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Shak Ghacha stars in ‘Touch’

Dami Kim, Social Media Director
The following is one in a series of three articles about student entertainers.  Check out Michelle Banayan’s article about Cole Plante, and the April 20 print edition for an article about Noah Centineo by Sarit Kashanian.
Junior Shak Ghacha’s dream of joining the Hollywood stars became a reality in a short period of time. From a small town in Daytona Beach, Fl., Ghacha moved out to Los Angeles during his sophomore year to look for an agent and join the acting industry. Even as a young child, Ghacha was motivated by the actors performing on stage and on the screen.
“Watching movie stars on the big screen as a kid, I have always been inspired by them, and it drove me to be where I am now,” Ghacha said.
Ghacha’s television debut was in “Law and Order.” As his first role, Ghacha played the son of a victim, Alexander Rodriguez. In preparations for this role, Ghacha made sure to show the director and cast what made him different from everyone else.
“There’s not much to auditions. You just need to know your lines and show who you really are,” Ghacha said. “Don’t be fake or something you are not, because that’s not what they want to buy.”
Although Ghacha only played a small role with limited air time on his first show, he recently appeared in two episodes of season three of “Community”, and was chosen to play a reoccurring role on the show “Touch.” Ghacha plays Abdul Kozari, a kidnapped teenager, but who is later saved to play a major role in connecting different characters on the show.
“‘Touch’ has taught me and made me realize how much I love acting,” Ghacha said. “I have to admit I hated [acting] when I first moved to Los Angeles because it was difficult to get into the industry. But I love it now because it gave me chances to walk out successfully.”
Ghacha’s AP Language teacher, Minna Kim, praised his performance on “Touch” after watching the show with a couple of friends.
“I had that embarrassing girl-fan reaction of ‘I know him! That’s my student!’ in front of my friends. I gushed [to my friends] about how he’s not just a great actor, but a great student too,” Kim said. “I was so proud of him. [He is] so smart and talented!”
Ghacha looks up to his favorite actor, Denzel Washington when he has conflicts keeping up with the acting industry as well as handling school and his personal life.
“[Denzel Washington] is the Michael Jordan of the [acting] industry,” Ghacha said. “He inspires me the most because I met and spoke with him, and he mentored me through this crazy maze.”
While still focusing on the present, Ghacha plans to continue to take it one step at a time. In regard to his acting career in the future, “I don’t think I would ever leave this industry,” Ghacha said.  He is willing to sacrifice blood, sweat and tears to make it as an actor.

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