Isabela Merced is a multi-talented performer who has become one of the most
in-demand actors around, and she's been tearing it up on
the music scene as well. It seems like there's basically nothing she can't do.
For her next big role, Merced stars alongside Jason Momoa in the drama-thriller "Sweet Girl,"
about a man who seeks justice after his wife is denied a potentially
life-saving treatment. He's joined on his quest for revenge by his daughter Rachel.
"Sweet Girl" gives Merced a chance to show off some new skills,
including jumping into the fight as she refuses to let her dad face their new foes alone.
Here's a look at Merced's journey from a child star to a marquee talent.
Merced knew she wanted to become an entertainer very early on, especially after taking a role in
a local production of "The Wizard of Oz'' growing up in Cleveland, Ohio. The actress told Latina,
"I knew that I wanted to be an actor when I first stepped out onto stage. [...] I saw all
the people's faces and they were all so happy and I was like, 'I know this is what I want to do.'"
Inspired by former childhood stars Judy Garland and Shirley Temple,
Merced had an auspicious start, nabbing a role in the Broadway production of "Evita"
when she was just 10 years old. Soon after, she made her movie debut in the 2013 family drama
"The House That Jack Built," then earned a recurring role in the NBC comedy series
"Growing Up Fisher." From there, the hits kept coming, as she voiced the
character Kate in the animated series "Dora and Friends: Into the City!" before landing
a lead role as CJ Martin in the Nickelodeon series "100 Things to Do Before High School."
"Ronbie, please don't ruin 'High School High Musical' and my last night of summer."
"Yeah, don't ruin it for her!"
She also released her first album, "Stopping Time," when she was just 14.
She got accepted to college soon after, at age 15.
Merced wrote on Instagram that she "cherished" the opportunity
to get her degree while chasing her dream of acting and added,
"I really hope all of you realize how important it is to be smart rather than a movie star."
Merced's commitment to education is undoubtedly one of the reasons
she's made so many savvy career choices already.
Merced began breaking into blockbusters, earning roles as the street smart survivor
Izabella in the 2017 film "Transformers: The Last Knight" and as Isabel Reyes,
the kidnapped daughter of a criminal kingpin, in the 2018 thriller "Sicario: Day of the Soldado."
She went on to star as Lizzy,
one of three siblings struggling to adapt to their new foster parents,
in the 2018 family dramedy "Instant Family." And then she really took the lead, starring as
Dora the Explorer in the 2019 live-action movie "Dora and the Lost City of Gold."
"What happened to the rainforest?"
"It's being destroyed."
"Oh no! Which one? Daintree? Yasuni? El Yunque? Hoh? Tongass? Kakum?"
For Merced, the opportunity to portray the character was exciting, not just because the
character was "multidimensional" and filled with knowledge about the jungle, but also
because Merced regarded her as, quote, "kind of a superhero." Plus, the film gave her an opportunity
to showcase some of the beauty of her maternal family's homeland in Peru. She even relied on
her relatives who live in the country to help her perfect her Quechua pronunciations for the film.
After starring in the "Dora" movie, Merced continued to rack up impressive credits,
starring in the 2019 romantic comedy "Let It Snow" and voicing the character of Lucky
Prescott in the 2021 family adventure "Spirit Untamed." She also continued
to impress with her musical work, debuting her celebrated EP "The Better Half of Me" in 2020.
Since her mother is Peruvian, Merced grew up in a bilingual household.
Her ability to speak both languages has served her well in creating hit songs
like her 2019 bop "Papi," and she really embraced her identity as a Latina star.
And now that Merced has achieved so much in her acting and music careers,
she wants to help pave the way for more actors of Latin descent to succeed. She told Time,
"Now I have the freedom to be able to choose my projects. Not only that but I'm starting to
produce my own projects with amazing people who also believe in inclusive casting. I'm hoping
one day I can be in charge of all my projects and call the shots and choose representation."
After her riveting performance as Rachel in "Sweet Girl," fans will soon get to
see Merced starring in the upcoming reimagining of "Father of the Bride,"
and she has also recently been cast as Juliet in a new adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet."
Thanks for watching. Click the links in our video to watch more from Netflix Film Club.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest exclusive videos.
Plus hit the bell so you don’t miss a single one.