Her affinity for edgier characters led her to spend her summer hiatus filming the Ang Lee film adaptation tentatively titled Tortilla Soup, portraying the daughter of a widowed father played by Hector Elizondo.

Though born and raised in Southern California, Mello initially had no inclinations toward pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. She performed in local theater productions as a hobby and while she was still in her teens, she caught the eye of a talent agent who signed her as a client after seeing her in a performance of Agnes of God with the Vanguard Theater Group.

Mello soon began appearing in guest-starring roles on various television series and became a series regular on the critically acclaimed drama series Nothing Sacred immediately after her first meeting with the producers.

Mello's growing film career includes a role in the hit coming-of-age film She's All That, starring several of Hollywood's hottest young actors including Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachel Leigh Cook and Matthew Lillard. It was Lillard who encouraged her to star with him and Vincent D'Onofrio in the upcoming film he was helping to produce entitled The Spanish Judges. Her other feature credits include the independent films Carlo's Wake, about a family funeral, which starred Martin Landau and Rita Moreno, and Rave.

Mello resides in Los Angeles, Calif. with her Pomeranian dog, Ashby. When not acting, she enjoys traveling, practicing yoga, reading and spending time with her family.

Credit: filmbug.com