Isabela Merced

2.1. Childhood and education

Isabela Merced was born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Her mother, Katherine, was born in Lima, Peru, while her father, Patrick Moner, was born in Louisiana. Merced has stated that her first language was Spanish, and she encountered difficulties with English when she first began grade school. She considers herself more Peruvian than American, reflecting her strong connection to her mother's heritage. She also has two brothers. Demonstrating her early academic aptitude, Merced was accepted into college at the age of 15.

2.2. Beginnings in acting

Merced's acting journey began under unusual circumstances after her family's Cleveland home was destroyed by a fire. As a fan of Judy Garland, her parents encouraged her to audition for a local production of The Wizard of Oz as a distraction from their loss. She successfully auditioned and was cast as a Munchkin. Her talent was further nurtured at the Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory, led by Broadway producer Fred Sternfeld. Sternfeld recognized Merced's potential and advised her mother to take her to New York City to audition. Initially hesitant, her mother agreed, and the family moved to New York City for a month to support Merced's aspirations on Broadway. It was during this period that she secured her first professional acting job, a Claritin commercial, on what was intended to be her last day in the city. Merced's early inspirations included films featuring Shirley Temple and Judy Garland, and she began performing in local community theater at the age of six. She made her Broadway debut at age ten in a production of Evita, where she performed a song in Spanish alongside Ricky Martin.

3.1. Early career and Nickelodeon work

Merced's career began actively in 2013. Her first starring role was as CJ Martin, the lead character in the Nickelodeon television series 100 Things to Do Before High School, which ran from 2014 to 2016. For this series, she also performed the theme song, "Brand New Day". In the same period, she lent her voice to Kate, one of the main characters in the Dora the Explorer spinoff, Dora and Friends: Into the City!, a role she maintained from 2014 to 2017. In 2015, she appeared as Lori Collins in the Nickelodeon Original Movie Splitting Adam. The following year, she was cast as Sadie, a leading role, in the 2016 Nickelodeon Original Movie Legends of the Hidden Temple. Her musical pursuits also began early in her career, with her debut album, Stopping Time, produced by Broadway Records, released on September 18, 2015.

3.2. Name change and breakthrough roles

In May 2016, Merced was cast in the action film Transformers: The Last Knight, which premiered in June 2017. The same year, she voiced Heather in the animated film The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature, released theatrically on August 11, 2017. In 2018, Merced took on a significant role as Isabel Reyes, the daughter of a drug cartel head, in Sicario: Day of the Soldado. Her performance was highly acclaimed by critics, with Anthony Lane of The New Yorker praising her as "terrific" and noting how her character's evolving fortunes could be seen in her eyes, which transitioned from "blazing" to "dark and blank" due to the violence she witnessed. Later that year, she played Lizzy, the adopted daughter of characters portrayed by Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne, in the comedy film Instant Family. For this film, Merced also contributed by writing and singing the song "I'll Stay".

In 2019, Merced starred as the title character in Dora and the Lost City of Gold, a live-action film adaptation of the popular animated series. She was also cast in the Christmas romantic comedy ensemble film Let It Snow. The same year, she was cast alongside Jason Momoa in the Netflix film Sweet Girl.

A significant personal and professional decision occurred on October 14, 2019, when Merced announced her decision to change her professional name to Isabela Merced. She clarified that this was a stage name, not a legal change, chosen in honor of her late maternal grandmother, Yolanda Merced Salazar Pittman, whom she had never met.

3.3. Music career

Following her name change, Isabela Merced intensified her focus on her music career. Her first single under her new professional name, "Papi," was released on October 25, 2019, with its accompanying music video debuting on November 6, 2019. On May 22, 2020, Merced released her debut EP, The Better Half of Me, through Republic Records. Her burgeoning musical talent was recognized in July 2020 when she was named one of Billboard's top 15 new Peruvian artists to watch.

3.4. Recent and upcoming projects

Merced has continued to build a diverse filmography with recent and upcoming projects. In 2021, she starred as Rachel Cooper in Sweet Girl and voiced Lucky Prescott in the animated film Spirit Untamed. In 2022, she took on roles as Cora Herrera in Father of the Bride and Juliet in Rosaline. She also voiced Kim in the 2023 animated film Migration.

Looking ahead, 2024 saw her in multiple projects, including Madame Web as Anya Corazon, Turtles All the Way Down (a film adaptation of the John Green novel), and Fede Álvarez's horror film Alien: Romulus, where she played Kay. Her involvement in major franchises continues into 2025, as she was cast in July 2023 as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl in the DC Universe (DCU) film Superman. Additionally, in January 2024, Merced was cast as Dina in the second season of The Last of Us, an HBO series.

5.1. Film

5.2. Television

5.3. Video games

6.1. Albums

• Stopping Time (September 18, 2015) (Broadway Records)
• The Better Half of Me (EP) (May 22, 2020) (Republic Records)

6.2. Singles

• "I'll Stay" (November 16, 2018) (Paramount Pictures)
• "Papi" (October 25, 2019) (Republic Records)