Camila Mendes ethnic background, nationality, parents, languages, siblings
Camila Mendes is an actor and dancer. She is popular for playing Veronica Lodge in CW’s TV show —Riverdale. Since debuting on the show, she has become a household name in Hollywood, and more importantly, representing the Latino community in the competitive acting industry.
Source: Getty Images
Besides Camila’s extraordinary talent, her ethnic background and questions around her nationality have created a buzz. To millions of people, she represents the Hollywood attempt to embrace diversity. Also, she has starred in big songs since 2017.
Profile summary
- Name: Camila Carraro Mendes
- Date of birth: June 29, 1994
- Place of birth: Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Profession: Actress and dancer
- Nationality: American
Early life
Camila Mendes was born on June 29, 1994, in Charlottesville, Virginia. As a second child in a Latino family, she moved across different states before settling in Florida. While most of her childhood memories are associated with Florida, she briefly moved to Brazil before relocating back to the USA after a year.
Speaking to Women Health Magazine, the talented actor pointed out that moving to different neighbourhoods gave her a chance to interact with more people. However, it felt sad for her to say goodbye to people whenever they moved to a different neighbourhood or town.
Education
Since the talented actor spent most of her childhood in the southeastern region, she went to the prestigious American Heritage School, in Plantation. Later, she joined the New York University Titch School of the Arts.
Camila’s time in the private school and at NYU gave her exposure to different things. In a 2017 interview, she pointed out that she was actively involved in dancing at school. She believes that her earlier interactions with art and dancing shaped what she is passionate about, especially in the world of acting.
Family, sibling, and relationship
Source: Instagram
Who are Camila Mendes parents? Camila’s parents are Gisele Carraro and Victor Mendes. Since the two parents are Brazilians, Camila Mendes ethnicity is automatically Latino. Unfortunately, when she turned eight, her parents went separate ways. Her mother retained the custody of Camila and her sister.
Who is Camila Mendes mother? The talented actress’s mother, Gisele Carraro, does not have interests in the acting world. After divorcing Camila’s father, she continued being a flight attendant. Due to her nature of work, Gisele has made Camila appreciate living in different places.
The TV star only has one sibling — Kiara Moreno. Her big sister is a recording and mixing engineer. While the two sisters have different career paths, they are still close. For example, they are travel buddies, and they spend a lot of time together. Also, Kiara is proud of her young sister’s success.
Camila Mendes is dating Grayson Vaughan. While there were rumours before that the two were in an intimate relationship, they did not confirm those reports. However, in September 2020, Camila posted a picture of her and Grayson on Instagram. Since then, they have been seen together on multiple occasions.
Nationality, languages and identity
Source: Instagram
The year she lived in Brazil was her first realisation that she is Latino. Since then, Camila Mendes ethnic background has dictated her work and the kind of roles she can take in Hollywood. In all the interviews for the last three years, she has proudly identified as a Latino.
Does Camila Mendes speak Spanish? Unfortunately, she does not speak Spanish. Since she identifies as a Latino, there is a misconception that her parents are from Spanish speaking countries, which is not correct.
What languages does Camila Mendes speak? The talented actor speaks two languages. Speaking to The People, Camila confessed that although she speaks Portuguese, she keeps practising by talking to her parents. Also, through family chats, she has managed to polish her second language and become better and fluent.
Apart from the language aspect, Camila’s has a culture of travelling to Brazil regularly. The Hollywood star confesses that although she is an American, the trips are instrumental in discovering who she is, especially as an actor trying to get roles.
While she has met many unkind comments such as not being “Latino enough” the family trips have been therapy to her identity crises magnified by Hollywood. Given her activity on social media and recent movies, she seems to be coping on well.
Professional career
Although Camila is only 28 (as of 2020), she has an impressive resume. Some of her acting career highlights include:
Camila acted as Veronica Lodge on Riverdale
Shortly after graduating from college, Camila auditioned and got her first major role on TV. On the show, she plays Veronica Lodge, a rich girl. The breakout series also gave her unmatched exposure, especially considering she is one of the few Latinos on the lead roles.
Although Riverdale is a scripted show, Camila Mendes nationality gave the show a massive Latino following. Speaking to Vogue, the actor stated that her role at the show broke many stereotypes associated with the Latino community. For example, it is hard to find a Latino character who is rich and intelligent, in a TV series, without having ties with the drug business.
She acted as Tala on Palm Springs
Source: Getty Images
Palm Springs is the latest film feature for the actor. Thanks to her impressive performance (and of others), the movie is one of the most-watched pieces on Hulu. Directed by the talented Max Barbakow, it has also received impressive reviews. For example, Rotten Tomatoes has given the show an outstanding 94% rating.
Acted as Rey in the 2018 Chainsmokers’ Side Effects
In 2018, she was featured in the Chainsmokers’ Side Effects project as an actor. Her incredible performance on the popular song was a stepping stone to Camila, especially when it comes to starring in music videos. She later danced in a Maggie Roger’s song, Give a Little.
Net worth and income streams
According to Celebrity Net Worth, she has a net worth of $3 million. Camila’s main source of income is from acting gigs. For example, her role as a lead actor in the CW TV series, Riverdale, has placed her as one of the most on-demand Latino actors in Hollywood.
In 2017, Camila was a star guest in an IKEA commercial. Although it is her only major commercial yet, it was an important precedent to the young actor. She has never revealed how much IKEA paid her for the commercial.
Like other celebrities with huge social media following, Camila is also an influencer. Once in a while, she makes use of her huge following on her Instagram account to advertise for companies and businesses.
Awards and nominations
Although the actor has been active for only three years, she has received the following nominations and award.
- The 2017 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Scene Stealer for her role on Riverdale — won.
- The 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards for Best Kiss — Nominated.
- The 2018 People’s Choice Awards for the Female TV Star of 2018 for her role in Riverdale — Nominated.
As one of the most sought-after Latino actors in Hollywood, Camila Mendes is paving the way for a more diverse acting industry. Her influence and talent have also challenged film producers to shun stereotypical displays of Latinos, where drug dealing and crime were the constant themes.
Yen.com.gh has created a feature article on Tinashe’s biography and ethnicity. The musician, who has been on the news due to several controversies is black but most people are often unable to tell.
Known by her full names, Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe, the American singer and actor has a Zimbabwean father and a Norwegian mother. If you are a fan, you can learn more about her early life, siblings and career from the biography.
Source: YEN.com.gh
