Photo: Jon Kopaloff/WireImage
Xóchitl Gomezis impacting lives for the better both on and off the screen.
The 16-year-old rising star might be known for kicking butts and saving lives as America Chavez in Marvel’sDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness— but to Gomez, playing the superhero means so much more.
“She is a powerful, smart, charismatic, queer Latina,” Gomez toldPeople En Español. “The fact that she is on the screen and is important to the story will make people feel seen in a way that they have never been.”
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Gomez played Dawn Schafer in the series, but left after season 1 due to scheduling conflicts with Marvel. Her character was recast for season 2 before Netflix terminated its run on the platform.
Between Gomez’s love of skateboarding and getting banned on TikTok, here’s everything to know about theactress on the rise.
Xóchitl Gomez’s name means ‘flower’
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Gomez is a California native from Los Angeles born to parents of Mexican descent in 2006. Her first name, “Xóchitl,” is pronounced “So-Chee” and means “flower” in Nahuatl, an indigenous language of Mexico.
Xóchitl Gomez’sMultiverse of Madnesscharacter was written for her
Marvel Studios; Marvel
Gomez didn’t think she had a shot when she first auditioned forMultiverse of Madnessbecause she was 13 years old at the time and the role of America was originally written for a young adult around the age of 18.
A month later, the actress was invited to audition again — but this time, for a reimagined, younger version of the character similar to Gomez’s youthful self.
In order to “blow [the casting directors'] minds,” the aspiring black belt put her martial arts skills and knowledge to use and stunt trained “every other day for hours,” Gomez toldEntertainment Weekly.
“She brought a spirit or freshness of youth, of not going to take Doctor Strange’s guff,” directorSam Raimitold the outlet. “She has a little bit of a flippant quality to her, which I really like. She’s got a lot of spirit.”
Diversity is important to Xóchitl Gomez
Xochitl Gomez/Instagram
Playing the role of America, Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first queer Latina superhero, means a lot to Gomez for more reasons than one. The actress toldElite Dailythat she didn’t have many Latina role models to look up to when she was younger due to a lack of diverse representation on screen, and she now hopes to inspire other young girls like her.
“Rarely having representation on screen except forSelena Gomezand Dora [the Explorer], I’m proud of America Chavez and I’m very excited to bring her to the MCU,” Gomez said. “What I love is that she’s a leader and a problem solver; she just happens to be a lesbian, but it doesn’t have to be the focus.”
Marvel Studios
In addition, Gomez is an advocate for inclusion of age in the entertainment industry as well, especially the importance for “teens to feel represented as teens,” she toldVarietyof her character, who was written to be 14 (in a departure from the comics). “I feel like teens don’t really get that much representation because they have like 20 year olds playing 15 year olds, so what’s better than an actual 14 year old playing 14, right?”
Xóchitl Gomez’s TikTok got banned
Despite all the positivity generated around theLGBTQ representationGomez’s America brings into the MCU — the character hasn’t been well received everywhere, and the actress has been the one taking the heat.
She ultimately got her account back, posted a video, and acknowledged the situation head on. “I thought it was only right to post a TikTok of (me saying) nothing can break me down, I’m going to stay strong, just keep going because it’s very important for young teenagers to have a positive person to look up to,” Gomez toldNews 18.
The actress toldElite Daily, “I try to stay honest about who I am, and I’m grateful to have very supportive fans that are much louder and more enthusiastic than a few haters” — though the social media ban was “really hard to ignore.”
Xóchitl Gomez likes to skateboard
“I do a little bit of skateboarding, but ever since I started getting some roles, I was like, ‘I can’t really injure myself here,'” Gomez toldMarvel Entertainmentat theSpider-Man: No Way Homepremiere. “So I just graze a little bit.”
Xóchitl Gomez has her own action figure
Xochitl Gomez/TikTok
Between playing an MCU superhero and starring alongside some of Hollywood’s most A-list actors, there have been many perks that come with the job — but one of the most exciting (and unique) for the actress had to be when she found out she’d be getting her own action figure.
“Benedict was there when I first saw it,” Gomez said of herDoctor Strangecostar, Benedict Cumberbatch, on theKelly Clarkson Show.
As Cumberbatch recalled, “I was on set when she first got [the action figure]. I get reams of approvals for figurines and action figures… [Xochitl] gets it and and goes, ‘Oh my god!’ and just bursts into tears.”
Gomez shared the news on TikTok with afun stop-motion videoof her America Chavez figurine dancing.
Xóchitl Gomez got her acting start in theater
Before Gomez picked up roles in television and film, she discovered her love for acting through theater at a very young age.
“When I was five, my mom put me in musical theater class and I absolutely loved it,” Gomez toldPeople En Español. “I was always in a show or rehearsing. I did it from [when I was] five to 12 years old, so I’ve done like 22 full-length musicals, which is pretty insane.”
She also touts theater as a helpful place to get started in acting, per herInstagram. The actress noted that she wasn’t always the lead; her first role was a horse (with no lines)!
source: people.com
