Keyla Monterroso Mejia: Why Curb Your Enthusiasm's Maria Sofia Is My Personal Hero

Summary Maria Sofia Estrada, played by Keyla Monterroso Mejia, is a hilarious and endearing character on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Maria's terrible acting skills and unique personality make her a standout among other characters.

Keyla Monterroso Mejia's portrayal of Maria showcases her knack for playing confident yet incompetent characters.

Maria Sofia Estrada, played by Keyla Monterroso Mejia, was one of my favorite characters to ever appear in Curb Your Enthusiasm, so you can imagine how delighted I was to see her return for season 12. Maria first appears in season 11, episode 1, "The Five-Foot Fence", when a man stumbles into Larry David's unfenced pool and drowns. In order to avoid being sued by the man's brother, Marcos (Marques Ray), Larry agrees to cast his aspiring actress daughter Maria in his new show, Young Larry. There's just one small issue: Maria is terrible.

Maria Sofia Estrada may be the most hilariously bad actor I've ever seen on screen. Not Keyla Monterroso Mejia's performance of Maria, but the character's inability to act (and dance, which she often does at random points). It's almost as if Maria has never seen written words before. She doesn't quite seem to have a grip on what a script is. Every line reading during her audition is bafflingly different. Sometimes she is weirdly erotic, and then she's suddenly violent, attacking Cheryl in the middle of taping. I can't get enough of her and neither could David, apparently.

Related Every Guest Star & Cameo In Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 12 Curb Your Enthusiasm season 12 is here, and as usual, Larry David has assembled an impressive line-up of cameos and celebrity guest stars.

Keyla Monterroso Mejia's Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 12 Storyline Shows Exactly Why I Love Maria Sofia

Maria Sofia Has No Fear And Is Willing To Accept All Good Things That Come To Her

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When Maria returned for Curb Your Enthusiasm season 12, episode 1, "Atlanta", I almost cheered. Not only was Keyla Monterroso Mejia back on the show, but Maria has actually become a star from her work on Young Larry. Now, the wild, unpredictable, objectively untalented Maria is a Hollywood superstar and has gained the confidence and ego to go with it. If you like Maria in season 11, Maria in season 12 is the character on a whole new level. How can you not love this terrible actor who has somehow stumbled into fame and stardom?

She has had all the perseverance to practice, the outgoing nature to put herself up for auditions, and seems genuinely pleased with herself and her success in the season 12 premiere.

She has had all the perseverance to practice, the outgoing nature to put herself up for auditions, and seems genuinely pleased with herself and her success in the season 12 premiere. Sure, she's delusional and doesn't understand the difference between a question and a statement when it's on a script page, but her will to succeed is too impressive to ignore. Mejia was as happy as anyone to break a Curb Your Enthusiasm streak when her storyline crossed over two seasons. She told The Wrap that it was "crazy" to be back for season 12,

"The overwhelming response that I received, I felt really grateful."

Mejia has been having fun on the show since she got there, and has even ad-libbed many of Maria's funniest moments, such as her dancing, which was a double-edged sword,

"What is so sad is I’m trying in that scene. I’m not a great dancer, I know. But that was me trying my best. Immediately, when everyone started laughing out loud, I was like, 'I’m happy that you’re laughing, but oh my god.'"

However, as long as what she did made Larry David laugh, then it was worth it, as she told Vanity Fair what it's like to make the showrunner chuckle,

"I feel like it makes you a monster. You become so addicted."

Between Curb & Abbott Elementary, Keyla Monterroso Mejia Has Made Being Bad So Good

Mejia Is Too Endearing To Get Frustrated With

Keyla Monterroso Mejia has also appeared in another popular TV comedy, Abbott Elementary. Her performance on Curb Your Enthusiasm was enough for the show's creator and star, Quinta Brunson, to hire her without an audition. Mejia plays Ashley in four episodes of season 2. Ashley is a teacher's aide and is equally as incompetent at teaching as Maria is at acting.

Keyla Monterroso Mejia's Notable Performances Title Character Curb Your Enthusiasm (2021-2024) Maria Sofia Abbott Elementary (2022-2023) Ashley Freeridge (2023) Gloria Suncoast (2024) Nurse Mia

Mejia seemingly has a knack for playing characters with outsized confidence, but little to no natural abilities. Honestly, it's the type of confidence I sometimes wish I would have. Mejia is so successful in these roles because of how earnest she is. If she played the characters as rude or arrogant, they would be a lot less endearing. Instead, she plays them with zero fear, and so whether Keyla Monterroso Mejia is on Curb Your Enthusiasm or Abbott Elementary, I'm not doing anything but rooting for her success.