2012 A Red Girl's Reasoning Delia Short film 2014–2015 Blackstone Gina 12 episodes 2016–2018 Frontier Sokanon 18 episodes 2018–2019 Burden of Truth Gerrilyn Spence 14 episodes 2020 The Empty Man Fiona 2020–2021 Tribal Sam Woodburn 18 episodes 2022–present Dark Winds Bernadette Manuelito Main role 2024 Rez Ball Heather Hobbs 2026 Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender Katara