HOLLYWOOD'S HOTTEST NEW STAR

Superman actress Isabela Merced on creating magic with Bella Ramsey in The Last of Us, how her mother has inspired her, and learning to adapt to fame

- INTERVIEW: NAGIDMY MARQUEZ & ANDREA PEREZ

She captured viewers’ imaginations with her chemistry with Bella Ramsey in The Last of Us - and now breakout star Isabela Merced is hitting the big screen as she takes on the role of the formidable Hawkgirl in the new Superman film.

When our sister magazine HOLA! catches up with the Peruvian-American actress, 24, for this exclusive photoshoot in New York, she appears to be perfectly in tune with the city’s creative energy.

“I absolutely love New York. I love the art here. I love the people,” she says.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, to a mother from Lima and a father from Louisiana, the young Isabela grew up speaking Spanish at home and was fiercely proud of being Latina.

After a fire destroyed their home, her parents tried to distract her from the family’s loss by encouraging her to try local theatre. She soon appeared as a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz, and at the age of ten, made her Broadway singing debut in Evita alongside the pop star Ricky Martin.