Daniella Pineda
Daniella Pineda (born February 20, 1987) is an American actress. She has had major roles in several films and TV series, including The Originals, Netflix's live-action Cowboy Bebop, and multiple films in the Jurassic Park franchise. She began her career through online comedy and fashion videos, with her first movie role in 2011. She later appeared in the backdoor pilot of The Originals and several episodes of the show's first season. Her first role in a movie produced by a major studio was in 2018, with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. As a Mexican American, she has spoken out about the difficulties Mexican actors face.
Daniella Pineda | |
|---|---|
Pineda in 2022 | |
| Born | February 20, 1987 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Mills College |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, comedian, writer |
| Known for | The Originals Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Cowboy Bebop |
Early life
Daniella Pineda was born on February 20, 1987, in Oakland, California, the daughter of Eric Klein and Patricia Pineda. Daniella has two siblings, Anneliese and Elliot.[1] She is a third-generation Mexican American on her mother’s side, and both of her adoptive parents are Mexican.[2] She graduated from Mills College with a sociology and radio journalism degree.[3][4] She acquired a fellowship at KALW, where topics she discussed included racism and poverty in the Bay Area.[1]
Career
Pineda's first acting role was in a 2010 episode of Men of a Certain Age, although she created a larger image online; she appeared in several CollegeHumor comedy sketch videos between 2010 and 2011, as well as fashion tutorials on YouTube. Her first appearance in film was the 2011 comedy drama Newlyweds, directed by Edward Burns. It received mostly positive reviews from critics.[5][6]
Pineda later appeared in an episode of The CW's The Vampire Diaries, which functioned as a backdoor pilot for the spin-off series The Originals, which began airing in 2013.[5] In February of 2014, her character, the witch Sophie Deveraux, was killed off in the 13th episode, eliminating Pineda from the cast. Executive producer Julie Plec later revealed that the character's death was not initially planned but considered suitable for her actions in the series.[7]
In 2015, Pineda starred in NBC's American Odyssey (first announced the previous year as Odyssey),[7] which follows a team of American soldiers trying to expose a conspiracy. She played a character named Ruby Simms.[8] The show was cancelled after one season.[9]
In October 2017, Pineda had a role in Mr. Roosevelt, a comedy directed by Noël Wells. It was a critical success, receiving a full 100% on Rotten Tomatoes from 34 reviews.[10]
In July 2018,[11] Pineda played Zia Rodriguez in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, her first time appearing in a movie created by a major studio.[12] Rodriguez, a veterinarian, is part of a mission to rescue dinosaurs from a volcanic eruption.[13] Pineda commented on how realistic the dinosaurs in the movie were, with pulsing veins and dilating eyes.[14] In another interview, she explained how her character was originally going to have a conversation with Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), in which the former revealed herself to be lesbian, although this dialogue was cut from the final product. Pineda explained that this decision was made for time reasons.[13]
In 2019, Pineda starred in the horror film Mercy Black as Marina Hess, a woman who was institutionalized for fifteen years after partaking in a ritual to appease the entity "Mercy Black", now finally convinced that the creature was not real, allowing her to go live with her family. In May of the same year, Pineda portrayed Cassidy in the Netflix neo-noir series What/If. The show has one ten-episode season to date.[15]
By April 2019, Pineda had been cast as Faye Valentine in a live-action version of the Cowboy Bebop series.[16] It released in 2021.[17] Pineda described her character, who is ethnically Singaporean-Romani, as "a smart-ass" and "fun". Unlike in the original anime, the series' version of the character is LGBT.[18]
In August 2021, Pineda was cast in Plane, starring Gerard Butler in the lead.[19]
In 2022, she reprised her role as Zia Rodriguez in Jurassic World Dominion.[20] Rodriguez appeared in the opening; however, travel restrictions and quarantine requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic prevented Pineda, who was in New Zealand, from showing up in another planned scene. She was replaced in her second scene with Varada Sethu. Director Colin Trevorrow was satisfied with the change.[21] Later the same year, Pineda was cast as Bess, the proprietress of a saloon in the comedy pilot Western.[22]
Personal life and activism
Pineda was adopted by her aunt and uncle at age 16, and her biological parents are "not really in the picture", according to her.[1]
She has pushed for greater recognition of Mexican actors, saying that they are "often relegated to obscurity" in scripts and casting, and that Latin America is underrepresented overall. She has also complained about being told by casting directors that she does not look or seem Mexican enough, despite being of Mexican heritage.[2]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Newlyweds | Vanessa | |
| 2012 | The Fitzgerald Family Christmas | Abbie | |
| 2015 | Sleeping with Other People | Danica | |
| 2017 | Mr. Roosevelt | Jen Morales | |
| Before/During/After | Sex Shop Worker | ||
| 2018 | Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom | Zia Rodriguez | [23] |
| 2019 | Mercy Black | Marina Hess | |
| 2022 | Jurassic World Dominion | Zia Rodriguez | |
| 2023 | Plane | Bonnie |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Men of a Certain Age | Kit | Episode: "Same as the Old Boss" |
| 2010–2011 | CH Originals | multiple roles | Web series; 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Homeland | Officer Julia Diaz | Episode: "Two Hats" |
| Midnight Sun | Daria Wernham | NBC pilot | |
| 2013 | The Vampire Diaries | Sophie Devereaux | Episode: "The Originals" (backdoor pilot for The Originals) |
| 2013–2014 | The Originals | Sophie Devereaux | Main role; 9 episodes |
| 2015 | American Odyssey | Ruby Simms | Main role; 13 episodes |
| 2016–2019 | The Detour | Vanessa Randall | Main role; 22 episodes |
| 2019 | What/If | Cassidy Barrett | Main cast; 8 episodes |
| 2020 | Dream Corp LLC | Patient 31 | 2 episodes |
| The George Lucas Talk Show | Self | Episode: "A New Coping Mechanism" | |
| 2021 | Cowboy Bebop | Faye Valentine | Main role |
| 2022 | Tales of the Walking Dead | Idalia | Episode: "La Doña" |
| 2023 | Home Economics | Nikki | 2 episodes |
References
- ^ a b c Sun, Rebecca (June 19, 2018). "How Daniella Pineda Went From NPR Aspirations to 'Jurassic World' Sequel Breakout". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ a b "Daniella Pineda on Mexican-American Roles in Hollywood: 'We Are Often Relegated to Obscurity'". People. October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ Sauers, Jenna (October 26, 2012). "You Need To Be Watching This Woman's Videos". Jezebel. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
Pineda, 24...
- ^ . jurassicworld.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ a b "Daniella Pineda". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ "Newlyweds". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ a b Villamarin, Jenalyn (February 13, 2014). "Daniella Pineda: Killed Off 'The Originals' Actress Portraying Witch Sophie Deveraux Moves On with a New TV Role in NBC's Pilot Drama 'Odyssey'". International Business Times. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ "American Odyssey". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (July 1, 2015). "NBC Cancels 'American Odyssey' After One Season". Variety. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ "Mr. Roosevelt". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Trumbore, Dave (July 1, 2018). "Jurassic World 2 Easily Wins the Weekend Box Office; Sanju Debuts Strong". Collider. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (January 23, 2017). "Jurassic World: The Detour Actress Daniella Pineda Lands Key Role in Sequel". Variety. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ a b Couch, Aaron (June 19, 2018). "'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' Cut Lesbian Reveal". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Gilmore, Kelly (June 7, 2022). "Jurassic World Dominion's Daniella Pineda Recalls Being Shocked by Sweating Dinosaur on Set". E! Online. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ "What/If". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (April 4, 2019). "Cowboy Bebop: John Cho, Mustafa Shakir Among Four Cast in Netflix Live-Action Series". Variety. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- ^ Jackson, Destiny. "Netflix's Cowboy Bebop Trailer Reveals Spike's Tragic Past". TV Guide. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ Zorrilla, Mónica Marie (November 19, 2021). "Daniella Pineda on Bringing Faye to Life and Representation in 'Cowboy Bebop'". Variety. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 9, 2021). "Daniella Pineda Boards Gerard Butler's 'Plane' For Lionsgate". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (November 7, 2019). "Jurassic World 3 bringing back Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda". Collider. Exclusive. from the original on January 9, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ Mitchell, Harriet; Sandwell, Ian (June 7, 2022). "Jurassic World Dominion replaced character after filming delays". Digital Spy. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ Petski, Denise (October 14, 2022). "Guy Burnet, Luca Diaz & Daniella Pineda Join 'Western' Freevee Comedy Pilot From Lord Miller". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ Bui, Hoai-Tran (February 6, 2018). "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Viral Website Reveals What Claire Has Been Doing". /Film. from the original on January 27, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
External links
- Daniella Pineda at IMDb