Why Danielle From Netflix's Maid Looks So Familiar
Netflix's new drama "Maid" follows a young mom (Margaret Qualley) after she leaves her abusive husband and tries to provide for herself and her toddler daughter, picking up work as a maid. Amidst the new challenges, she meets and befriends fellow domestic abuse survivor Danielle, who appears in two episodes of the 10-episode series. If she struck you as a familiar face not easily placed, that's because she's played by the talented actor Aimee Carrero, who is only gaining in popularity.
While Carrero is most well-known for her voice acting as the titular characters in the animated series "Elena of Avalor" and "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power," she's been in front of the camera just as much as she's been in the recording booth. "Maid" will not be the last time you see her, either, as she has recently joined the cast for the upcoming spin-off of Amazon's superhero series "The Boys." Carrero's got a diverse acting history of sitcoms and dramas, movies and TV shows, animated and live action, so here's where you might recognize her from.
Aimee Carrero went up against video game monsters in Level Up
After playing several smaller roles, Aimee Carrero's career kicked off when she landed her first regular part as Angie on the 2012 TV series "Level Up." Cartoon Network deviated from their cartoon brand to make the live action adventure comedy in which four teens accidentally open a portal that allows characters from a video game to come into the real world. Coincidentally, one of her co-stars was Jessie T. Usher, who's now known as A-Train on "The Boys."
"Angie is a classic case of big dreamer in a small town," Carrero said in an interview with Culture Brats. "She is motivated by what can be and the experiences that await her in the future. In that sense, we are very alike. There is a restlessness in her that I definitely relate to. I think we are different in that she seems to be more self-assured than I was in high school. There is a confidence in her that I wish I'd had." That ambition became a running theme in many of Carrero's roles after "Level Up."
In the same interview, she expanded upon her love for acting, saying, "Even if it's only for a few months, or a few performances, it's such a unique gift to delve into a character's life, their memories, the things that have shaped them as people. Ideally, it makes you a much more empathetic person, much more understanding of the world and the people in it."
Aimee Carrero had a memorable arc as a spy on The Americans
Coming off of her recurring role in "Level Up," Aimee Carrero effortlessly pivoted from comedy to drama with a guest-starring role on FX's "The Americans" for a short, four-episode arc in Season 2. She jumped right into the Cold War-era undercover spies story as Lucia, a Sandinista freedom fighter from Nicaragua, who's working with the Soviets. She's young and hungry for revolution, but lacking the same experience of the series' Soviet spy co-leads Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip (Matthew Rhys). Elizabeth has to bail Lucia out of a bad situation and they work together on a challenging mission, before Lucia's recklessness ends her story in disaster.
"When the writers created this character, it was a tool for Elizabeth to look back on what maybe she once was when she first started," Carrero said to Back Stage. "It's an opportunity for Elizabeth to try to mentor this very idealistic, very naïve girl, but also to re-evaluate where she's at herself."
In an interview with Talk Nerdy With Us, Carrero said she had a great time on the show, adding, "I had a strange connection to that role because I studied International Relations in college, with a specialty in American Studies, so I felt like I really knew the character and really understood her and her plight." Lucia's story on "The Americans" may be short, but she was undeniably memorable, as Carrero gets you to care about her quickly before the series delivers a gut-punch.
Aimee Carrero starred in the sitcom Young & Hungry
From 2014 to 2018, Aimee Carrero spent five seasons on the Freeform sitcom "Young & Hungry," as Sofia Rodriguez, the roommate and best friend of the main character Gabi ("Hannah Montana" star Emily Osment). The series kicks off with Gabi getting a job as a personal chef for rich tech guy Josh (Jonathan Sadowski), which is soon complicated by their attraction to each other. Sofia was one of the main cast, often supporting Gabi while also trying to figure out her own path in life.
In an interview with Talk Nerdy With Us, Carrero talked about Sofia, saying, "I enjoy her vitality, her ambitiousness, her fierce loyalty and just her overall spirit. I think that she's a wonderful role model for me and definitely someone that I aspire to be like in many ways."
Sofia nearly got her own spin-off series with "Young & Hungry" executive producer and guest star Ashley Tisdale playing her boss, but it was scrapped, according to Deadline.
Aimee Carrero was a crazy Christmas girlfriend in Holidate
While many of Aimee Carrero's more notable roles have been on TV series, she has dabbled in film as well, most recently in Netflix's 2020 romantic comedy "Holidate." The raunchy rom-com puts cynical cool girl Sloane (Emma Roberts) with Australian golfer Jackson (Luke Bracey) together as they pretend to be each other's dates at holiday parties throughout the year, all while slowly — and predictably — falling for each other.
Carrero plays Jackson's date, Carly, at the beginning of the movie, who takes him home for Christmas on just their third date and sets the scene for why he wants a "holidate" — a low stakes friend to spend the holidays with. Carly's parents are overly enthusiastic to see him, welcoming him into the family with matching sweaters, while Carrero plays the part of a crazy girlfriend, too serious for the guy who's afraid of commitment. He ditches her quickly, but her Christmas present to him — khakis — sets up Jackson's meet-annoyance with Sloane. As the final snapshots right before the credits reveal, Carly ends up dating Jackson's friend, Neil (Andrew Bachelor), instead.
Aimee Carrero played the warlock Opal on Exandria Unlimited
As Aimee Carrero's lead voice acting roles on "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power" and "Elena of Avalor" ended last year, she's now moving on to new projects, one of the more unusual being Critical Role's new series "Exandria Unlimited." It's a live-play show with a bunch of voice actors playing Dungeons and Dragons together, involving lots of improvisation and dice rolling, but in a shorter format than Critical Role's usual 100+ episode campaigns.
Carrero came on board as a newcomer to the game, playing her human warlock Opal for all eight episodes. "Exandria Unlimited" gave her more creative freedom than a standard acting role does, as she was able to invent her own character for the story: Opal's a small town girl, setting out on her own for the first time, in a coming of age story that wrestles with her relationship to her mysterious twin sister.
"I was nervous, but I'm so glad that I did it, because it is now my favorite job that I've had," Carrero told ComicBook.com. She brings all her charisma to the role, improvising some of the most hilarious scenes before some of the hardest hitting moments, making her a crucial member of the cast.