Isabela Merced

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Actor in

Superman (2025) – Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl
Alien: Romulus (2024) - Kay
Turtles All the Way Down (2024) – Aza Holmes
Madame Web (2024) – Anya Corazón / Araña
Spirit Untamed (2021) – Lucky (Voice)
Sweet Girl (2021) – Rachel Cooper
Let It Snow (2019) - Julie
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) – Dora
Instant Family (2018) – Lizzy
Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018) – Isabel Reyes
The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature (2017) – Heather (voice)
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) - Izabella
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life (2016) – Jeanne Galletta
The House That Jack Built (2013) – Young Nadia

Biography

Isabela Yolanda Moner, known professionally as Isabela Merced since 2019, is an American actress, singer, songwriter, voice actress, dancer, and ukulele player of Peruvian descent. He was born on July 10, 2001 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Katherine Moner, a native of Lima, Peru, and Patrick Moner, who was born in Louisiana of Polish and Slovak descent. Isabela is the middle child of three children, with an older brother named Jared and a younger brother named Gyovanni.

Background and early life

Isabela grew up in a bilingual environment, with Spanish as her first language. He admitted that he had difficulty learning English when he started elementary school and considered himself more Peruvian than American. His Peruvian cultural identity greatly influenced his life and career. Her family was devastated when their home in Cleveland was destroyed by fire, which prompted Isabela to start acting as a way of coping with the trauma. She was inspired by legendary actresses such as Shirley Temple and Judy Garland, and began performing at the local community theater from the age of six.

Early career in theatre and Broadway

Isabela's acting career began after she was cast as a Munchkin in a local production The Wizard of Oz. Bakatnya ditemukan oleh Fred Sternfeld dari Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory, yang mendorong ibunya untuk membawa Isabela ke New York untuk mengikuti audisi. After initial hesitation, his family moved to New York for a month to support his dream. On the last day of auditions, Isabela landed a role in a Claritin commercial, which became the first step in funding her career. At the age of 10, she debuted on Broadway in a musical production Evita (2012), performed with Ricky Martin and received a Tony Award nomination. He also appeared in various other theatrical productions, such as Zorro (as young Lisa), Little Miss Sunshine (as Rosa Maria), A Christmas Carol (sebagai Sarah Cratchit), Annie (as Annie), and Les Misérables (sebagai Young Cosette).

Career in television and Film

Isabela landed her first leading role as CJ Martin in a Nickelodeon series 100 Things to Do Before High School (2014–2016). In the same year, she voiced Kate in the animated series Dora and Friends: Into the City! (2014-2017), a spin-off from Dora the Explorer. Her film Debut took place in 2013 in The House That Jack Built, followed by roles in such films as Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) sebagai Izabella, yang membuatnya mendapatkan nominasi Teen Choice Award untuk Choice Summer Movie Actress. She also played Lizzy in the comedy Instant Family (2018), Isabel Reyes in Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018), and leads as Dora in the live-action adaptation Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019).

In 2024, Isabela starred in two major films: Turtles All the Way Down, an adaptation of John Green's novel, and Alien: Romulus, a sequel in the franchise Alien. She also got an important role as Anya Corazón (Araña) in Madame Web (2024). Pada Juli 2023, ia diumumkan sebagai Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl dalam film DC Universe Superman (2025), and in January 2024, she was chosen to play Dina in the second season of the HBO series The Last of Us.

Music Career
In addition to acting, Isabela is a talented singer. He released his debut album, Stopping Time, pada September 2015 melalui Broadway Records. In 2019, he released a single titled “Papi” and in 2020 released an EP titled The Better Half of Me melalui Republic Records. He also wrote and sang “I'll Stay” for the soundtrack Instant Family. In July 2020, she was named one of the 15 best new Peruvian artists by Billboard.

Personal Life

Isabela changed her stage name from Moner to Merced in October 2019 in honor of her deceased grandmother, although she insists that her legal name remains Moner. He was educated through the Ohio Virtual Academy and was admitted to college at the age of 15. Isabela openly claims to have been” queer all her life " and to have been in a queer relationship, inspired by Emily Estefan to live up to her truth. She has also been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), has attended therapy to cope with anxiety, and has publicly supported her mother who is battling breast cancer (which is now in remission as of 2020).

Isabela is an animal lover and has a pet dog. He is also active on social media, with a YouTube channel that has over 100,000 subscribers. Hobi lainnya termasuk ski, snowboarding, skating, dan melompat di trampolin. He is fluent in Spanish and considers himself a big fan of Nickelodeon.

Awards and recognition

Isabela has won several awards, including the Imagen Award for Best Actress – Feature Film in 2019 and 2020, as well as The Young Entertainer Award for Best Young Actress in 2019. It was also nominated for The Hollywood Music in Media Awards in 2021 for Best Original Song – animated Film.