Daniela Melchior
Melchior at the Web Summit, Lisbon in 2021
Born
Daniela Melchior dos Reis Lopes Pereira

(1996-11-01) 1 November 1996 (age 27)
Almada, Setúbal, Portugal
OccupationActress
Years active2014–present
Notable workThe Suicide Squad and Fast X

Daniela Melchior (European Portuguese: [dɐniˈɛlɐ mɛlʃiˈɔɾ]; born 1 November 1996) is a Portuguese actress. Born in Almada, Lisbon, she launched her career in 2014 with a role in telenovela Mulheres [pt]. She went on to appear in the teen drama Massa Fresca [pt] (2016) and telenovelas Ouro Verde (2017) and A Herdeira (2018). Melchior made her film debut in 2018 with The Black Book. She provided the Portuguese dubbing for Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and was cast in the comedy drama Parque Mayer in the same year. Her performance in the latter earned her a nomination for the Sophia Award Best Actress.

She made her international breakthrough as Cleo Cazo in the DC film The Suicide Squad (2021), which earned her a nominated for Best Newcomer at the Portuguese Golden Globes. Subsequently, she took on minor roles in English-language films, including Marlowe (2022), Assassin Club (2023), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) and Fast X (2023).

Early life

Daniela Melchior dos Reis Lopes Pereira was born on 1 November 1996 in Almada, Lisboa.[1][2] She studied theater in her adolescence.[2]

Career

2014–2020: Portuguese film and television

Melchior started her career in 2014 with several Portuguese film and television productions, including Ouro Verde, A Herdeira, The Black Book, and Parque Mayer.[3] She also provided the Portuguese voice for Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman in Sony Pictures Animation's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, who is voiced by Hailee Steinfeld in the original English version.[4]

2021–present: Hollywood work

In 2019, James Gunn was on the search for an actress to portray Cleo Cazo for The Suicide Squad, leading Melchior to travel from Lisbon to Atlanta for the audition. Initially, her manager encouraged her to adopt a glamorous appearance for the initial pre-audition meeting, which didn't sit well with the producers. However, during the subsequent audition, Melchior transformed herself into what she describes as a "weirdo, creepy" character, and this change resonated with James Gunn, leading to her eventual hiring for the role.[5] In 2021, The Suicide Squad was released, featuring Melchior in the role of the unique Batman villain Ratcatcher, known as Cleo Cazo, making her the first actress from Portugal to play a character in a DC film.[6][7] Director James Gunn described her as being "the heart of the film", and she has the second-longest screen time.[8]

In 2022, she appeared in Marlowe directed by Neil Jordan.[9] By March 2022, she joined the cast of the tenth Fast & Furious film titled Fast X, Vin Diesel, and The Suicide Squad co-stars John Cena and Michael Rooker, as well as Scott Eastwood, who appeared in Suicide Squad, the predecessor to her DC comics film.[10] In June 2022, she announced that she would collaborate for the second time with James Gunn in his MCU film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. She was the first Portuguese actress to appear in an MCU film.[11] In August 2022, she was cast in Road House, a remake of the 1989 film starring Patrick Swayze.[12]

Filmography

Film

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes
2018 The Black Book[3] La Fille
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman Portuguese dub[4]
Parque Mayer[3] Deolinda
2021 The Suicide Squad[13] Cleo Cazo / Ratcatcher 2[14]
2022 Marlowe Lynn Peterson
2023 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Ura[15]
Assassin Club Sophie[16]
Fast X Isabel Neves
2024 Road House † Ellie Post-production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2014–15 Mulheres[17] Viviana Gomes 316 episodes
2016 Massa Fresca[17] Carminho Santiago 68 episodes
2017 Ouro Verde[17] Cláudia Andrade 221 episodes
2018 A Herdeira[17] Ariana Franco 190 episodes
2018–19 Valor da Vida[17] Isabel Vasconcellos 203 episodes
2019 O Livro Negro do Padre Dinis[17] La Fille 6 episodes
2021 Pecado Maria Manuel 6 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2019 Sophia Awards Best Actress Parque Mayer Nominated
CinEuphoria Awards Best Actress - National Competition Nominated
Best Ensemble - National Competition Nominated
Prémios Fantastic Best Leading Actress (Melhor Actriz Protagonista) Won
2021 Golden Globes (Portugal) Best Newcomer The Suicide Squad Nominated

References

  1. ^ Medina, Vic (September 27, 2022). "See Daniela Melchior Flash Some Leg In A Strappy Dress". GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  2. ^ a b ago, Lara Duarte • 2 anos (November 1, 2021). "#Perfil | Daniela Melchior: internacionalização à vista". ComUM (in European Portuguese). Retrieved October 25, 2023.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b c Ridlehoover, John (April 30, 2019). "'The Suicide Squad' Taps Portuguese Star for Ratcatcher Role". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  4. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 18, 2020). "CAA Signs Daniela Melchior, Star Of Upcoming Warner Bros/DC Sequel 'The Suicide Squad'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  5. ^ Couch, Aaron (August 5, 2021). "Next Big Thing: 'The Suicide Squad' Star Daniela Melchior Goes From Regional Fame to Global Reach". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  6. ^ Kroll, Justin (April 30, 2019). "Newcomer Daniela Melchior Eyed for Ratcatcher Role in 'Suicide Squad' Sequel (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  7. ^ White, James (April 30, 2019). "'The Suicide Squad': Daniela Melchior Eyed As Ratcatcher". Empire. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  8. ^ "The Suicide Squad (2021)". IMDb.
  9. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (November 15, 2021). "'Marlowe': 'Suicide Squad' Breakout Daniela Melchior & 'The Borgias' Star Francois Arnaud Join Liam Neeson Thriller". Deadline. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  10. ^ Gonzalez, Umberto (March 21, 2022). "The Suicide Squad Breakout Daniela Melchior in Talks to Join Fast and Furious 10 (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  11. ^ "'Suicide Squad' Breakout Daniela Melchior Will Appear in 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'". June 2022.
  12. ^ Kroll, Justin (August 2, 2022). "Jake Gyllenhaal's Road House Movie A Go At Prime Video As Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen Among Those Joining Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  13. ^ Mancuso, Vinnie (April 30, 2019). "James Gunn's 'The Suicide Squad' Casts Newcomer in Ratcatcher Role". Collider. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  14. ^ Shaw-Williams, Hannah (April 30, 2019). "James Gunn's 'Suicide Squad' Casts Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  15. ^ "Daniela Melchior entre as estrelas de "Guardiões da Galáxia: Volume 3"". Jornal de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  16. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (September 22, 2021). "'Assassin Club': Henry Golding, Noomi Rapace, Sam Neill & 'Suicide Squad' Breakout Daniela Melchior Are Starring In Action Spy Movie Shooting In Italy". Deadline. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  17. ^ a b c d e f Dela Paz, Maggie (May 1, 2019). "'Suicide Squad' Adds Newcomer Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved September 29, 2019.

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