Amanda Brugel

Pointe Claire, a quiet community in The West Island of Montreal is one of those "sleepy" area. It is the West Island, to those who are unfamiliar with it, is a vast area that extends from Lachine to the west. Amanda Brugel is said to have been born on West Island, although it's not the case. Brugel became a young woman living in Courtice Ontario just outside Oshawa. Her early ambition was to become a dancer, but a growth spurt led to her growing beyond her dance partners. In an article in the Toronto Star she admitted In heels I'm 6 feet 1 inch. After I became too big for my male partners I stopped. A lot of dancers go from dancing to acting. In the case of the Brugel family, it was their drama teacher who nudged her in that direction. She was encouraged to audition for a part in her school's production. She was the teacher who suggested that she go after a role in the school's annual production. This led to the award of a Fine Arts Talent Scholarship at York University where she attended the Theater Program and graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree in 2000. Over the past 20 years that followed, Brugel has landed roles in more than 60 productions on the big and small screens. She attracted the most media attention after she was offered the character in the role of Rita in the award-winning television series The Handmaid's Tale (pictured below). Brugel was the character the character of Rita on The Handmaid's tale, a series that was filming over 10 years ago.