Daniella Pineda

She later appeared in the backdoor pilot of The Originals and several episodes of the show's first season. Her first role in a movie produced by a major studio was in 2018, with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

• Name — Daniella Pineda • Born — 20 February 1987 • Birthplace — Oakland, California, U.S. • Known for — The Originals Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom • Education — Mills College • Occupation — Actress, comedian, writer • Years Active — 2010–present

Daniella Pineda was born on February 20, 1987, in Oakland, California, the daughter of Eric Klein and Patricia Pineda. Daniella has two siblings, Anneliese and Elliot. She is a third-generation Mexican American. She graduated from Mills College with a sociology and radio journalism degree. She acquired a fellowship at KALW, where topics she discussed included racism and poverty in the Bay Area.

• Illustration — Pineda in 2016 Pineda's first acting role was in a 2010 episode of Men of a Certain Age, although she created a larger image online; she appeared in several CollegeHumor comedy sketch videos between 2010 and 2011, as well as fashion tutorials on YouTube. Her first appearance in film was the 2011 comedy drama Newlyweds, directed by Edward Burns. It received mostly positive reviews from critics. In 2013 Pineda was cast in her first series regular role as witch Sophie Deveraux in The Originals, a spin-off series from The Vampire Diaries. Pineda made her first appearance as the character in The Originals, a fourth season episode of The Vampire Diaries which was the backdoor pilot for the series. Pineda left the series during season one after her character was killed off. Pineda has said that the series is the work she is most recognised for. In 2015, Pineda starred in NBC's American Odyssey, which follows a team of American soldiers trying to expose a conspiracy. She played a character named Ruby Simms. The show was cancelled after one season. In October 2017, Pineda had a main role in Mr. Roosevelt, a comedy directed by and starring Noël Wells. It was a critical success, receiving a full 100% on Rotten Tomatoes from 34 reviews. In July 2018, Pineda played Zia Rodriguez in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, her first film role for a major studio. Rodriguez, a veterinarian, is part of a mission to rescue dinosaurs from a volcanic eruption. Pineda commented on how realistic the dinosaurs in the movie were, with pulsing veins and dilating eyes. In another interview, she explained how her character was originally going to have a conversation with Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) in which she revealed she was a lesbian; the dialogue was cut for time reasons. In 2019, Pineda starred in the horror film Mercy Black as Marina Hess, a woman who has spent 15 years institutionalized after partaking in a ritual to appease the entity Mercy Black, finally becoming convinced that the creature is not real, allowing her to go live with her family. In May of the same year, Pineda portrayed Cassidy in the Netflix neo-noir series What/If. The show has one ten-episode season to date. In April 2019, Pineda was cast as Faye Valentine in a live-action version of the Cowboy Bebop series. It was released in 2021. Pineda described her character, who is ethnically Singaporean-Romani, as "a smart-ass" and "fun". Unlike in the original anime, the series' version of the character is LGBT. In August 2021, Pineda was cast in Plane, with Gerard Butler in the lead. In 2022, she reprised her role as Zia Rodriguez in Jurassic World Dominion, appearing in the opening sequence; however, travel restrictions and quarantine requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic prevented Pineda, who was in New Zealand, from showing up in another planned scene. She was replaced in her second scene with Varada Sethu. Director Colin Trevorrow was satisfied with the change. Later that year, Pineda was cast as Bess, a saloon proprietress, in the comedy pilot Western.

Pineda was adopted by her aunt and uncle at age 16; she has said that her biological parents are "not really in the picture". She has pushed for greater recognition of Mexican actors, saying that they are "often relegated to obscurity" in scripts and casting, and that Latin America is underrepresented in general. She has also spoken out about being told by casting directors that she does not look or seem "Mexican enough", despite being of Mexican heritage. In January 2025, Pineda's home in Altadena, California was destroyed by the Eaton Fire; the only things she was able to save were her dog and a laptop computer.

Television appearances of Daniella Pineda • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2010 — Men of a Certain Age — Kit — Episode: "Same as the Old Boss" • 2010–2011 — CH Originals — multiple roles — Web series; 3 episodes • 2012 — Homeland — Officer Julia Diaz — Episode: "Two Hats" • Midnight Sun — Daria Wernham — NBC pilot • 2013 — The Vampire Diaries — Sophie Devereaux — Episode: "The Originals" (backdoor pilot for The Originals) • 2013–2014 — The Originals — Sophie Devereaux — Main role; 9 episodes • 2015 — American Odyssey — Ruby Simms — Main role; 13 episodes • 2016–2019 — The Detour — Vanessa Randall — Main role; 22 episodes • 2019 — What/If — Cassidy Barrett — Main cast; 8 episodes • 2020 — Dream Corp LLC — Patient 31 — 2 episodes • The George Lucas Talk Show — Self — Episode: "A New Coping Mechanism" • 2021 — Cowboy Bebop — Faye Valentine — Main role • 2022 — Tales of the Walking Dead — Idalia — Episode: "La Doña" • 2023 — 'Home Economics' — Nikki — 2 episodes