Monica Barbaro

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Monica Barbaro
Monica Barbaro Flies with Blue Angels (1) (cropped).jpg
Barbaro in 2022
Born
Monica Maria Barbaro

San Francisco, California, U.S.
Education Tisch School of the Arts (BFA)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • dancer
Years active2012–present

Monica Maria Barbaro (born June 17, 1989) is an American actress and dancer. She began training in ballet at an early age, and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance from New York University. She began acting soon after college, taking on small roles in film and television in the 2010s, before her first major role in the second season of Unreal (2016), followed by further television roles in Chicago P.D. (2016–2017), Chicago Justice (2017), The Good Cop (2018), and Splitting Up Together (2018–2019). Her feature film debut was in the independent film The Cathedral (2021).

Contents

Barbaro's breakthrough came with a supporting role in the action film Top Gun: Maverick (2022), which she followed with starring roles in the Netflix action comedy series FUBAR (2023–present) and as Joan Baez in the biopic A Complete Unknown (2024). For the latter, she was nominated for the SAG Award and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Early life

Barbaro is the daughter of Heidi (née Wagner) and Nicholas Barbaro. She has a sister Eva and a brother, Michael. [1] [2] [3] Barbaro was born in San Francisco and grew up in Mill Valley, California, where she graduated from Tamalpais High School in 2007. [3] [4] Her parents divorced when she was a child. [4] Barbaro’s father is Italian American and her mother is of Mexican, German and Nicaraguan descent. [5] Barbaro started dancing at an early age and went on to study ballet. While taking electives in acting, she completed a degree in dance at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in New York City. [6] After graduating in 2010, she decided to pursue acting and returned to San Francisco. There, she booked a commercial, a short film, connected with an agent, [7] and attended the Beverly Hills Playhouse acting school. [4]

Career

Barbaro gained attention in 2013 for her lead role in It's Not About the Nail, a viral comedy short about communication in a marriage. [8] [9] Her first major television role was portraying the character of Yael on the second season of the Lifetime television series UnREAL . [10] Following UnREAL, Barbaro joined the cast of NBC legal drama Chicago Justice , an entry in Dick Wolf's Chicago franchise, [11] in which she portrayed Anna Valdez. [12] In 2018, Barbaro also played Cora Vasquez on Netflix's The Good Cop, alongside Josh Groban and Tony Danza. Between 2018 and 2019, Barbaro had a recurring part in the ABC sitcom Splitting Up Together . [13] In the 2022 blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick , Barbaro portrayed Lieutenant Natasha "Phoenix" Trace, a naval aviator. [14]

The following year, Barbaro starred in the romantic comedy At Midnight (2023). The film received mixed reviews for its story but Barbaro earned acclaim for her performance. San Francisco Chronicle declared "Barbaro...proves with seemingly effortless charm that she can carry a rom-com". [15] Barbaro, a professional dancer, was able to lend her talents in a scene that involved the two leads dancing a combination of salsa and the tango. [16]

In 2024, she played activist and folk singer Joan Baez in the James Mangold-directed Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown , starring Timothée Chalamet. [17] Barbaro took singing and guitar lessons to prepare for this role. [18] For her performance, she received multiple accolades, including nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role. [19] [20]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2013BullishEva
2021 The Cathedral Lydia Damrosch
2022 Top Gun: Maverick Natasha "Phoenix" Trace
I'm Charlie Walker Peggy
2023 At Midnight Sophie Wilder
2024 A Complete Unknown Joan Baez
TBA Crime 101 TBAFilming

Television

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2015 Stitchers Brenda 'Bentley' MillerEpisode: "The Root of All Evil"
2016 Hawaii Five-0 Ella KohaEpisode: "Ke Koa Lokomaika'i"
Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life Attractive GirlEpisode "How to Survive Working with Friends"
Unreal YaelMain role (season 2), 10 episodes
Notorious Chloe EdwardsEpisode: "Tell Me a Secret"
2016–2017 Chicago P.D. Assistant State's Attorney Anna Valdez4 episodes
2017 Chicago Justice Main role
Lethal Weapon Nora CooperEpisode: "Flight Risk"
2018 The Good Cop Cora VasquezMain role
2018–2019 Splitting Up Together Lisa AppleRecurring role
2019 Stumptown Liz Melero4 episodes
2023 FUBAR Emma BrunnerMain role

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2023 Forspoken Auden KeenVoice role [21]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardsCategoryNominated workResultRef.
2024 St. Louis Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress A Complete Unknown Nominated [22]
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress 5th place [23]
The Astra Awards Breakthrough AwardWon [24]
2025 Vancouver Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actress Pending [25]
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards Best Ensemble Pending [26]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Pending [27]
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Pending [27]
Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress Pending [19]

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References

  1. ↑ Meet Monica Barbaroaccessed 01/24/2025
  2. ↑ Su, Diana (February 20, 2023). "At Midnight: Quiz con Diego Boneta y Monica Barbaro ¿cuánto se conocen?" (Video). Spoilertime.
  3. 1 2 Johnson, G. Allen (May 26, 2022). "Bay Area actress went through grueling 'boot camp' with Tom Cruise for 'Top Gun: Maverick'". San Francisco Chronicle . Hearst Communications, Inc. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Elder, Mike (September 24, 2017). "BA #198: Monica Barbaro". Box Angeles (Podcast). Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  5. ↑ Davis, Clayton (December 27, 2024). "Monica Barbaro on Portraying Joan Baez in 'A Complete Unknown,' Having a Mixed Identity in Hollywood and Being Mentored by Tom Cruise". Variety. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
  6. ↑ Edworthy, Sarah (May 29, 2020). "Interview: Monica Barbaro". Vanity Fair . Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  7. ↑ Zuckerman, Esther (June 20, 2016). "Hot Rachel From "UnREAL" Talks Breaking Into Acting and Playing a Manipulator". Cosmopolitan . Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  8. ↑ Gray, Joslyn (June 6, 2013). "Viral Video: 'It's Not About the Nail' Is a Hilarious Look at Marriage". Babble. Archived from the original on July 13, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  9. ↑ Saperstein, Pat (June 29, 2013). "Variety's Picks: 15 Symptoms of Life in L.A., New Burt Bacharach Book, Goodie Mob Album, More". Variety . Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  10. ↑ Boardman, Madeline (June 3, 2016). "'UnREAL': Before They Were Stars". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on November 15, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  11. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (August 25, 2016). "Chicago Justice's Monica Barbaro Cast as Series Regular". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  12. ↑ Stephens, Stephanie (February 8, 2017). "Chicago Justice's Monica Barbaro Dancing Her Way into Dream Role". Parade. Archived from the original on November 25, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  13. ↑ Dayani, Aahil (April 18, 2022). "What Has Monica Barbaro Been Up To Since Chicago Justice Was Canceled?". Looper . Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  14. ↑ Gilchrist, Todd (June 3, 2022). "How Top Gun: Maverick star Monica Barbaro developed a pilot's swagger". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  15. ↑ Johnson, G. Allen (February 9, 2023). "Review: Bay Area-born Monica Barbaro shines in sappy rom-com 'At Midnight'". San Francisco Chronicle . Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  16. ↑ Busch, Jenna (February 9, 2023). "At Midnight's Monica Barbaro On Dancing, Superhero Films, And Top Gun: Maverick [Exclusive Interview]". Slash Film. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  17. ↑ Strauss, Matthew (April 27, 2023). "Monica Barbaro to Play Joan Baez in New Bob Dylan Movie A Complete Unknown". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  18. ↑ della Cava, Marco (December 27, 2024). "After playing Joan Baez in Dylan movie, Monica Barbaro is no longer 'A Complete Unknown'". USA Today. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  19. 1 2 Lewis, Hilary (January 23, 2025). "Oscars: Full List of Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  20. ↑ Hipes, Patrich; Pedersen, Erik (January 8, 2025). "SAG Awards Nominations: 'Wicked' & 'A Complete Unknown' Lead Film Field; 'Shōgun' Tops TV". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  21. ↑ Saunders, Toby (January 25, 2023). "Forspoken cast: Full list of voice actors & where you know them from". Radio Times . Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  22. ↑ Neglia, Matt (December 15, 2024). "The 2024 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Winners". Next Best Picture. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  23. ↑ "DFW FILM CRITICS NAME "ANORA" BEST PICTURE OF 2024". December 18, 2024. Archived from the original on December 20, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Title Pending 2". Digital Enlightenment Studies. November 8, 2023. doi: 10.61147/des.2 .
  25. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (January 20, 2025). "'Anora' Leads Vancouver Film Critics Circle Nominations With Five Nods". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  26. ↑ Appelo, Tim (November 20, 2024). "Announcing AARP's 2025 Movies for Grownups Awards Nominees". AARP. Archived from the original on November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  27. 1 2 France, Lisa Respers (January 8, 2025). "SAG Award nominations 2025: See the full list of nominees". CNN. Retrieved January 15, 2025.

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