Camila Mendes

Camila Carraro Mendes, born on June 29, 1994, is an American actress known for her role as Veronica Lodge on The CW teen drama series Riverdale, which aired from 2017 to 2023. She earned recognition for her performance, winning the Teen Choice Award for Choice Scene Stealer in 2017. Mendes has also appeared in various films, including the romantic comedy The New Romantic (2018), Netflix original productions like The Perfect Date (2019) and Dangerous Lies (2020), as well as the critically acclaimed Hulu sci-fi comedy Palm Springs (2020). Additionally, she starred in the film Do Revenge, released in 2022.


Camila Carraro Mendes was born on June 29, 1994, in Charlottesville, Virginia, to Brazilian parents. Her father, Victor Mendes, is a business executive, and her mother, Gisele Carraro, is a flight attendant. She has an older sister. After her birth, Mendes moved to various places due to her father's job, residing in Atlanta, Georgia, then back to Virginia, and later settling in Orlando, Florida. Throughout her childhood, she moved a total of 16 times due to her father's job and her parents' divorce, primarily living in Florida. At the age of 10, she spent a year living in Brazil. Mendes attended the Fine Arts program at the American Heritage School in Plantation, Florida, and graduated from there in 2012. She later graduated from New York University Tisch School of the Arts in May 2016.


Camila Mendes' acting career began with a commercial for IKEA. In 2016, she landed her breakthrough role as Veronica Lodge, a silver-tongued high school sophomore, in The CW's teen drama series "Riverdale," a modernized adaptation of the Archie Comics. Mendes was initially represented by the Carson Kolker Organization before switching to CAA.


Her feature film debut came in the movie "The New Romantic," where she played the character Morgan. The film premiered at the SXSW Festival in March 2018. Shortly after, Mendes joined the cast of the romantic comedy "The Perfect Date," released on Netflix in April 2019. Additionally, in 2019, she starred as the lead in the film "Coyote Lake."


Mendes continued to expand her filmography, appearing in the critically acclaimed sci-fi/comedy "Palm Springs," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020 and was released on Hulu in July of the same year. She also starred in the Netflix thriller film "Dangerous Lies," also released in 2020.
In 2024, Mendes took on the role of an art world intern in the Amazon Prime film "Upgraded."


Camila Mendes, despite being Brazilian American and identifying as Latin American, has faced challenges when auditioning for characters of Latin American background, being told she doesn't look Latina enough. She speaks Portuguese and deeply values her Brazilian heritage, acknowledging how both Brazilian and American cultures have shaped her identity.


In an interview with People Magazine, Mendes expressed gratitude for her dual cultural background, stating, "I really appreciate how these two cultures created who I am. I am a Brazilian of blood, with all the extended family of Brazilians, but I was born and raised in the United States. When I go to Brazil, I feel like an American, and in the United States, I always realize the traits that make me Brazilian."


Mendes has also been open about personal challenges, revealing that she was "roofied and sexually assaulted" during her time at NYU. This traumatic experience inspired her to get a tattoo symbolizing her commitment to building stability and safety for herself.


In terms of her personal life, Mendes dated photographer and director Ian Wallace from 2013 to 2017. She then began dating her Riverdale co-star Charles Melton by October 2018, but the couple broke up by December 2019. In 2023, Mendes revealed that she was dating actor and internet personality Rudy Mancuso.

Filmography

1. Riverdale (TV Series, 2017–2023) - Veronica Lodge
2. The New Romantic (2018) - Morgan
3. The Perfect Date (2019) - Shelby Pace
4. Dangerous Lies (2020) - Katie Franklin
5. Palm Springs (2020) - Tala
6. Do Revenge (2022) - Role unspecified (as per provided information)

Please note that this filmography may not include all of her projects, and there may be additional roles she has undertaken beyond what is listed here. For the most current and comprehensive filmography, it's best to refer to a reliable source like IMDb.

References

1.  @CamilaMendes (June 30, 2017). "thank you for all the birthday wishes and making 23 feel more interesting than it is" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2017 – via Twitter.
2. "Camila Mendes". Biography (A&E Networks). July 17, 2020. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
3. Hatchett, Keisha (July 12, 2017). "Teen Choice Awards Reveals Full List of Nominees". TV Guide. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
4. ^ "Camila Mendes". TV Guide. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
5. ^ "Camila Mendes Biography". TV Guide. Archived from the original on August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
6. ^ Rodriguez, Priscilla (April 6, 2017). "Meet Camila Mendes, the Brasilia Bringing 'Riverdale's' Latina Veronica Lodge to Life". Latina. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
7. Flaherty, Keely (February 28, 2017). "Meet TV's New Blair Waldorf". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
8. ^ "Heritage Fine Arts Alumni: Where are they now?". iPatriotPost. April 1, 2020. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
9. ^ Kaplan, Ilana (March 30, 2017). "Meet Camila Mendes, Breakout Star of 'Riverdale'". V. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
10. Sun, Rebecca (May 16, 2016). "CAA Signs 'Riverdale' Star Camila Mendes (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
11. ^ Demaria, Meghan (February 24, 2017). "Camila Mendes Is Not Here To Fit Your Latina Stereotype". Refinery29. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
12. ^ "Camila Mendes Shines in the New TV Series "Riverdale" Based on Archie Comics". Da Man. February 8, 2017. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
13. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 26, 2016). "'Riverdale' CW Pilot Finds Veronica". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 27, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
14. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (February 27, 2018). "'The New Romantic' Clip: A Struggling College Graduate Becomes A Sugar Baby In SXSW Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2018.