“Carmen” star Melissa Barrera will receive IMDb’s “Fan Favorite” STARmeter Award, TheWrap has learned exclusively.
“Receiving this award during Hispanic Heritage Month means the world to me, showing that representation matters and is necessary,” Barrera said while celebrating her recognition during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). “I remember when I started acting in Mexico, I didn’t have an IMDb page yet and Mexican telenovelas hadn’t made their way onto my credits. After my first film, someone mentioned IMDb to me and I saw a page had been created for me. It felt like a milestone getting that first credit, and every aspiring actor wishes for it one day.”
The recognition, which also celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, was determined by IMDbPro data on the page views of the more than 200 million monthly IMDb visitors worldwide.
“Thank you so much for this award, I am incredibly honored” Barrera continued. “I cannot thank IMDb and IMDbPro for making my work and the work of so many other communities available. It truly is your greatest resource in getting discovered.”
“Melissa Barrera made a splash on the IMDb STARmeter chart last summer, literally dancing into our living rooms, and our hearts, with ‘In the Heights,’” IMDb founder and CEO Col Needham said. “We are so proud to recognize her as our newest recipient of an IMDb STARmeter Award and are thrilled to celebrate her incredible performances, for which entertainment fans and professionals have flocked to IMDb and IMDbPro to learn more about her and her work.”
The Mexico native began her career acting in telenovelas before moving to the U.S. and breaking out in “Vida” and “In The Heights.” Since then, Barrera has starred in “Scream 5” and Netflix’s “Keep Breathing,” and is set to star in upcoming projects “Carmen,” which premiered at TIFF, “Scream 6” and “Bed Rest.”
According to IMDb data, Barrera consistently trends on the IMDbPro STARmeter chart and surged during her performance as Sam Carpenter in “Scream 5.”
Despite being “incredibly different,” Barrera has a deep appreciation for each film’s nuances. “‘Carmen’ is art, and I’m excited for people to see me in a more Spanish-speaking role,” she said. “‘Bed Rest’ is supernatural horror, but so emotional that I think it’s gonna move people a lot. And, finally ‘Scream 6’ —the fandom isn’t ready. This movie is gonna blow their minds!”
As for what actors and filmmakers she looks up to, Barrera says Salma Hayek, Guillermo del Toro, Rita Moreno and Alfonso Cuarón have inspired her career.
Looking back at playing Mariana in 2012’s “La otra cara del Alma” telenovela, which Barrera says gave her “an actual character arc, allowing audiences to appreciate Mariana and all of these iconic moments,” she notes that this role was pivotal for her career.
“We shot a huge quinceañera in the main plaza of the magical town of Taxco, Mexico, and it had a Gilmore Girls-esque storyline,” she recalled. “I learned so much about acting through these very heavy and dramatic scenes.”
