Isabela Merced is no stranger to joining massive franchises. She’s forever part of the “Transformers” world, Sony’s live-action spider-verse and, next year, she’ll add “The Last of Us” and James Gunn’s DC universe to her résumé. It could be a lot of pressure, but according to the actress, there’s an easy way to not let it get to you: enjoy it.
Most recently, Merced joined the “Alien” franchise, starring as Kay in “Alien: Romulus” alongside Cailee Spaeny, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn, David Jonsson and Aileen Wu. Directed by Fede Álvarez, the latest installment takes place in between “Alien” and “Aliens,” making it both a sequel and a prequel.
The “Alien” movies are, of course, particularly beloved, but speaking to TheWrap ahead of the film’s release, the young actress offered a simple method for avoiding the pressure of any expectations set on the film, or really any franchise entry.
“Just have fun, honestly. Trust yourself, have fun. I’m really good at doing that. I think I have a lot of fun and I enjoy every minute of it, or at least I try,” she explained. “If you just do that, then there’s no way the pressure can get to you, and there’s no way that you can’t look back and be proud of it.”
Next up, Merced will star alongside Bella Ramsey in the second season of “The Last of Us” as Dina, a character who is “warm, brilliant, wild, funny, moral, dangerous and instantly lovable,” according to co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann.
“You can search forever for an actor who effortlessly embodies all of those things, or you can find Isabela Merced right away,” they said in a statement back in January. “We couldn’t be prouder to have her join our family.”
She’ll also be part of James Gunn’s “Superman,” which recently wrapped production, as Kendra Saunders a.k.a. Hawkgirl.
“Alien: Romulus” is now in theaters.
