Elvis Thao, a Public Ally in Milwaukee, plays a Hmong gang member in a new Clint Eastwood film “Gran Torino.”

According to OnMilwaukee.com, Elvis Thao, 26, will play a speaking role in the film that opens this month. It’s Elvis’s first acting role, but he’s a seasoned performer in the hip-hop group RARE — which performs one of the songs featured in the film.

Eastwood directs and stars in the film about a disgruntled Korean War veteran who tries to reform his neighbor, a Hmong teenager, who tried to steal his 1972 Gran Torino.

Thao is a very dedicated member of the 2009 Class of Public Allies.

Listen to this recording of Elvis on a local radio show:

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::