Gran Torino family

 Brooke Chia Thao

Brooke Chia Thao, who plays the widowed mother of Tao and Sue, is a mere 36 but she has done her share of mothering. She was born in Laos, immigrated via Oregon and Seattle, and settled in Visalia, California. There she raised four kids who are now 21, 20, 15 and 10. A multitasker, she completed high school with two babies at home.

Now that her kids are growing up, Brooke’s been thinking about her own life again. She’s got no shortage of ambition. She’s attending Fresno State studying Political Science and Business with an eye toward law school.   When the casting agent called with the good news: “I was speechless. I thought I was too young. I didn’t expect to get the part,” she remembers. She’d had no training in acting, but she’d done Hmong dancing when she was young and singing was her specialty.

She approaches the acting with verve. “Clint is very kind. He doesn’t yell at you. It makes my job more creative.” People on set praised Brooke for her energy in a fighting scene where she’s trying to prevent Tao from being dragged off by the gangbangers. “The gang fighters said it felt real,” she remembers with pride, “After that, everyone knew me.”

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