Jackie Cruz is a Dominican?American actress, musician and former model, known for her role as Marisol “Flaca” Gonzales on the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black. Cruz was born in Queens, New York, and grew up between Los Angeles and in Santiago Dominican Republic. She was raised by a single mother, and she speaks fluent English and Spanish. Cruz was inspired to become an entertainer at the age of seven after watching Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard.