“I think I’m capable and I want to prove it”: Both ‘Alien: Romulus’ and ‘Madame Web’ Have Failed to Give Isabela Merced The One Thing She Wants Most From Hollywood

The stars of the past, from Matt Damon to Leonardo DiCaprio rose to fame with their dedicated skill and passion, thereby setting a higher standard for the young actors of today to live up to in Hollywood. The up-and-coming actress Isabela Merced is trying to surpass that standard and make a name for herself in the industry.

She started with a lead role in a Nickelodeon series and eventually entered Hollywood. Merced has largely been seen in roles that demand an angsty teen who dislikes fun and all things bright. However, the actress is slowly branching out and taking up diverse roles to showcase her true potential.

Isabela Merced wants to move past Best Friend Roles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While sidekicks and best friends are certainly important aspects in any story, the actors who are often typecast in that role have a tough time breaking that image to get better projects. Isabela Merced recently shed light on this facet of the industry as she wishes to take up more central roles and lead entire franchises.

Up until now, she has been seen in secondary roles for the most part with more teen movies positioning her as the protagonist. At the red carpet event for the premiere of Alien: Romulus, Merced spoke about her desire to capitalize on more roles that can lead franchises and big studio flicks. She told The Hollywood Reporter,

I think as a woman of color it’s very easy for me to probably get put into the best friend category and honestly a lot of the scripts that I’ve been reading lately are for the best friend. I think a challenge for me that I would be really excited to take would be obviously a very a new character that I’ve never played before but also somebody who leads a franchise or movie or something I think I’m capable and I want to prove it to people.

Merced aspires to break out of her best friend image and get roles that spark intrigue and explore her range as an actor. Another aspect that she focused on was her being a person of color and how they are usually clubbed in certain best friend roles. In terms of future roles too, Merced revealed that a lot of roles she’s currently fielding are in the same genre. Moving forward, she wishes to break out of that mold.

Madame Web and Alien: Romulus failed to get Isabela Merced the recognition she craves

The most recent movies Merced has been in include Madame Web and Alien: Romulus both of which failed to make Merced shine bright. Given the performance and expected performance of these recent flicks, Merced might not be able to achieve her aspirations in the near future. Both of these films are part of a larger franchise and portray Merced in a secondary role. The production houses need to see the star power of an actor to get them to lead entire franchises.

Merced perhaps has a long way to go before any studio pursues her to be a lead of a movie that has franchise potential. The actress was also seen in Instant Family and Transformers: The Last Knight. At the same time, her recent flick Turtles All The Way Down sort of changed the masses’ perspective of her as she’s beginning to take lead roles in independent movies at least.

Alien: Romulus will be playing in theatres in the US on August 16, 2024.