Daniela Melchior appeared out of nowhere four years ago to snag the highly coveted role of Cleo Caza/Ratcatcher 2 in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad,
and she quickly became the film's heart and soul upon its debut in August 2021. Vin Diesel, who voiced Groot in all three of Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy films,
agreed with the critical consensus on Melchior's portrayal, so he cast the Portuguese actor as Isabel, Elena Neves' (Elsa Pataky) street-racing sister, in Fast X.
Melchior knew Gunn had forever impacted her life when he cast her in April 2019, but receiving a direct offer for Fast X was the first time she felt it professionally.
"I sensed [the impact of Ratcatcher 2] the first time I met Vin and Vin's sister, Samantha [Vincent], because they made sure they talked about
Ratcatcher 2 and how they fell in love with my character... Melchior says The Hollywood Reporter, "I didn't audition at all."
Isabel is Dom and Elena's son, and while Melchior did account for future stories involving her character, she's unsure whether Diesel and co.
will have Isabel seek vengeance against Charlize Theron's Cipher for killing Elena in The Fate of the Furious (2017).