Porter Lynn is from the Silicon Valley in Northern California. She moved to Los Angeles after studying Biology/Psychology at UC Davis, in order to pursue her love of acting. Her theater credits include Bye Bye Birdie and Under the Sea. She has also appeared in many short films, such as McConnell Blvd. and All at Once, but Touch is her first feature film and lead role.
John Ruby (Brendan)
A native of Wisconsin and a graduate of Northwestern University, John Ruby is proud to be making his living as an actor in Los Angeles. His film credits include You, Me and Dupree, Ricky, and Touch. He recently made appearances on the television shows Cougar Town, Perfect Couples, and The Event. His theater credits include The Sting and Heaven Can Wait. John recently completed writing and directing his first short film, Endgame , which was accepted into the prestigious Beloit International Film Festival.
Melinda Bennett (Sandie)
Melinda was born in a very small town in southern Virginia. At the age of 8, she fell in love with dancing and acting. After receiving her BFA in Dance/Theatre from ECU in NC, she saved her pennies and moved to LA. Her TV credits include Lucky, Will and Grace, Spin City, Terminator, Pushing Daisies, and the new TNT show Franklin and Bash. She has appeared in 7 independent films, including Touch and The Price of Happiness. Melinda is very excited to be living out her childhood dream and feels especially grateful for being a part of this film.
Tony LaThanh (Ky)
Tony LaThanh was the last actor that came in to audition for the role of Ky and left a lasting impression. His film and TV credits include Night Boys, Drake and Joss, Underpass and Touch. He also has appeared in numerous plays: FOB, Shape of Things and Soldiers Don’t Cry.
Long Nguyen (Father)
Long caught the acting bug in 1992 when he followed a friend to an open audition for Oliver Stone’s Heaven and Earth and has been acting since. His film credits include: Heaven and Earth, Operation Dumbo Drop, Into Thin Air/Death On Everest, Coyote Waits, Green Dragon, Living in Seduced Circumstances, and Touch. His TV credits: CSI: NY, American Dreams, JAG and John Doe. He won “Best Actor” for Journey From the Fall at the 2006 Newport Beach Film Festival and also for Aspara at the 2003 California Independent Film Festival.
Hiep Thi Le (Mother)
Living in the Oakland projects in 1992, Hiep Thi Le took the fateful decision of following her sister to an audition in the trade off that she could hitch a ride to her favorite flea market. That audition landed her the lead role in Oliver Stone’s Heaven and Earth alongside Tommy Lee Jones. Her natural talent quickly landed her many diverse roles in movies such as LGBT cult classic Bugis Street, Tracy Ulman’s Tracy Takes On, Singapore’s first horror revival Return to Pontianak and the award winning Timothy Linh Bui’s Green Dragon.
Trisha Nguyen (Little Tam)
Trisha Nguyen is seven years old. She was born and raised in Orange County, California. She loves to sing, act and dance since she was two years old. Trisha landed the role of Little Tam in Touch when her mother brought her to our open audition. On the set, she charmed everyone with her big smile. At school, her favorite subjects are math, reading and writing. Her favorite sport is baseball. Her role model and favorite actress is Selena Gomez. Currently, Trisha is learning how to play the piano because she wants to be in a band someday.
My Lan (Bich)
My Lan is a Vietnamese singer living in Westminster, CA. She has been singing since she was nine years old, carving out a successful solo career from Vietnam to America. She has recorded many albums and sung for Thuy Nga and Asia Entertainment. My Lan brought her two youngest boys to our open audition, hoping to find a role for them, but while she was there, the director asked her to read for the part of the nail salon owner Bich, and the rest is history. Touch marks her acting debut.
Tuy Thanh (Quyen)
Tuy Thanh has been acting for more than 40 years. Well-known for her improvised skills, she has appeared in countless Vietnamese plays, skits and variety shows, including the upcoming Dai Nhac Hoi Kich Song Tuy Hong. Her recent film credits include Sad Fish and Touch.
Eliza Ngo (Linh)
Born in Saigon, Vietnam, Eliza Ngo and her family moved to the United States in the 1990s, where she began taking acting lessons in her late teens. Her feature credits include Touch and The Obligation. Her TV credit includes a recurring character on the dramatic series Bolsa Love Story. Eliza is also very active in the Vietnamese community. Along with her mother, the poet Ngo Tinh Yen, they have organized fund-raising events for non-profit organizations like V.O.I.C.E (Vietnamese Overseas Initiative for Conscience Empowerment) and SMF (Somaly Mam Foundation), whose mission is to prevent the sex trafficking of Vietnamese women.
Bety Le (Hong)
Bety Le holds a BFA in acting from CalArts. Her film/TV credits include Pirates of the Caribbean 4,Pretty Little Liars, and Touch. Her theater credits: Peter Pan w/ 3D(Tootles/Peter Pan understudy), and Cats w/ CMT (Sillabub).
Charmain L. Crook (Customer #1)
Charmain L. Crook is an actress/writer who resides in LA by way of Alabama. She received her MFA in Theatre Arts from the University of Iowa where she originated many roles. Her theater credits include Hollywood, Misery Street and Live Nude Girl. Charmain has done several independent films and can be next seen in the films Sweet Dreams and Touch.
Marlene Sharp (Customer #2)
Marlene Sharp wears many hats, including that of animation producer and Director of Development at Rubicon Studios in Los Angeles. Noteworthy performance credits include the upcoming film Larry Crowne (written by, directed by, and starring Tom Hanks), the sitcom pilot Donny Clay (written by, directed by, and
starring Jason Alexander), and the animated series MixMaster: Final Force. She is the proud stage mother of Blanche DuBois Sharp, a darling Bichon Frise'-poodle mix, who is dying to break into showbusiness (or at the very least, someone's craft services). All inquiries about the mother/doggie daughter acting duo will be given priority consideration.
Chris Farah (Customer #3)
Chris Farah was born and bred in Southern California. She studied and performed at South Coast Repertory and holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Loyola Marymount University. She has worked on many commercials, plays, comedy sketches, TV shows and films. Her recent credits include Low Rollers, NYC Mosque Commercial, Farewell Mr. Kringle and Touch.
Karen-Eileen Gordon (Customer #4)
Karen-Eileen Gordon is a veteran of over 300 voice-overs, dozens of commercials, piles of plays, an abundance of ADR, oodles of improv and a slew of scripts/skits/ speeches/spots. Her starring role in the indie comedy feature Panama City is now in post-production…her hilarious role in 20th Century Fox's Bachelor Party 2 can be seen in regular rotation on Comedy Central (and got her singled out by online reviewers as delivering "the funniest female part in the movie")…and her romp on Curb Your Enthusiasm is often seen on HBO.
Ashley Popichak (Secretary)
Ashley Popichak studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her theater credits include This Is Our Youth, A Chorus Line and Waiting for Hefty. She recently appears in the film The Unfiltered, Mother of the Year and Touch.
Duc Vuong (Dr. Vu)
Duc Vuong has appeared in several television and film projects including Bolsa Love Story and Touch.
Diem Lien (Vietnamese singer)
Diem Lien is a famous Vietnamese pop singer. Known for her strong and passionate vocal, she has recorded many albums and made regular appearances on the popular variety shows produced by Asia Entertainment. She is often on the road, performing in concerts all over America. She also dabbles in acting, playing the lead role in Ham Tran’ s critically-acclaimed film Journey from the Fall.
