Ariela Barer

Last updated

Ariela Barer
Ariela Barer.2025.jpg
Barer attending an advanced screening of The Last of Us in Los Angeles.
Born (1998-10-14) October 14, 1998 (age 27) [1]
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • screenwriter
Years active2007–present
Relatives Libe Barer (sister)

Ariela Barer (born October 14, 1998) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is best known for co-writing, starring, and producing the 2023 ecological thriller How to Blow Up a Pipeline , based on the Andreas Malm non-fiction book of the same name. The film premiered in competition at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and received distribution through Neon. Barer's other film roles include Ladyworld (2018), Disfluency (2021), and See You When I See You (2026). [2]

Contents

On television, Barer is best known for portraying Gert Yorkes in the Hulu original series Marvel's Runaways (2017–2019) and Mel in the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us (2025–present). Her recurring roles include stints on the Netflix comedy-drama series One Day at a Time and Atypical (2017–2018), as well as the Peacock reboot of Saved By the Bell (2021). Additionally, Barer co-starred as Ziggy, the adopted daughter of Katey Sagal's character in the short-lived ABC drama series Rebel (2021). [3] Her older sister is actress Libe Barer.

Early life

Barer was born on October 14, 1998 in Los Angeles, California to Mexican-born Jewish parents. She has stated that her father is a classical composer while her mother is a visual artist and writer who once wrote for a popular comedy radio program in Mexico. [4]

Her older sister is actress Libe Barer, best known for starring in the Amazon Prime Video original series Sneaky Pete (2015–2019). [5]

Career

2007–2016: Child acting

Barer began her career in 2007 as a child actor, appearing as Super Martian Robot Girl on season one of the Nickelodeon series Yo Gabba Gabba! . The following year she made guest appearances on the final season of the long-running ABC medical drama ER , and the first season of The CW teen drama series 90210 . In 2009 Barer portrayed the younger version of Alyssa Diaz's character Wendy Rojas on the short-lived comedy-drama series Valentine , also on The CW. That same year she had a guest role on the Showtime comedy-drama series Weeds , and made her feature film debut as Sonali Matthews in An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong .

The following year she recurred as the younger version of Hannah Simone's character Cece Parekh on the Fox sitcom New Girl . In 2013 Barer co-starred with John Leguizamo in an unaired pilot for ABC called King John. Then, in 2014 she had a string of guest roles on the ABC sitcom Modern Family , the Disney Channel original series I Didn't Do It , and the Amazon Prime Video fantasy series Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street . The following year Barer went on to make additional guest appearances on the Nickelodeon series The Thundermans , as well as the Disney Channel original series Liv and Maddie and K.C. Undercover .

2017–2021: Breakthrough and Marvel's Runaways

2017 proved a breakthrough year for Barer, [6] first gaining attention for her portrayal of Carmen, the goth best friend of Isabella Gomez's character on season one of the Netflix sitcom One Day at a Time . [7] Later that same year, Barer appeared as Bailey Bennett in the Netflix comedy-drama series Atypical and Gert Yorkes in the Hulu original series Marvel's Runaways . [8] Based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name and set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the series ran for three seasons before concluding in 2019. In 2018 Barer starred in the feature film Ladyworld , an all-female take on William Golding's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies , co-starring Annalise Basso, Ryan Simpkins, Odessa Adlon, and Maya Hawke. [9] The film screened as part of the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. [10]

In 2020 Barer appeared as a guest star in season 16 of the long-running ABC medical series Grey's Anatomy . Grey's showrunner Krista Vernoff subsequently cast Barer as a series regular in the 2021 ABC drama series Rebel . Inspired by the life of Erin Brockovich, the series starred Katey Sagal in the titular role and was canceled after one season. [11] [12] That same year Barer was cast in the recurring role of Chloe on the second season of the Peacock reboot of Saved by the Bell . Barer also had supporting roles in the 2021 feature films The Ultimate Playlist of Noise and Disfluency , the latter of which starred her older sister, Libe Barer.

2022–present: How to Blow Up a Pipeline and The Last of Us

Ariela Barer attends a 2023 screening of How to Blow Up a Pipeline in Brooklyn, New York Ariela Barer.png
Ariela Barer attends a 2023 screening of How to Blow Up a Pipeline in Brooklyn, New York

In 2021, Barer began collaborating with director Daniel Goldhaber on adapting Andreas Malm's nonfiction title How to Blow Up a Pipeline as a narrative feature film. [13] According to Barer and Goldhaber, the production of the film spanned 19 months, from conception to completion and premiere. [14] The ensemble of actors featured Barer, Kristine Froseth, Lukas Gage, Forrest Goodluck, Sasha Lane, Jayme Lawson, Marcus Scribner, Jake Weary, and Irene Bedard. [15] The film had its world premiere on September 10, 2022, at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was showcased in the Platform Prize program to widespread acclaim. [16] [17] Shortly after the premiere, Neon acquired the distribution rights for North America, with plans for a theatrical release, through negotiations facilitated by CAA Media Finance. [18] [19]

Leading up to its debut at the American Film Market in November 2022, Charades, a French distributor, finalized several distribution agreements for the film. The company then successfully sold the rights to multiple territories, including France (Tandem), the United Kingdom (Vertigo Releasing), German-speaking Switzerland, Austria, Italy, and Germany (Plaion), Benelux (The Searchers), Turkey (Fabula), and Latin America (Impacto). [20] The film made its release in the United States on April 7, 2023, [21] and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on April 21. [22] The film received widespread critical praise and currently holds a score of 95% "Certified Fresh" on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. [23] How to Blow Up a Pipeline was subsequently included on The Guardian's list of "The Best Films of 2023." Amy Nicholson of the Los Angeles Times included the film on her list of 2024 Academy Awards snubs, specifically in the category of Best Adapted Screenplay. [24]

In March 2024, Barer was cast as Mel in the second season of the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us , based on the video game of the same name. [25] Barer's performance was signaled out by critics as one of the season's stand outs. [26] [27] [28]

Personal life

Barer publicly identifies as queer. [29] In addition to acting, she previously served as lead-singer of the Los Angeles-based punk band The Love-Inns. [30]

As of 2022 Barer lives in New York City. [31]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2009 An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong Sonali Matthews [2]
Stellina BlueKamand [2]
2018 Ladyworld Olivia [2]
2021 The Ultimate Playlist of Noise Sarah [2]
Disfluency Lacy [2]
2023 How to Blow Up a Pipeline XochitlAlso co-writer and producer [2]
2026 See You When I See You CamilaPost-production [2]

Television

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2007 Yo Gabba Gabba! Super Martian Robot Girl (voice)Main role
9 episodes		 [3]
2008 ER Jasmine EscalanteEpisode: "Life After Death" [3]
90210 Rana ShiraziEpisode: "Games People Play" [3]
2009 Valentine Young WendyEpisode: "She's Gone" [3]
Weeds ScoutEpisode: "Perro Insano" [3]
2011 Keenan's Crush Samantha4 episodes [3]
2012 New Girl Young Cece Parekh 2 episodes [3]
2013King JohnSofieUnaired ABC pilot [3]
2014 Modern Family SophieEpisode: "And One to Grow On" [3]
I Didn't Do It MeganEpisode: "Ball or Nothing" [3]
Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street Esther PendragonEpisode: "Ranger and the Legend of Pendragon's Gavel" [3]
2015 Liv and Maddie ShaynaEpisode: "Muffler-A-Rooney" [3]
The Thundermans KylieEpisode: "Exit Stage Theft" [3]
2016 K.C. Undercover Alexis McCreeryEpisode: "Undercover Mother" [3]
2017 One Day at a Time Carmen4 episodes [3]
2017–2018 Atypical Bailey Bennett7 episodes [3]
2017–2019 Runaways Gertrude "Gert" Yorkes Main role
33 episodes		 [3]
2020 Grey's Anatomy PaulaEpisode: "Life on Mars?" [3]
2021 Rebel ZiggieMain role
10 episodes		 [3]
2021 Saved by the Bell Chloe5 episodes [3]
2025–present The Last of Us Mel 3 episodes [3]

References

  1. ↑ Frick, Evelyn (April 29, 2025). "18 Things to Know About Jewish Actor Ariela Barer". Hey Alma. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Ariela Barer". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 "Ariela Barer – Credits". TV Guide. TV Guide (Fandom). Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  4. ↑ Bonnet, Alexandra. "Ariela Barer". BELLO Mag. BELLO Media Group. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  5. ↑ "'The Beautiful Barer Sisters Compare Beauty Notes'". April 16, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  6. ↑ "'One Day at a Time's Goth Carmen is Now a Superhero on Marvel's 'Runaways'". November 15, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Carmen Is the New Barb". Decider. New York Post. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  8. ↑ Strom, Marc (February 2, 2017). "Marvel's Runaways Finds Its Cast". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Ladyworld". Rotten Tomatoes.
  10. ↑ Hughes, Kat (June 11, 2019). "'Ladyworld' Review: Dir. Amanda Kramer (2019) [Sydney]". The Hollywood News.
  11. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (February 20, 2020). "'Rebel': Ariela Barer To Co‑Star In ABC's Erin Brockovich‑Inspired Drama Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  12. ↑ Cifuentes, Nolwen (2025). "Ariela Barer Explains Why She's Wary of Celebrity Activism". W Magazine. W Media. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  13. ↑ Zuckerman, Esther (April 2023). "Ariela Barer Will Teach You How to Blow Up a Pipeline". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  14. ↑ Rizov, Vadim (September 12, 2022). "19 Months from Conception to Completion: Daniel Goldhaber on How to Blow Up a Pipeline". Filmmaker Magazine . Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  15. ↑ "How to Blow Up a Pipeline – Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. TV Guide (Fandom). Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  16. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (August 3, 2022). "Toronto Film Festival: Emily Bronte Movie 'Emily' to Open Platform Competition". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  17. ↑ Kay, Jeremy (August 3, 2022). "Frances O'Connor's 'Emily' to open TIFF Platform alongside films from Maïmouna Doucouré, Rima Das". Screen Daily . Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  18. ↑ Ravindran, Manori (September 13, 2022). "Neon Buys TIFF Environmental Thriller How to Blow Up a Pipeline". Variety . Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  19. ↑ Ritman, Alex (September 13, 2022). "TIFF: Neon Acquires Eco-Terrorist Thriller 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline'". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  20. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (November 2, 2022). "Toronto Hit Film 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline' Proves a Hot Seller for Charades (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  21. ↑ Lattanzaio, Ryan (March 2, 2023). "'How to Blow Up a Pipeline' Trailer: Neon's Environmental Thriller Is Off the Rails". Indiewire . Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  22. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (April 20, 2023). "How to Blow Up a Pipeline review – explosively Tarantino-esque eco thriller". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on April 23, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  23. ↑ "How to Blow Up a Pipeline". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  24. ↑ Amy Nicholson (March 7, 2024). "Oscars 2024: What should win? A critic's personal ballot". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  25. ↑ Otterson, Joe (March 1, 2024). "Last of Us Season 2 Casts Danny Ramirez, Tati Gabrielle, Ariela Barer, Spencer Lord". Variety . Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on March 1, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  26. ↑ Siede, Caroline (May 25, 2025). "The Last Of Us caps off a pretty odd season with a pretty odd finale". The A.V. Club . Paste Media Group. Archived from the original on May 26, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  27. ↑ Kennedy, Victoria Phillips (May 26, 2025). "The Last of Us season two wraps with episode seven, but was it a satisfying finale?". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on May 26, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  28. ↑ Arens, Brynna (May 25, 2025). "The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 7 Review: A Devastating and Deadly Finale". Den of Geek . Archived from the original on May 26, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  29. ↑ Foster, Leigh (May 28, 2019). "218: There's Something A Little Bit Queer with Ariela Barer". Lez Hang Out. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  30. ↑ "The Love‑Inns". Junior High Los Angeles. Junior High. June 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  31. ↑ Macaulay, Scott (2022). "Ariela Barer". Filmmaker Magazine. The Gotham. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
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