Isabela Merced

Career Merced has said that she wanted to be an actress from a young age, inspired by movies featuring Shirley Temple and Judy Garland and starting in local community theatre at age six. Merced booked her first job, a Claritin commercial, on what was supposed to be her last day in New York City during the summer she spent auditioning there. in which she sang in Spanish with Ricky Martin. from 2014 to 2016. That same year, she began providing the voice of Kate, one of the main characters in the Dora the Explorer spin-off, Dora and Friends: Into the City!, a role she performed from 2014 to 2017. In 2015, she appeared as Lori Collins in the Nickelodeon Original Movie Splitting Adam, and was cast as Sadie, one of the leading roles, in the 2016 Nickelodeon Original Movie Legends of the Hidden Temple. Merced's debut album Stopping Time (2015) was produced by Broadway Records.

In May 2016, Merced was cast in the film Transformers: The Last Knight, which was released in June 2017. She voiced Heather in the animated film The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature, which was theatrically released on August 11, 2017.

In 2018, Merced had a major role in Sicario: Day of the Soldado, playing the daughter of a drug cartel head, in a performance acclaimed by critics. The New Yorkers Anthony Lane wrote "[Merced] is terrific, and her character's fortunes can be read in her eyes—blazing to begin with, as she scraps with another girl in a schoolyard, but dark and blank by the end, their youthful fire doused by the violence that she has seen."

In the same year, she played the adopted daughter of the characters played by Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne in the comedy film Instant Family, for which she also wrote and sang 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 animated series, and was cast in the Christmas romantic comedy ensemble film Let It Snow. The same year, she was cast opposite Jason Momoa in the film Sweet Girl for Netflix.

On October 14, 2019, she announced that she had decided to use the stage name Isabela Merced in memory of her deceased grandmother. Her first single, "Papi", was released in 2019, followed by her first music video released on November 6, 2019. Merced released her debut EP The Better Half of Me in 2020 through Republic Records and was named one of Billboard'''s top 15 new Peruvian artists to listen to in July 2020.

In 2024, she starred in Turtles All the Way Down, a film adaptation of the 2017 novel by John Green, and Fede Álvarez's Alien: Romulus. In April 2025, Merced appeared as Dina in season 2 of The Last of Us. In July 2025, Merced appeared as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl in the DC Universe (DCU) film Superman (2025).

In August 2025, TVLine named Merced the year's Drama Star to Watch, as part of Women to Watch. Additionally, Variety recognized her in their annual Power of Young Hollywood Impact Report; those recognized "rep the future of the entertainment business".

In February 2026, it was announced that Merced would be starring and executive producing in Sega's The House of the Dead'' live-action film adaptation, with Paul W. S. Anderson directing.

Personal life Merced describes herself as having been "queer my whole life", and has been in "queer relationships". She says she aims to "do her part" for the queer community in American pop culture. She attributes her Catholic upbringing to her having been "closeted out of being complicit and somebody who has accepted, maybe suppressing their queerness for their environment, basically, and to adapt."

She has polycystic ovary syndrome and has attended therapy and openly discussed her struggles with anxiety.

Filmography +Key Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Film Year Title Role Notes 2013 The House That Jack Built Young Nadia 2016 Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life Jeanne Galleta 2017 Transformers: The Last Knight Izabella Yeager The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature Heather (voice) 2018 Sicario: Day of the Soldado Isabel Reyes Instant Family Lizzy 2019 Dora and the Lost City of Gold Dora Márquez Final credit as Isabela Moner 2027 Post-production TBA Camila Post-production; also executive producer Released: September 18, 2015 Label: Broadway Records Formats: CD, Digital download, streaming

Extended plays Title Details The Better Half of Me Released: May 22, 2020 Label: Republic Records Formats: CD, Digital download, streaming

Singles

Featured artist Year TitleArtist 2018 "My Only One (No Hay Nadie Más)" Sebastián Yatra "Lista de Espera" Matt Hunter

Promotional singles

Awards and nominations