Disney’s Pocahontas Star Arrested Twice in Three Days

Irene Bedard, the actress best known for portraying the titular character in Disney’s Pocahontas, has reportedly run into some recent trouble with the law. According to police reports obtained by TMZ, Bedard was arrested for two incidents in the span of three days. The reports claim that the first arrest occurred on late Friday, November 27th, after authorities were called to a possible domestic violence situation at her ex-husband’s home in Beavercreek, OH. Bedard was then arrested again several days later, on Monday, November 30th, for allegedly harassing the front desk clerk at a Beavercreek area hotel.

According to the reports, the first arrest occurred after Bedard arrived at her ex-husband’s house, while intoxicated. Once she was let into the house, she allegedly started yelling at their 17-year-old son, and allegedly kicked him as he tried to restrain her. Reportedly, Bedard’s son did not want to press charges, but Bedard was ultimately arrested for domestic violence, assault, and resisting arrest. After posting bond, she was then arrested at the hotel several days later, and reportedly charged at the officer who was trying to calm her own. That second arrest saw Bedard charged with disorderly conduct, but she was ultimately released a second time without bail.

Bedard, who is of Inuit and Cree ancestry, is best known for her role in positive onscreen representation of Native American characters. This includes voicing and providing the physical model for Pocahontas, the beloved Disney film that released in 1995. She went on to reprise her role as Pocahontas twice — first in the 1998 direct-to-video sequel Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, and most recently in the 2018 film Ralph Breaks the Internet.

“Of all the Disney female characters, Pocahontas is the strongest,” Bedard said in an interview with UltimateDisney.com. “She’s not waiting for her prince. She actually saves John Smith from death. She is independent and strong-willed. She has a sense of self, but still takes advice from her elders on what she should do. I think my favorite part is when she is told to listen with her heart and not to follow only her head.

Outside of the role of Pocahontas, her filmography includes the 1998 film Smoke Signals, Love’s Long Journey, and Wildflowers.

In recent years, Bedard has made appearances in Westworld, The Mist, and FBI: Most Wanted. She also had continued voice acting, voicing Jean DeWolff in The Spectacular Spider-Man and Shelly Longshadow in Young Justice: Invasion. She will play Ray Brentner in the CBS All Access miniseries The Stand, which is set to debut later this month.