Daniela Melchior

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Melchior dos Reis and the second or paternal family name is Lopes Pereira.

Daniela Melchior (European Portuguese: [dɐniˈɛlɐ mɛlʃiˈɔɾ]; born 1 November 1996) is a Portuguese actress. Born in Almada, Setúbal, 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.

Daniela Melchior
Melchior at the Web Summit, Lisbon in 2021
Born	Daniela Melchior dos Reis Lopes Pereira (1996-11-01) 1 November 1996 (age 28) Almada, Setúbal, Portugal
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2014–present
Notable work	The Suicide Squad and Fast X
Height	170 cm (5 ft 7 in)

She had her international breakthrough as Cleo Cazo in the DCEU film The Suicide Squad (2021), which earned her a nomination 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 November 1, 1996 in Almada, Setúbal.^[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 cast Daniela Melchior as Cleo Cazo, also known as Ratcatcher 2, for his film The Suicide Squad (2021). Melchior was encouraged to present herself in a traditionally glamorous manner for her initial pre-audition meeting, but this approach reportedly did not align with the vision of the film’s producers. For her subsequent audition, Melchior adopted a darker, more eccentric portrayal of the character, which resonated with Gunn and ultimately led to her casting.^[5] Her role as Cleo Cazo marked the first portrayal of a DC Comics character by a Portuguese actress in a DC Extended Universe film.^[6][7] Gunn described Melchior as "the heart of the film," and her character holds the second-longest screen time in the ensemble cast.^[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] In 2023, Melchior went to Paris Fashion Week as a Balmain's muse.^[13][14] In 2024, she joined the cast of Balls Up, directed by Peter Farrelly.^[15]

Filmography

Film

Key

†	Denotes films that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2018	The Black Book	La Fille	[3]
	Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse	Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman	Portuguese dub[4]
	Parque Mayer	Deolinda	[3]
2021	The Suicide Squad	Cleo Cazo / Ratcatcher 2	[16][17]
2022	Marlowe	Lynn Peterson
2023	Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3	Ura	[18]
	Assassin Club	Sophie	[19]
	Fast X	Isabel Neves
2024	Road House	Ellie
TBA	Balls Up	TBA	Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2014–15	Mulheres[20]	Viviana Gomes	316 episodes
2016	Massa Fresca[20]	Carminho Santiago	68 episodes
2017	Ouro Verde[20]	Cláudia Andrade	221 episodes
2018	A Herdeira[20]	Ariana Franco	190 episodes
2018–19	Valor da Vida[20]	Isabel Vasconcellos	203 episodes
2019	O Livro Negro do Padre Dinis[20]	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. 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. Ridlehoover, John (April 30, 2019). "'The Suicide Squad' Taps Portuguese Star for Ratcatcher Role". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
4. 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. Hits, Mega. "Daniela Melchior arrasa em desfile de moda". Mega Hits (in European Portuguese). Retrieved November 9, 2024.
14. Schartz, Emma (October 26, 2023). "Meet Daniela Melchior, Balmain's Newest Muse". Interview Magazine. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
15. "Estrela de Hollywood: Daniela Melchior grava filme com Mark Wahlberg". SELFIE (in Portuguese). Retrieved November 9, 2024.
16. Mancuso, Vinnie (April 30, 2019). "James Gunn's 'The Suicide Squad' Casts Newcomer in Ratcatcher Role". Collider. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
17. Shaw-Williams, Hannah (April 30, 2019). "James Gunn's 'Suicide Squad' Casts Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
18. "Daniela Melchior entre as estrelas de "Guardiões da Galáxia: Volume 3"". Jornal de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved July 26, 2023.
19. 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.
20. Dela Paz, Maggie (May 1, 2019). "'Suicide Squad' Adds Newcomer Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved September 29, 2019.

External links

• Daniela Melchior at IMDb
• Daniela Melchior on Instagram