Red Velvet
CastRed Velvet > The Cast
The Cast
Taylor Leighanne as Aviva Ardor
Taylor Leighanne is California born and raised. She has been performing since she young by doing school theater productions such as Alice in Wonderland and Fiddler on the Roof.
Taylor studied Acting, Television and Film at California State University Fullerton before pursuing her acting career in Los Angeles.
Taylor can be seen in other short films such as “The End of the World As We Know It” by AME Capstone and “Puppy Love” by Hot Air Films.
Isaac Andrande as Ike
Isaac Andrade was born and raised in California and started making short films during his time in highschool. Once he graduated he started acting in college short films such as Another Place (UCSD) & Planet I.X. (NYFA).
JC Henning as The Receptionist
“Red Velvet” is team of talented creative artists in front of and behind the camera. After attending drama school in London, Ms. Henning worked steadily as an actress in stage productions, films and television shows. Favorite stage roles include Cecily Cardew in “The Odd Couple” starring Tom Poston, The Dream Girls in “Play It Again, Sam” starring Robert Morse and Count Monterone’s daughter in the Los Angeles Opera production of “Rigolettto” conducted by Placido Domingo. JC can currently be seen in the web series “The Roommates” starring Martin Kove, Barry Bostwick and Bruce Davison.
Magalay Castellanos as Mom
Magalay Castellanos is an actress/writer/director/producer from Chihuahua, Mexico. She has been working and training since 2006 including experience in Spain, Brazil, Argentina and the US.
When Magaly moved to the United States she studied at the Michigan Actors Studio, then she moved to San Francisco and studied at the American Conservatory Theater and Shelton Studios before deciding to move to Los Angeles in 2014. Since that time, she has been working in TV, film, commercials, and theater in both English and Spanish.
Her play El Bulto won the people’s choice and third place of the Jury Vote in the Short and Sweet Hollywood Latino Festival 2018. She produced/co wrote and directed the play. In the Short and Sweet Hollywood Latino Festival 2019 she won best actress in two categories: best actress in a play and best actress in a film.
Magaly published a children’s book in Spain in 2010, worked for Exito Latino, a magazine from Los Angeles and Sucesos Multimedia Chihuahua as a writer. She speaks Spanish, English, and Brazilian Portuguese. She has been teaching drama to children since 2014.
BK Phillips as Dad
BK Phillips literally turns heads when he enters a room. The 6’6 former fashion designer turned actor is as talented as they come. His current path as an actor
follows a nearly 20 year career in fashion and as a wardrobe and costume designer for film and television. BK’s size and presence on set drew the attention of
directors and producers, many placed him in the projects he was hired to do wardrobe for. Making the switch from designer to actor has begun to pay off in ways
BK never imagined. With appearances in shows like Bosch, Insecure and as the stoic and deadly Brother Jones on BET+’s
“The Family Business”, BK’s dedication has paid off in ways he’d never imagined.
Rafaela Garcia as Louisa
Rafaela is an actress born and raised in Oxnard, California and has enjoyed acting in her community for almost 10 years. She’s loved being in plays like Don Perlimplin con Belisa en su Jardin, El Gordo, and Asking Strangers the Meaning of Life. She has also enjoyed immensely being in front of the camera in short films and student films over the years. She enjoys acting, continuously learning more about the craft, and being challenged. Rafaela is soooo grateful to be working with such a great director, a talented crew, and an incredibly fun cast in this film.
Jenny Nwene as Britney
Born and raised in Arlington, Texas, Jenny Nwene fell in love with performing at the cool age of 10 years old, after a viewing of Broadway’s Hairspray at The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2002.
Jenny left home for Los Angeles to attend AMDA College & Conservatory of the Performing Arts where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Acting
Excited as ever to be a part of this Swirl of a trio, this production was a wonder to work on for Jenny. She hopes you all will enjoy the love and energy that was put into it.
Deanna Acevedo as Hair Dresser #1
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Mexican-American actress Diana Acevedo has always taken to painting, drawing and drama theater since the age of 5 to relieve her wild imagination. She began her journey taking part in musical and theatrical plays all throughout grade school and into college, where she studied to obtain a degree in Clinical Psychology. After reconsidering the sciences, she spontaneously threw herself back into the arts and moved on to pursue film, television and modeling in early 2016. Over the past 4 years, she has been featured in several web series and is most known for her appearances in various feature films including A Clear Shot and Makhaliss
Lindsay Dantes as Hair Dresser #2
Lindsey is an actor, singer and dancer from Chicago. After trying on many different hats and career paths, she is thrilled to be back in the world of performing. She is incredibly grateful to be a part of bringing “Red Velvet” to life.
You can find Lindsey teaching weekly dance classes online as well as in the upcoming film, “Popping the Question” by Shawna Khorasani.
Ryan Murtha as Customer #2
Ryan Murtha started making short sketches and acting on his HD mini-DV camcorder while he was in his undergrad at the United States Naval Academy. After graduation, he continued to make shorts, acting, and started to study improvisational comedy. While on Active Duty, he performed in various stage and film productions and produced multiple short documentaries about training in the Navy.
Ryan’s work has been selected to take part in Southeast New England Film, Music, & Arts Festival as well as Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival. He is in his final year at Chapman University where he is getting his Directing M.F.A.
Alesha Gillam as Nail Tech #1
Alesha Gilliam is an American Actress and Singer who has performed all of her life. She has done community theatre through out Southern California and has worked in a variety of short films. She has been studying improv at the world class Groundlings Theatre for the past two years focusing on the main core track classes. When not studying or acting Alesha creates her own movie reviews on her personal instagram page and works as background talent to never be too far from a set.
P.K. Mackey as Nail Tech #2
Angelica “P.K” Mackey is an LA based Actress, Comedian and writer who is currently taking the comedy scene by storm. The acronym “P.K” stands for Preachers Kid. Her roots in Charleston ,South Carolina and Virginia Beach, Virginia, have gifted her with southern charm, and a take-charge personality. Angelica has made appearances on FOX’s The Real, Comedy Hype and The Hollywood Fringe Festival.
Collaborating is Caring
I’m always excited to work with new people. Shoot me a message and we’ll get to planning.