Hi, I’m Brenda Raquel. A lot of you know me online as Miss Big B or Miss B which came from one of my childhood nicknames, Big B. Ironic given my small stature but I filled the shoes with my big heart, passion and relentlessness. Was I always like this? Yep, pretty much!
I was born to an amazing Christian family and one thing we never lacked in our home was love. Everything I am is a reflection of that love and my God-fearing and worshiping upbringing. I’m 100 percent Dominican but raised in NYC. Growing up in Dyckman (known as Inwood,) I couldn’t forget where I came from even if I tried. Being raised in a city like New York, prepares you for any and every thing. “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.” Well, I’m still out here trying to make it!
The acting bug bit me at a young age. I’d watch novelas and sitcoms and would recite the actors’ lines, especially if they were fast-paced because I wanted to know how they did that! I joined the theater and dance clubs in middle school, while being in all the sports teams made available. After not getting accepted into one of the top performing arts schools, I went on to High School and stopped doing all the things I loved. Once I graduated, a friend introduced me to an actor who was shooting an independent film. He booked me for a lead role and I was back at it again! Unfortunately, that project wasn’t completed and I stopped acting for the next several years. One day, (and I knew it would come sooner or later,) I had an epiphany and began taking acting classes and workshops to work on the craft. I didn’t dare call myself an Actor until I felt I had put in the work.
Since then, I’ve been in numerous projects, written, & produced my own short films. My biggest role to date is a recurring role in the infamous Law & Order SVU as Lulu Davis. An actor’s dream come true!
Here’s a joke I said when I started acting again as an adult: “If I don’t make it in a year, I’ll just stop.” It’s been quite a few years since then and after maturing from that very naive comment, I’ve learned to enjoy the journey because I know the destination is God-ordained and bigger than me. My journey may also take a little longer because there are things I wouldn’t compromise for the sake of “making it.”
Thank you for reading this far. Thank you for your support.