Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Raél Ba of North Hollywood

We recently had the chance to connect with Raél Ba and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Raél, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I’m most proud of the values behind my work—and the community that grew from them. I’ve been intentional about honoring softness in a world that often rewards aggression. Through my films, social media content, and livestream conversations, I try to remind people that gentleness isn’t weakness—it’s power.
Those values have attracted a community that believes in duality, dream chasing and luxury lifestyle on a budget. Finding joy even in hard seasons. Being trusted to reflect people’s stories, speak to their pain points, or simply make them laugh is something I don’t take lightly. That trust means more to me than anything visible from the outside.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Raél (ray-el), a film and television actress, online personality, and educator based in Hollywood. Raised in Baltimore as a first-generation Senegalese-American, my work lives at the intersection of dreams, duality, and education. Navigating multiple worlds shaped how I see storytelling—and I’m drawn to reflecting the truth that we can be soft and strong, disciplined and playful, ambitious and grounded.

I’ve worked across film, television, theater, and voiceover with studios including Hulu, HBO, Netflix, Starz, BET, and Warner Bros., and trained as a classical actress at Pace University and Yale x Oxford with BADA. I also teach acting at UCLA and am a private coach for teens auditioning for college. What matters most to me, though, isn’t the résumé—it’s creating work rooted in values that connect people and remind them they’re allowed to be multifaceted. And hopefully to make them laugh in the process.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My relationship with my mother shaped how I see myself more than anything else. She was a single mother raising me as her only child, and even during seasons when we struggled financially—or when we were homeless for a year—she protected the magic of my childhood. Every birthday came. Every holiday came. And so did joy. She made sure of it.

She taught me that power isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s refusing to let circumstance steal your wonder. Because of her, I move through the world believing that joy is not a reward—you bring it with you. That belief guides how I love, how I work, and how I dream.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Trust yourself. The answers you’re searching for are often ones you already have. The approval you want will only truly land once you give it to yourself. Don’t let fear make your world smaller—fear is meant to be met, not avoided. If you let it stretch you instead of stop you, you’ll realize the limits of your future were never set by anyone else.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
Tabitha Brown. I worked with her on a film this year where I played her daughter, and even though we only shared one scene, she made a lasting impression on me. She was exactly who she is online—warm, present, and genuinely kind. She didn’t have to take the time to talk with me or keep me company on set, but she did, and it meant everything. Her kindness was effortless and sincere. You’d never know she was a celebrity—just a beautiful human. I was lucky to have her be my mom for a day.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days. 
I absolutely am. Even on cold, late-night shoots, I feel deep joy because I get to do what I love. I haven’t felt this excited since my first year in Los Angeles, when everything felt possible—new milestones, dream collaborations, friendships that carried me through.

The years that followed were hard. The industry went through a lot, and so did many of us. But 2026 has already shown so much promise. There are incredible projects coming out this year, including a few I’m part of, and it feels like Hollywood is blooming again. I’m grateful to be here—not just watching it happen, but truly participating.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.raelba.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raelba_/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raelba/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUK4XcYoySf3qRaa1RirnnQ
• Other: IMDB: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm8789057/credits

Image Credits
Photographer: Ofer Barr