You probably recognize the face, even if you can’t quite place the name yet. Or maybe you're one of the millions who grew up with her on Nickelodeon Latin America, watching her transform from a bubbly teen idol into a cold-blooded assassin.
María Gabriela de Faría isn't just another actress "making it" in Hollywood. Honestly, she’s a force of nature that has been working since she was five years old.
While most of the world is just now meeting her as The Engineer in James Gunn’s Superman (2025), de Faría has been a household name in Caracas and across the Spanish-speaking world for decades. She’s not a newcomer; she’s a veteran who finally got the global stage she deserves.
From Telenovela Princess to DC Villain
Most people get her origin story wrong. They think she just popped up in Deadly Class or showed up on a casting call for DC.
Nope.
María Gabriela was "raised by telenovelas," quite literally. Her parents were teenagers when they had her—her mom was 15 and her dad 17. Because they were working constantly to provide, the TV became her babysitter. She fell in love with the drama of the screen and begged her mom to take her to auditions.
By the time she was a teenager, she was the face of Isa TKM, a Nickelodeon show so big it basically made her the "Hannah Montana of Latin America."
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But she didn't want to stay in that box.
"I wanted to do things that scare me," she’s said in interviews. That fear led her to move to Los Angeles, learn English from scratch, and start over in an industry that often tries to typecast Latina actresses.
Why Everyone is Talking About The Engineer
When James Gunn announced the cast for his new Superman movie, the internet went into a frenzy over Angela Spica, aka The Engineer.
Playing a member of The Authority isn't like playing a standard comic book villain. Angie Spica is a genius who replaced her blood with liquid nanites. She’s more machine than human in some ways, but María Gabriela decided to ignore the "poker face" direction Gunn initially suggested.
The Telenovela Influence
She brought what she calls "telenovela energy" to the role.
- The Emotional Core: She argued that even though Angie is a "machine," she feels everything deeply.
- The Work Ethic: Telenovela actors often film 40 scenes a day. 40! When she got to the Superman set, the pace felt like a breeze.
- The Training: She spent eight months training for 3 to 4 hours every single day. She shaved her hair. She gave up potatoes (which she apparently really missed).
Basically, she became a real-life athlete to play a digital-age goddess.
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The Mental Health Activist You Didn't Know
It’s easy to look at her Instagram and see a glamorous star. But the truth is a lot more complicated.
For years, María Gabriela suffered from paralyzing panic attacks. She’d be at a party or in the middle of an interview and feel like the world was ending. She told nobody. Not her parents, not her managers. She thought she was "going crazy."
It wasn't until she played Maria Salazar in Deadly Class—a character struggling with bipolar disorder—that she found the courage to speak up. She realized that by hiding her struggle, she was making it bigger. Now, she uses her platform to talk about therapy and anxiety, even when her team originally told her it might make her look "weak" to producers.
She’s a vocal advocate for animal rights too. She went vegan after adopting a cat named Eleanor Rigby. Seeing the cat made her realize she couldn't justify loving one animal and eating another. It’s that kind of radical honesty that makes her feel so human in an industry that feels so fake.
Why 2026 is Her Year
If 2025 was about the world discovering her in Superman, 2026 is about her staying power. She’s already proved she can handle the "big machine" of a superhero franchise, but she’s also keeping her indie roots alive.
She starred in The Duel alongside Dylan Sprouse and her husband, fellow Venezuelan actor Christian McGaffney. Seeing them together on screen is a reminder of how far she’s come from those early days in Caracas.
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What You Should Know About Her Roots
She is fiercely proud of being Venezuelan. She’s the first Venezuelan actor to have a major role in the DC Universe. On the Superman set, she even shared Venezuelan treats like Pirulines and Torontos with the crew. She even tried to get an arepa truck to the set for the final week of filming!
But it’s not all sunshine. Having her parents still in Venezuela during the country's political turmoil is a "constant source of anguish" for her. She’s been vocal about her support for democratic change, proving she isn't afraid to use her voice for more than just a script.
Your María Gabriela de Faría Watchlist
If you’re new to her work, don’t just start with the big blockbusters. You’ve gotta see the range:
- Deadly Class: She plays an assassin in a high school for killers. It’s gritty, dark, and shows off her physical acting skills.
- The Exorcism of God: A horror flick that proves she can lead a genre movie without the help of a cape.
- The Moodys: To see her comedic timing in a dysfunctional family setting.
- Isa TKM: Only if you want to see where the "teen idol" legend began.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you’re inspired by María Gabriela’s journey from a teen star in a struggling country to a global icon, here are a few things to take away:
- Embrace your "odd" background: She used her telenovela experience—something some might look down on—as a "superpower" for her work ethic and emotional depth.
- Preparation is everything: Her 8-month training block for Superman shows that "luck" in Hollywood is usually just extreme preparation meeting opportunity.
- Vulnerability is a platform: By being honest about her panic attacks, she built a deeper connection with her audience than any "perfect" image could.
- Question everything: She often tells her followers to "look for your own truth" rather than repeating what they're told.
Start by watching her interview on the DC Studios Showcase podcast. It’s the best way to see the "bubbly" personality that contrasts so sharply with the "terrifying" Engineer. Whether she’s playing a witch, an assassin, or a nanotech-enhanced human, María Gabriela de Faría is finally being seen for what she is: one of the most versatile actors of her generation.