Listen to Audacy's full interview with Isabela Merced in the player above
Isabela Merced understands why Jason Momoa doesn’t want his kids to pursue acting careers.
Merced, who stars in Netflix’s new action thriller “Sweet Girl,” spoke to Audacy’s The Reel Buzz about the new film, what it was like working with Momoa, and why it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand her co-star’s recent comments that he’ll “try my damnedest” to keep his kids from following his footsteps.
The “Game of Thrones” alum’s parental preference makes sense to Merced, 20, because the entertainment industry demands a “thick skin.”
“I totally see where he’s coming from with the ‘I don’t want my kids to act’ thing,” she told Audacy. “You have to have a special kind of thick skin to be able to be in this industry.”
While Merced admits that performing on-screen can be challenging, she says it’s “a day in the park” compared to her life before breaking through in projects like the Nickelodeon series “100 Things to Do Before High School” and movies like “Transformers: The Last Knight,” “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” and “Dora and the Lost City of Gold.”
“I think a lot of my preparation, things that prepared me for this journey that I chose — becoming an actor — was the fact that I didn't have a very easy life early on either. And I went to hell and back before I started acting. To me acting is just a day in the park.”
Related
And she’s tough, indeed. “Sweet Girl,” a film about a father (Momoa) who seeks justice after his wife’s death while protecting his daughter (Merced), is an action-packed thriller that includes scenes where Merced had to push herself. But she loved every minute of it.
“Oh my god, it was so much fun. I love action movies, they’re my favorite genre. Especially a psychological thriller-type action movie, that’s right up my alley and that’s kind of what this feels like.”
At first, she was uncertain whether she’d be able to keep up with the demands of such a physical shoot. But after going through with it — especially one particularly intense fight scene in a water fountain — she was sold.
“I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to do it,” she said. “But now that I have, I'm ready for a sequel.”
“Sweet Girl” debuts Friday, Aug. 20 on Netflix.
Lights, camera, action! Get the latest updates on movies and television from The Reel Buzz on Audacy.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram