Nickelodeon star Daniella Perkins has made some major career moves over the years! Fans may know the actress from her time on Knight Squad, but that’s not the only notable moment in her career.
“I’ve always been very interested in acting,” Daniella told Seventeen in March 2018. “When I was little, I’d be in plays and memorize everyone’s lines. I was so infatuated with everything that was going on. But I didn’t know I wanted to act [professionally] until I was about 13 or 14.”
Once the California native dipped her toe in the acting world, she couldn’t be stopped. After nabbing her starring role as Ciara, a princess and knight-in-training, on Knight Squad, Daniella started using her platform to inspire young girls.
“Growing up, I saw very few people who looked like me on TV, so with this role, I get to be a person that young people — especially if they’re Black or mixed — look up to,” the actress also told Seventeen at the time. “That, and the fact that I get to be a knight and a princess, shows girls that they can do anything. It’s just great to see a girl in charge and have power.”
Daniella may have said goodbye to her iconic role when Knight Squad came to an end in April 2019, but she hasn’t slowed down. The internet sensation has made a major name for herself on Instagram and TikTok, and teamed up with Sun Bum for a t-shirt hair towel inspired by her “curl journey.”
“You’re always learning with curly hair,” the Nickelodeon personality told Stylecaster in April 2021. “I didn’t always love my curls. I wanted to be one of those girls with pretty wavy hair that you can put up in a ponytail and take out whenever you want … brush it whenever you want to.”
Since then, she’s fallen in love with her hair, noting that her “curls are beautiful.”
“I never want any little girl to feel like her hair isn’t beautiful. Because it is beautiful,” Daniella said, remembering a moment with Zendaya that changed her life forever. “The first thing [Zendaya] told me was, ‘Don’t ever let them touch your hair. Protect your curls.’ That stuck with me. That’s why when I booked Knight Squad my curly hair was a big part of that character.”
Even though she’s said goodbye to that character, Daniella is still inspiring her young followers to be themselves every day. And there’s no doubt that her star will continue to shine! Click through our gallery to see her complete transformation over the years.
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