She started her career in television, taking supporting roles in Unreal (2016), Chicago P.D. (2016–2017), Chicago Justice (2017), The Good Cop (2018), and Splitting Up Together (2018–2019) with a leading role in the Netflix action comedy series FUBAR (2023–2025)
Barbaro made her feature film debut in the independent film The Cathedral (2021). She portrayed Joan Baez in the Bob Dylan-biopic A Complete Unknown (2024) earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has also acted in the action films Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and Crime 101 (2026) as well as the romantic comedies At Midnight (2023) and One Night Only (2026).
On stage, she acted in the West End revival of the Christopher Hampton play Les Liaisons Dangereuses (2025) at the Royal National Theatre.
Early life
Barbaro was born on June 17, 1990, to Heidi (née Wagner) and Nicholas Barbaro. She has a sister, Eva, and a brother, Michael. Barbaro's father is Italian American, and her mother is of Mexican, German, and Nicaraguan descent. Her parents divorced when she was a child. Barbaro was born in San Francisco and grew up in Mill Valley, California, where she graduated from Tamalpais High School in 2007.
Barbaro started dancing at an early age and went on to study ballet. While taking electives in acting, she completed a degree in dance at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in New York City.
After graduating in 2010, she decided to pursue acting and returned to San Francisco. There, she booked a commercial and a short film, connected with an agent, and attended the Beverly Hills Playhouse acting school.
Career
2013–2021: Rise to prominence
Barbaro gained attention in 2013 for her lead role in It's Not About the Nail, a viral comedy short about communication in a marriage. Her first major television role was portraying the character of Yael on the second season of the Lifetime television series UnREAL. Following UnREAL, Barbaro joined the cast of NBC legal drama Chicago Justice, an entry in Dick Wolf's Chicago franchise, in which she portrayed Anna Valdez.
In 2018, Barbaro also played Cora Vasquez on Netflix's The Good Cop, alongside Josh Groban and Tony Danza. Between 2018 and 2019, Barbaro had a recurring part in the ABC sitcom Splitting Up Together.
2022–2025: Career breakthrough
In the 2022 blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick starring Tom Cruise, Barbaro portrayed naval aviator Lieutenant Natasha "Phoenix" Trace. The film was a critical and financial success and went on to earn a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The following year, Barbaro starred in the romantic comedy At Midnight (2023).
The film received mixed reviews for its story but Barbaro earned acclaim for her performance. San Francisco Chronicle declared "Barbaro...proves with seemingly effortless charm that she can carry a rom-com". Barbaro, a professional dancer, was able to lend her talents in a scene that involved the two leads dancing a combination of salsa and the tango.
From 2023 to 2025 she starred in the Netflix action comedy series FUBAR alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2024, she played activist and folk singer Joan Baez in the James Mangold-directed Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, starring Timothée Chalamet. Barbaro took singing and guitar lessons to prepare for this role.
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter praised her performance writing, "Barbaro sings like an angel, her voice rich, clear and expressive. She gives the character the radiant self-possession of a woman who never loses sight of who she is". He also cited her and Chalamet's duets in the film as being the "standout musical moments".
For her performance, she received multiple accolades, including nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.
She was included in Time magazine's Time 100 Next list in 2025.
2026–present
Barbaro made her stage debut in 2026 acting in a West End revival of the French play Les Liaisons dangereuses at the National Theatre. She starred opposite Lesley Manville and Aidan Turner, with direction by Marianne Elliott. Dominic Maxwell of The Times noted Barbaro's "flawless English voice" and added that her performance is "one of the evening’s hits".
That same year she starred in the romantic comedy One Night Only opposite Callum Turner. Also in 2026, she is set to portray Mira Murati in the Luca Guadagnino directed biographical drama Artificial starring alongside Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman. In June 2026, she was cast in the Untitled Ocean's Eleven prequel opposite Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper.
Personal life
Since early 2025, Barbaro has been in a relationship with actor Andrew Garfield.
Acting credits
Film
Television
Theater
Video games
Discography
Soundtrack albums
Songs
