Xochitl Gomez

Xochitl Gomez ( born April 29, 2006) is an American actress. She began acting at age five, performing in local musical theater productions and student films. Gomez made her professional debut in 2018 in Raven's Home. She starred in the first season of the Netflix comedy series The Baby-Sitters Club (2020), and gained wider recognition for playing America Chavez in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). In 2023, she became the winner on season 32 of Dancing with the Stars.

Early life
Gomez was born on April 29, 2006, in Los Angeles, California. Her mother is a set decorator for films, while her father is a construction worker. Gomez is of Mexican descent;  her father is from Mexico. She was raised in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and moved to Echo Park at age five. She grew up with "a lot of Mexican influences" since her friends and babysitter were Mexican, and her parents spoke Spanish at home. Gomez stated that she feels she has "lived in both worlds and that has shaped who [she is] as a person". She has attended public school her entire life.

Gomez took her first musical theater class at age five and began acting in a local production of The Little Mermaid. Gomez continued with musical theater until she was 12 years old, performing in 22 full-length musicals. She also acted in student films. Gomez has cited musical theater as a reason she is passionate about acting. Jennifer Lawrence's performance as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games film series inspired her to pursue a professional acting career. Gomez attended auditions around Los Angeles every day after school for several hours. At times, she would attend four or five daily, an experience she found "crazy". Gomez secured her first parts in commercials at age ten. She found it difficult to book roles because "you would have to be the younger version of an actor or the kid of a famous actor", but she did not resemble any actors. However, Gomez felt her performances in student films helped people notice her talent. She began studying martial arts, including wushu, at the age of 11 to bolster her acting resume.

Career
Gomez made her onscreen debut in 2018 on the Disney Channel sitcom Raven's Home. She also starred in Shadow Wolves (2019), for which she won a Young Artist Award for Supporting Teen Artist. In March 2020, Gomez joined the cast of The Baby-Sitters Club, an adaptation of Ann M. Martin's novel series of the same name, as Dawn Schafer. Released on Netflix on July 3, 2020, the show garnered critical acclaim. Entertainment Weekly stated: "Gomez delivers Dawn's social-justice-themed dialogue with heartfelt frankness." In March 2021, Netflix recast her role for the show's second season due to scheduling conflicts with Gomez filming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).

Gomez starred as America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. She was 13 when she first auditioned for the role of then-18-year-old America in February 2020. The character was later re-written as a younger teenager. Gomez did martial arts, kickboxing, and stunt training for "every other day for hours", hoping to "blow [the casting directors'] minds" in a potential callback. Six months after her initial audition, Gomez received a callback and did a screen test with Stephen Strange actor Benedict Cumberbatch. She was cast two days later. Aged 16 at the time of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness release, Gomez was one of the youngest actors to portray a superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was a commercial success, grossing over $955 million worldwide. Its critical reception was mixed, but Gomez was praised for her role, with Empire writing she "brings impressive warmth and feeling". In August 2022, she was cast in the science fiction thriller film Ursa Major alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

In 2023, Gomez became a contestant on season 32 of Dancing With the Stars, paired with pro dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy. At 17 years old, Gomez was the youngest celebrity to appear that season. On the December 5 season finale, Gomez and Chmerkovskiy won first place and were awarded the inaugural Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. Gomez and Chmerkovskiy finished the season at the top of the leaderboard with a perfect score of 120 out of 120 for the final two weeks of the competition. In 2024, she joined the tour Dancing with the Stars Live.

Personal life
Gomez is dyslexic. She marched in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and at the 2017 Women's March.