The Transformation Of Daniela Melchior From Childhood To The Suicide Squad

"The Suicide Squad" was one of the summer's most highly-anticipated movies, and while it's gotten overwhelmingly positive reviews, it pretty much bombed at the box office thanks to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as an increase in digital streaming. Despite its lackluster box office performance, "The Suicide Squad" brought the action, violence, and laughs promised by a James Gunn film, along with amazing performances by the talented ensemble cast. 

One of the standout performances in "The Suicide Squad" was from newcomer Daniela Melchior, whose turn as Cleo Cazo aka Ratcatcher 2 had fans teary-eyed. Though she's new to the English-speaking market, Melchior has been in several movies and television shows in her home country of Portugal, and is sure to continue having a successful career. Here's a look at Melchior's life from childhood until she landed her breakout role in "The Suicide Squad," and where else you may have seen her on-screen.

Born and raised in Portugal, Daniela Melchior claims she grew up as an awkward and shy teen. She told The Hollywood Reporter "I was really, really skinny. I was not interesting at all. I never had a boyfriend." As she grew older, Melchior discovered acting, and took professional classes before landing her first gig at age 17. In an interview with Glamour, Melchior described how she got started, explaining "When I was younger, before I decided I wanted to do this for the rest of my life, I loved having drama classes because I was like, 'Okay, nobody noticed me, but when I get on stage, they listen to me.' So I love this."

When asked about being successful, Melchior revealed that she's not interested in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood — rather, she's focused on honing her craft. "All the things about fame and popularity, I really don't like it," she told Glamour. "It's good to be heard and to have a voice and to get people asking me things about my work. I love it. But everything else on the surface, I don't like it."

While it's unlikely that Melchior will disappear from the limelight anytime soon, she definitely has a platform where she can share things she's passionate about.

Daniela Melchior started acting years before her US debut. Her first role was at the age of 17 when she was cast in the Portuguese soap "Mulheres." She played the role of Viviana Gomes for over 300 episodes before landing a part in another Portuguese drama entitled "Massa Fresca," in which she played Carminho Santiago.

In 2017, Melchior got the role of Cláudia Andrade in the soap "Ouro Verde," which she portrayed for 221 episodes. Following that role, she landed the part of "Ariana Franco" in the soap "A Herdeira" as well as "Isabel Vasconcellos" in "Valor da Vida," another telenovela. She also appeared in a few Portuguese films, including the historical drama "The Black Book of Father Dinis" as La Fille and the dramedy "Parque Mayer" as Deolinda.

While "The Suicide Squad" may have been Melchior's first foray into the English-speaking entertainment world, she proved her vast range of acting chops at the start of her career in Portugal.

Before landing a role in the hugely popular "The Suicide Squad," Daniela Melchior landed a role in a different superhero project, though she only leant her voice talent for the role. She provided the vocals for Gwen Stacey aka Spider-Gwen in the Portuguese dub of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." She spoke to Who What Wear about her first superhero-centered role and revealed that she wasn't originally a big comics fan. "I'm totally new to this universe," she explained. "As a young kid, I would love to watch weird stuff like People + Arts. I don't know if you know that channel. It's like TLC with many reality [shows]. I would love Cartoon Network and sitcoms. So yeah, I am totally new to that. But actually, my favorite movie from the DC world is 'The Dark Knight.' It's the best after 'The Suicide Squad.'"

In another interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Melchior shared her surprise at the amount of fans she gained from working on the Marvel project — mainly the Brazilian fans who showed up in droves at Comic Con in São Paulo. "They love the fact that I speak Portuguese," she told THR. "If I post anything at all ... they tweet about it. They start conversations about it. It's crazy."

It's safe to say that Daniela Melchior's life will never be the same thanks to the attention she's gotten from "The Suicide Squad." As mentioned previously, Melchior isn't too keen on the impending fame, which she further elaborated on to Glamour: "Every time I think about it, I get anxious because I really love to be left alone, to feel relaxed, and just living my life," she said. "I'm a little bit scared about it, because whenever I'm not working, I can stop and relax. For example, if I fly to Thailand, I'm not recognized there. I can go to America, and I'm not recognized. It gets me a little bit nervous because, yeah, I guess I'll belong to everyone from that point."

Thankfully, Melchior bonded with her costars on set of "The Suicide Squad" which has led to real life, supportive friendships, as she's shown in her many Instagram posts with the cast and crew. We'll be on the lookout for Melchior's next projects, which are sure to be just as impressive as her previous ones.