Melissa Barrera Martínez’s career stock has never been higher than it is now. The 32-year-old is the main star of Keep Breathing, a new limited survival drama series that is currently streaming on Netflix.
The six-episode miniseries was created for the streamer by Canadian writers Brendan Gall and Martin Gero (Stargate Atlantis, Blindspot). The official synopsis for Keep Breathing reads: “The show centers around a New York attorney named Liv, who after a serious plane crash, gets stranded in the wilderness.”
Barrera plays the leading character, Liv, and is joined in the cast by Jeff Wilbusch as her love interest, Danny, Florencia Lozano and Juan Pablo Espinosa as her parents, as well as Austin Stowell, described as “a co-pilot [called Sam] who lets Liv fly with them.”
The show debuted on Netflix in mid-July, and has so far received mixed reviews from critics. Barrera’s performance comes in for some praise, however, with one particular review saying she was “dynamic, tough, with a survival spirit.”
10 Inside Melissa Barrera’s Family And Upbringing
Melissa Barrera was born on July 4, 1990 in the Monterrey city of Nuevo León, Mexico. She also grew up in the same city, eventually relocating to the US as her acting career began to take shape.
Barrera’s parents are Tomas Barrera and Rosana Martínez. She is the eldest of four sisters, with her younger siblings called Mayelah, Rossana and Regina Barrera.
9 How Did Melissa Barrera Get Started As An Actor?
Melissa Barrera knew from a young age that she wanted to pursue a life in the arts. To chase her dream, she joined the American School Foundation of Monterrey in her home city. It was here that her acting chops were ignited with performances in various musical productions for the school.
Barrera later made her TV debut in the reality musical talent show, La Academia.
8 Melissa Barrera Is Also A Musician
On top of her excellent acting skills, Melissa Barrera has also proven her worth as a musician. While this side of her talent is still mostly portrayed through her acting roles, she has also recorded a number of songs, including one with all her sisters.
Barrera was also briefly part of a duet called Melissa y Sebastian, the umbrella under which she recorded her first ever album.
7 Melissa Barrera Featured In An Experimental Film By Whitney Horn
While still in the formative years of her professional career, Melissa Barrera collaborated with American filmmaker Whitney Horn in her experimental drama film, L For Leisure of 2014.
Barrera played a character called Kennedy in a movie that was criticized by a review as “part documentary, part music video, part amateur theatre… zero percent cinema.”
6 Melissa Barrera Also Featured In Various Telenovelas
It was in the telenovela world where Melissa Barrera would truly begin to become established as an actor. Between 2012 and 2015, she appeared in the Mexican soap operas La mujer de Judas, La otra cara del alma, Siempre Tuya Acapulco and Tanto amor.
The latter two involved the actress in starring roles, and she even co-recorded the theme song for Tanto amor.
5 What Were Melissa Barrera’s Two Breakout Roles Internationally?
Having worked her way up the ladder, Melissa Barrera landed what would become her first breakout role in 2018, as lead character Lyn in the Starz drama series, Vida. She continued in the role for three seasons, until the show was canceled in 2020.
Barrera also gained great acclaim from her performance in In The Heights, the movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical play in 2021.
4 Melissa Barrera Was Cast In Scream 5 In 2020
Melissa Barrera’s stock continued to rise, and she joined the esteemed company of the Scream franchise cast members in 2020. This casting news was first broken in August that year, as it was also announced that Jane the Virgin star Jenna Ortega would also be added to the cast in an undisclosed role at the time.
Scream 6 (stylized as simply Scream) was released on January 14, 2022.
3 How Does Melissa Barrera Feel About Keep Breathing?
Melissa Barrera recently spoke to Complex magazine about Keep Breathing, where she argued that the special representation in the series made it “more than just another survival show”.
“I love this kind of representation, it’s the kind that I seek out in the roles that I play,” Barrera said. “The representation that is subtle and at the same time powerful, because we’re breaking barriers, and we don’t have to justify our existence.”
2 Is Melissa Barrera Married?
Melissa Barrera’s love life appears to be on as steady a trajectory as her profession. She has been married to fellow musician Paco Zazueta since February 2019.
The pair have been dating for an even longer time, having first met in 2011 and eventually got engaged in 2017.
1 Melissa Barrera To Feature In Three Upcoming Films
Neve Campbell has already confirmed her decision to quit her role in the next Scream sequel, which perhaps creates some room for Melissa Barrera to shine a little more in the movie. The project is due for release at some point in 2023.
Barrera is also going to star in the movies Bed Rest and Carmen, which are both currently in post-production.
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