Where Is Meela From The Mummy Now?

"The Mummy" was the source of one of the greatest love stories of all time. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz played the iconic duo Rick O'Connell and Evelyn Carnahan alongside other talented cast members. The film remains significant to this day due to its effortless blend of action and romance. Both leads have stayed steadily booked in major projects — Weisz recently joined the MCU in the 2021 film "Black Widow," while Fraser will soon be appearing as the villain Firefly in HBO Max's "Batgirl." However, there are other faces in the 1999 film that fans may have trouble placing these days. 

Venezuelan actor Patricia Velásquez portrayed Imhotep's love interest Anck-Su-Namun for one scene in "The Mummy." Her role was expanded as the resurrected lover Meela in "The Mummy Returns." She becomes the villain as Imhotep rebuilds himself and they attempt to raise an Anubis army. Velásquez fully embraced this role as an entertaining antagonist. Though not in any cultural phenomenons as of late, here's what the actor has been up to in the two decades since the release of "The Mummy."

Patricia Velásquez appeared in a couple of films after "The Mummy Returns," but it was her appearance on television that may be the most recognizable. Velásquez played telenovela actress Marta Estrella for five episodes in the first season of "Arrested Development" in 2003. She was the second actress to play the role after Leonor Varela left due to scheduling conflicts. 

Marta was the girlfriend of G.O.B (Will Arnett) and the object of Michael's (Jason Bateman) affection. She soon realized that she made a huge mistake and wanted Michael instead. Michael's turmoil over whether to be with Marta or be loyal to his brother G.O.B. was one of the main plots of the first season. "Arrested Development" only lasted for three seasons on Fox, before being revived by Netflix in 2013. Sadly, Marta only appeared in the first season of the show and was not part of the revival. 

Patricia Velásquez has acted consistently, including a brief stint on "The L Word." But fans may be more familiar with her appearances in recent horror films. Velásquez co-starred in the 2019 horror film "The Curse of La Llorona," the sixth installment in the ever-expanding "The Conjuring" franchise. Velásquez played a mother whose children were cursed by the vengeful entity Llorona.

Velásquez continued with other James Wan-produced properties. Just this year, Velásquez appeared in the highly divisive horror film "Malignant." Valesquez's appearance was a minor one, as she only appeared in one scene as a nurse. But the scale of that role does not speak to her future plans. The actress currently has two films in pre-production, and one is a starring role in the film "Brut Force." There is no official release date yet, but viewers can expect to see her continue to work in the future.