Monica Barbaro

Monica Barbaro (also credited as Monica Maria Barbaro; born June 17, 1990, in San Francisco, California) is an American screen actress whose work blends physical precision with grounded emotional range. Before stepping in front of the camera, she trained in ballet from a young age and later earned a BFA in dance from New York University—an early foundation that continues to inform her on-screen presence.

After college, Barbaro transitioned into acting, building momentum through smaller film and TV parts during the 2010s. She gained wider attention with a key role in Unreal (Season 2), then expanded her television profile with appearances across franchise and comedy series including Chicago P.D., Chicago Justice, The Good Cop, and Splitting Up Together. Her feature debut arrived with the indie film The Cathedral (2021).

Her mainstream breakthrough came in Top Gun: Maverick as Lt. Natasha “Phoenix” Trace, followed by a leading role in Netflix’s action-comedy series FUBAR. In 2024, she portrayed folk icon Joan Baez in A Complete Unknown, a performance that earned major awards attention, including nominations for the SAG Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.