Monica Barbaro on Portraying Joan Baez in ‘A Complete Unknown,’ Having a Mixed Identity in Hollywood and Being Mentored by Tom Cruise https://t.co/1ROpmvyydd
— Variety (@Variety) December 27, 2024
Monica was cast in A Complete Unknown in 2023 when James Mangold emailed her the subject line: “Joan is yours.”
“I froze, fell to the ground, and cried,” she remembers. “It was life-changing. I still have a screenshot of that email.”
Monica Barbaro shares a unique heritage with Joan Baez, being a quarter Mexican, a heritage she shares with Joan Baez, whose father was also Mexican.
That connection deepened her bond with Baez. “Reading Joan’s memoir, where she talks about not belonging, felt so personal. That duality of identity is something I want to explore more in my work.”
Her breakout role was as Lt. Natasha “Phoenix” Trace in “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022), which thrust her into the global spotlight
Tom Cruise’s mentorship left the most resounding impact.
“He’s impossibly hardworking but also so generous,” Barbaro says. “He mentored all of us and still makes himself available. I can text him questions, and he always responds. His attention to safety and precision in his stunts is inspiring.”
Cruise’s faith in Barbaro extended beyond “Top Gun.” “He reached out to James Mangold and vouched for me,” she shares. “That kind of support means everything.”
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