She's also made moves into the movie world, starring alongside Jonathan Lipnicki and Bow Wow in family basketball movie “Like Mike”, “Leave It To Beaver” and in “Santa With Muscles” with ex-wrestler Hulk Hogan. She's also starred alongside two of today's biggest teen actresses Lindsay Lohan (in "Get A Clue") and Hilary Duff (in "A Cinderella Story"). Plus she featured in the Disney Channel movie “The Ultimate Christmas Present” (with Hallee Hirsh and Spencer Breslin) – for which she won her first ever award, for Best Supporting Young Actress in a Comedy TV Movie, at the 2000 Young Artist Awards.

Brenda will also appear in Jennifer Lopez and Nicole Kidman's new movie, “American Darlings”, which is set during the swing era. Another project in the pipeline is a new Disney Channel movie, "Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior", in which she'll star as a teen who dreams of becoming homecoming queen, until she finds out she's the reincarnation of a Chinese warrior and has to save the world.

Through being in the public eye, Brenda hopes to become a role model for Asian-American girls, encouraging them to strive to achieve their dreams. “Growing up I didn’t see anyone on TV that was Asian where I thought I could grow up like her. I hope I’m opening doors. Now there are so many opportunities for Asians. Society has really changed. I think hopefully that I can show if one works really hard and you really believe in yourself, you can do anything,” she has said.

Off-screen, beautiful Brenda, who describes herself as a "total dork", lives with her parents and younger brothers, Timmy and Nathan, in a suburb of Los Angeles. She says family is very important to her, and one of the drawbacks of being a busy actress is not getting to see her loved ones: “The biggest sacrifice is my family. My brothers are growing up before my eyes and I don’t want to miss that. We’re all growing up so fast. Cherish every moment you have with your family.”

Like any girl her age, she loves shopping. When she's not at the mall, Brenda can be found sampling international cuisine and studying (“education is the most important thing”). She loves all kinds of music, from the Spice Girls to 2Pac. She is also a big fan of the Los Angeles Lakers.

One last thing to remember about Brenda, don't mess with her. She may look like just a pretty face but she has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and could definitely kick your butt.