Xochitl Gomez

Gomez began performing at age five, when she took a musical theater class and appeared in a local production of The Little Mermaid. By age 12, she had performed in 22 full-length musicals and had also acted in student films. She began auditioning for commercials at age 10 and attended multiple auditions around Los Angeles after school.

Raised in Hollywood before moving to Echo Park at age five, Gomez grew up with Spanish spoken at home and strong Mexican cultural influences from her family, friends, and babysitter. Both of her parents are of Mexican descent. Her father is from Morelos, Mexico, and her mother worked as a set decorator for feature films before becoming more available to support Gomez's acting career.

Gomez studied martial arts, including kung fu, beginning at age 11. She later added kickboxing and stunt training to prepare for acting auditions and action roles. She has also spoken about being dyslexic and studying her dialogue closely to avoid mistakes.

Gomez built early experience through commercials, student films, and small television roles. Her onscreen debut came on the Disney Channel sitcom Raven's Home in 2018. She also appeared in short films and the television series You're the Worst and Gentefied, as well as the films Shadow Wolves and Roped.

Her performance as Chucky in Shadow Wolves earned her a Young Artist Award for Supporting Teen Artist. Her early short-film work also led to her selection as a feature actress at the Sundance Institute's Directors Lab in 2018.

In 2020, Gomez joined the Netflix adaptation of Ann M. Martin's novel series The Baby-Sitters Club as Dawn Schafer. The series received critical acclaim, and Gomez was praised for delivering Dawn's social-justice-focused dialogue with frankness and feeling. Scheduling conflicts caused by her work on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness prevented her from returning for the second season.

Gomez was cast as America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. She first auditioned for the role in February 2020, when she was 13 and the character was envisioned as an 18-year-old. The role was later rewritten as a younger teenager, giving Gomez a closer connection to the character's age.

To prepare for a possible callback, Gomez trained in martial arts, kickboxing, and stunt work for hours every other day. Six months after her first audition, she completed a screen test in London with Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Doctor Strange, and was cast two days later.

The 2022 film introduced Gomez as the first Mexican-American teenager to portray a superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. America Chavez is a powerful, intelligent, queer Latina character, and Gomez welcomed the opportunity to contribute to Latina and LGBTQ+ representation on screen. Her performance drew praise, including recognition for the warmth and feeling she brought to the role.

In 2023, Gomez competed on season 32 of Dancing with the Stars with professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy. At 17, she was the youngest celebrity contestant of the season.

Gomez and Chmerkovskiy won the competition on December 5, 2023, receiving the inaugural Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. They became the first individual couple of the season to earn a perfect score and finished the final two weeks with a perfect combined score of 120 out of 120.

Gomez later joined the Dancing with the Stars: Live! tour and performed with Chmerkovskiy during the season 33 finale. She also returned for season 34 in a jive relay with conservationist Robert Irwin.

Gomez has marched in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and participated in the 2017 Women's March.

Her work as America Chavez also connected her with debates about representation. She supported the inclusion of a scene featuring Chavez's two mothers in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, even after the film's LGBTQ+ content led to bans in some countries and online hostility directed toward Gomez.