Isabela Merced

Some Lesser-Known Facts About Isabela Merced

• Isabel Merced was born in Ohio. Her mother is Peruvian, and her father is of American ancestry. So she considered herself half Peruvian and half from Ohio.

• She is the middle child of her parents.

  

• At the age of 6, Isabela started performing in local community theatres.

• Isabela is bilingual in Spanish and English. In an interview, she revealed that Spanish was her first language, and she struggled with English when she first started grade school.

• In an interview, Merced mentioned that she began her professional acting career after a fire destroyed her family’s Cleveland home.

• She was a fan of Judy Garland (American actress and singer), so her parents, trying to distract her from the loss by showing her Judy’s films and encouraged Merced to audition for a local production of The Wizard of Oz. She agreed and was cast as a Munchkin.

• She attended the Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory in Ohio, which was led by a renowned Broadway producer, Fred Sternfeld. He tried to convince Merced’s mother to take her to New York for auditions. Later, her mother agreed, and her family moved to New York City for a month to help Merced pursue a career in Broadway theatre.

• She made her Broadway debut at age 10, in which she sang in Spanish song with Ricky Martin.

• During her time in New York City, she also bagged a commercial for a medicine.

• Isabela was homeschooled through Ohio Virtual Academy and was accepted into college at the age of 15.

• In 2013, Isabela made her big-screen debut with the film The House That Jack Built (2013). However, her role was very short.

• In 2014, Isabela bagged her debut lead role as CJ Martin in the television series 100 Things to Do Before High School. In the same year, she provided the voice for Kate, one of the main characters in the American children’s animated television series Dora the Explorer (2014).

• In 2015, she released her debut music album, Stopping Time, which was produced by Broadway Records.

• In 2018, Merced appeared in a major role in the American action, crime, and thriller film Sicario: Day of the Soldado. Her performance was praised by the critics. The New Yorker magazine’s journalist Anthony Lane wrote,

Moner 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.”

• Some of the major films in which Merced appeared are Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018), Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019), and Sweet Girl (2021).

• In her film Instant Family (2028), she also wrote and sang a song titled “I’ll Stay”.

• On October 14, 2019, Isabela announced that she had decided to change her name to Isabela Merced (her stage name) in memory of her late grandmother.

• In 2019, she released her first single titled “Papi”. In the same year, she appeared in her debut music video.

• In 2020, Merced released her debut EP titled The Better Half of Me through Republic Records (an American record label owned by Universal Music Group).

• In July 2020, Isabela Merced was named as one of Billboard’s top 15 new Peruvian artists to listen to.

• In an interview, Merced described herself as queer. She has also been in queer relationships.

• Isabela Merced is suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome and has attended many therapies. She also openly discusses her struggles with anxiety.

• In an interview, Isabela mentioned that her mother has battled breast cancer. Since 2020, she has been in remission.

• Isabela is an animal lover, and she has three dogs. One of her dogs, named Pluto, is a three-legged dog whom she has adopted from fostering.

  

• She loves to play the ukulele and has a great passion for dancing.

• Isabela enjoys travelling and spending time with her family and friends.

• She enjoys adventurous activities like skiing, snowboarding, and skating.

  

• Merced is a fitness freak and follows a strict workout regimen to stay fit and active.

• She enjoys alcoholic drinks occasionally.

  

• Isabela has been a member of UNICEF Peru since 2020.