text: brenda song brenda song ( born march 27 , 1988 ) is an american actress , model , spokesperson , and taekwondo practitioner . song started in show business as a child fashion model . her early television work included roles in the television shows fudge ( 1995 ) and 100 deeds for eddie ( 1999 ) . after many commercials and television roles in the late 1990s , song won a young artist award for her performance in the ultimate christmas present ( 2000 ) . in 2002 , song signed a contract with disney channel and starred in " get a clue " 2002 and since then made significant contributions to the channel , stuck in the suburbs ( 2004 ) and many other productions . in 2005 , song began playing the lead female role of london tipton in the the suite life of zack & cody and the suite life on deck . the character is noted as one of disney 's longest continuous characters . song made her transition into mainstream movies in 2010 when she appeared in the critically acclaimed film , the social network . she also starred in the short indie film first kiss . in 2012 and 2013 , she had recurring roles in scandal and new girl . in 2013 - 2014 , she starred in the fox tv series dads . in october 2014 , song signed a talent holding deal with fox and 20th century fox television to star in a television project . since then , song has been cast in several television pilots for nbc and cbs . early life brenda song was born in carmichael , california , a suburb of sacramento , to a hmong father and a thai mother . her paternal grandparents were from the xiong clan , but changed their last name to song when the family immigrated to the united states . her parents were born in asia and met as adults in sacramento . her father works as a schoolteacher and her mother is a homemaker . she has two younger brothers , timmy and nathan . when she was six years old , song moved with her mother to los angeles , california , to support her acting career ; the rest of the family followed two years later . as a young girl , song wanted to do ballet , while her younger brother wanted to take taekwondo . she said , " my mom only wanted to take us to one place , " so they settled on taekwondo . although song cried all the way through her first class , she now holds a black belt in taekwondo . song was named an all - american scholar in the ninth grade . she was homeschooled and earned a high school diploma at age 16 , then took courses at a community college and online from the university of california , berkeley , with a major in psychology and a minor in business . acting 1995 – 2004 : early work song started in show business as a child fashion model in san francisco after being spotted in a shopping mall by an agent from a modeling school . she began acting at the age of five or six in a little caesars commercial , and then a barbie commercial . her first film role was in the 1995 requiem , an afi student short film by actress elizabeth sung . " she came in confident [ at the auditions ] . she was very focused , and it was very obvious that she loved what she was doing , " said sung . the film is about a waitress / dancer named fong who remembers her loving brother and their bittersweet childhood in hong kong . the seven - year - old song played a young version of " fong " , who is portrayed as an adult by tamlyn tomita . the film won a golden eagle award . she appeared in another short film directed by elizabeth sung called the white fox . song appeared in two episodes of the television program thunder alley , and was a regular in the children 's television series fudge , in which she portrayed jenny . her theatrical film debut was in santa with muscles , a 1996 independent film starring professional wrestler hulk hogan . after a small role in leave it to beaver ( 1997 ) , she appeared in the nickelodeon television series 100 deeds for eddie , where she played chung in thirteen episodes . after 100 deeds , she had a number of small parts in television shows such as 7th heaven , judging amy , er , once and again , the brothers garcía , popular , bette , the bernie mac show , the nightmare room , for the people and george lopez . two of song 's early roles led to recognition in the young artist awards . her role in the 2000 disney channel original movie , the ultimate christmas present , won her the award for " best performance in a tv movie comedy , supporting young actress " . the film centers on two teenage girls , allison thompson ( hallee hirsh ) and samantha kwan ( song ) , who find a weather machine and make it snow in los angeles . her 2002 appearance on the bernie mac show led to her nomination for " best performance in a tv comedy series , guest starring young actress " . in the same year , she was in the 20th century fox family film like mike , which grossed over $ 60 million . the film stars rapper bow wow as an orphan who can suddenly play nba - level basketball . song portrays the character reg stevens , a thirteen - year - old orphan . although the film was criticized for its " frightening myths about adoption " , it was successful enough to spawn a sequel . song did not participate in the sequel . in 2002 , song signed a contract with disney and appeared in the disney channel movie get a clue . after 2002 , song continued to make guest appearances in american situation comedies such as that 's so raven and one on one . she had a recurring role as tia in the disney channel series phil of the future , appearing in seven episodes of the series in 2004 and 2005 . in late 2004 , song starred in the disney channel original movie stuck in the suburbs , portraying natasha kwon - schwartz . the television premiere received 3 . 7 million viewers . the film is about two teenage girls living in suburbia who accidentally exchange cell phones with a famous teen musician . she later said : " when stuck came out it was crazy ' cause we went to six flags and we were there and so many kids recognized us from stuck in the suburbs , i 'm like wow that movie must have done really well . " 2005 – 2010 : wendy wu and suite life shows in 2005 , song began appearing in the role of spoiled heiress london tipton in the disney channel original series , the suite life of zack & cody . the role was named " paris " in an early script and alludes to paris hilton ( london spoofing paris , and tipton is the name of the hotel her father owns in the show ) . she got the role without an audition and was surprised to find her friend , ashley tisdale , working in the show . song says , " london is my fantasy person , i wish i could be her . i wish i had her closet . " the series is about the residents and workers at the fictional tipton hotel in boston and mainly centers around the trouble - making twins , zack and cody martin ( dylan and cole sprouse ) , and london tipton ( song ) . the series premiered on the disney channel on march 18 , 2005 , receiving four million viewers , making it the most successful premiere for the disney channel in 2005 . critics often praised song 's performance in the suite life series . an april 2009 article stated that as london tipton , " song is the one to steal the spotlight " on the disney channel . it said , " if you ever watched an episode of ' the suite life with zack & cody ' you should realize that show is watchable because of one character : london tipton . brenda plays the ditzy spoiled hotel heiress london ( an allusion to paris hilton ) and , if i could say so myself , she does quite an excellent job doing so . " while commenting on song , msn 's 2009 cover story on the series stated , " song is one of the main reasons why the " suite life " franchise remains one of the most successful and highly rated series in the disney stable . " in a 2009 people magazine article , the character was described as a " melodramatic high - seas diva . " the series eventually earned a 2007 young artist award for " best family television series ( comedy ) " , emmy nominations for " outstanding children 's program " ( twice ) and " outstanding choreography " , and three nickelodeon kids ' choice award nominations for " favorite tv show " in 2007 , 2008 , and 2009 . in 2006 song earned an asian excellence award nomination for " outstanding newcomer " for her part in the series . after her debut on the suite life series , song became a regular on the disney channel , and had a voice role in disney channel 's american dragon : jake long series . in 2006 , song had a voice - over role in : the christmas that almost didn 't happen . she later starred in an online series called london tipton 's yay me ! . song 's first starring role as the title character was in the 2006 disney channel original movie wendy wu : homecoming warrior , which had over 5 . 7 million viewers at its premiere . wendy wu was planned to be a comedy , but the directors of the film were having trouble finding a suitable actor with both the comedic presence and taekwondo ability to play the main character , originally named kenny lu . lydia cook , one of the films 's directors , said , " brenda was originally brought in to play the [ supporting ] monk 's role . we started training with her in martial arts , and that 's when we realized that she should be kenny lu . they quickly switched things around and offered brenda the lead in the movie . she had the perfect combination of wit and martial arts . " song had to break a brick with her hand in a screen test before landing the title role . according to the new york times , the film became a " star vehicle " for song . the film was about an average , popular chinese - american teenager whose life is turned upside down by a visit from a young chinese monk ( shin koyamada ) . the monk claims she is the reincarnation of a powerful female warrior and the only person who can prevent an ancient evil spirit from destroying the world . in a second story line , wendy and most of her family struggle with keeping their culture and heritage . song felt she could relate to the message since she knew little about her own people before making the film . she said , " i really identified with wendy because i don 't want to not know where i came from " . to promote the film , she posed for the cover of seventeen , teen people , teen , seventeen malaysia , and several other magazines , and traveled to malaysia , singapore , and costa rica . a wendy wu : homecoming warrior sequel , starring song and koyamada , was announced in the end of 2007 . the film received positive reviews from critics . called the role " a strong departure from her flaky london tipton character in the suite life of zack & cody " , adding that song " shows in this movie that she no longer has to restrict herself to playing the dumb one . " the site praised the film , stating , " wendy wu : homecoming warrior is an enjoyable little telefilm , rife with killer action sequences ( for a ) , and a great showcase of talent in both acting and martial for brenda song . aside from a few totally cliched characters and situations , it 's worth 91 minutes of your time . " allmovie described song as a " charming and appealing personality , even when playing a shallow airhead " . while commending disney for the strong asian cast , a review noted that that it is rare to see a female martial arts star with a black belt . song did most of her own stunt work for the film , with guidance from koichi sakamoto , executive producer for the power rangers series . song was inspired to endure the stunt training by the way her mother dealt with breast cancer in 2005 . disney channel executive vice president gary marsh called the film " buffy the vampire slayer meets crouching tiger hidden dragon " and said of song : " she 's incredibly talented , she 's smart . she adds diversity to our network , and she 's a real kid . " song reprised her role as london tipton in the suite life spin - off , the suite life on deck . the show 's premiere on the disney channel drew 5 . 7 million viewers , and it became the most - watched series premiere on canada 's family channel . the show became the most - watched scripted series among children aged 6 to 11 and among tweens in 2008 . in 2009 , the show was the most - watched scripted series among children and the second most - watched scripted series among pre - teens . disney ordered second and third seasons for the series . in may 2009 , disney channel 's executive vice president gary marsh issued a press release , which stated : " with this second - season extension , the cast of ' the suite life ' makes disney channel history by becoming the longest running continuous characters on our air – 138 half - hour episodes . we are thrilled for them , and for the brilliant , inspired production team that made this extraordinary run possible . " according to the wall street journal , song 's participation in the series led to her becoming highly popular among children between the ages of seven and ten . 2010 – present : film work and television in 2009 , she starred in the telefilm special delivery , a film about bonded courier , maxine ( lisa edelstein ) and 14 - year - old troubled teen , alice ( song ) . the daily record called it a " likeable comedy " . the australian publication urban gave song a positive review for her performance in the film . song also appeared in the theatrical film college road trip with raven - symoné and martin lawrence . song starred as paige in an animated television special for nbc , " macy 's presents little spirit : christmas in new york " . in late 2008 , song made a special appearance at the grand opening of the rta in cleveland . in 2010 , song joined the main cast of columbia pictures ' the social network alongside jesse eisenberg , andrew garfield and justin timberlake . the film was about the founders of the popular social networking site , facebook . song portrayed christy lee , a harvard university student who dates eduardo . the film was critically acclaimed and received nominations for eight academy awards , including best picture and best adapted screenplay . in 2012 , song starred in the short film first kiss along with her social network costar joseph mazzello . first kiss was screened at numerous film festivals throughout the us and won the best short film award at the omaha film festival and film festival . in 2012 and 2013 , song had a recurring role as alissa in the tv show scandal in the first and second seasons . in 2013 , song had a recurring role as daisy in new girl . in august 2013 , song was cast in a leading role in the fox television series dads . song portrayed the character veronica . the show 's pilot episode was significantly criticized by asian american watchdog groups because song 's character wore a stereotypical " sexy asian schoolgirl " costume , which was deemed " racist " by watchdog groups . in an interview with entertainment weekly , song defended the show and denied the racism allegations . fox refused to re - shoot the scenes which were deemed racist by watchdog groups . the show premiered september 17 , 2013 but in may 2014 , fox canceled the series after only one season . in october 2014 , song signed a talent holding deal with fox and 20th century fox television to star in a television project . in april 2015 , song was cast in a regular role in the nbc comedy pilot take it from us . in november 2015 , song was cast in the show life in pieces as bonnie , matt 's crazy hot mess of an ex - wife . in february 2016 , song was cast in cbs pilot bunker hill . later renamed pure genius , the series was picked up by cbs and is scheduled to begin airing in the 2016 - 2017 television season . public image and personal life in 2006 , song was hostess for the " a world of change " annual charity fashion show to benefit optimist youth homes & family services . she also supported the 10th annual l.a. cancer challenge . in 2008 , song was part of the " power of youth carnival " , a benefit for the st. jude 's children 's research hospital . in 2006 and 2007 , she participated in the ymca healthy kids day in chicago . she began hosting a disney special daily segment called pass the plate in 2007 , in which she helps children and their families learn more about nutrition and healthy food . the series is produced in ten countries in association with disney channel . song returned for the second season of the miniseries . in 2005 , an article " maths spotlight on ... brenda song " in scholastic math included facts about song and mathematical guidance from her . song appeared alongside paula abdul and several other celebrities in a " our time to vote " commercial , which aimed to encourage american citizens to vote during the 2008 presidential election . in 2009 , song participated in the " diet pepsi easter holiday house " event . she decorated an egg at the event that was sold in an online auction benefiting feeding america . according to time , song is one of the three disney starlets who have not been involved in the hollywood party girl scene , along with hilary duff and raven - symoné . magazine calls her a " great role model " for young girls . she said in 2005 , " besides hollywood grand - openings and award shows , i try to stay away from the parties . it 's so easy to be swept away from that whole scene because it 's expected of you . i 've never drank or smoked in my entire life , but i 've seen 15 - year - olds drinking and smoking and i just think that 's gross . " on being a young role model to kids , song said : " oh goodness , i hope i can set a good example . if i can do it , anyone can . i 'm living my dream every single day . " in 2006 , magazine named song the " queen of disney " , citing her major contributions on the disney channel . song ranked ninth in netscape 's 2007 " top 10 pretty petites in entertainment " , was voted one of aol 's " top 20 tween ( and teen ) tv stars " , and was ranked # 3 on maxim 's asian hot 100 of 2008 list . song was also ranked # 45 in aim 's " top 100 celebs under 25 " list . tv guide listed her in its 2008 list of " 13 hottest young stars to watch " . in 2009 , song was featured in celebuzz 's " rising stars " list and was described as one of " young hollywood 's most promising rising stars " . in 2009 , the blog angry asian man named her one of the most influential asian americans under the age of 30 . song was a spokesperson for disney 's environmental campaign , disney 's friends for change . she was featured in several commercials on the disney channel for the campaign . the charity 's aim was to explain how children can help preserve the earth and invited them to go to the friends for change website to register and pledge , offering them the chance to help choose how disney will invest $ 1 million in environmental programs . in 2010 , she was the celebrity endorser of the walt disney company 's disney cruise line . in 2011 , she was also the spokesperson of the clothing brand op. in april 2008 a picture of song was used in an ad for an escort agency in the la weekly . a rep from disney told tmz : " this is an unauthorized use of brenda song 's image and her personal attorney has issued a cease and desist to the advertiser . " song filed a libel suit seeking $ 100 , 000 in damages . song said : " as a role model to millions of young people , i feel i have to take a stand against this company in regard to its exploitation of my image . " the settlement was announced in march 2009 . on october 14 , 2011 , people reported that song was engaged to trace cyrus . on june 11 , 2012 , cyrus announced that the couple had ended their relationship . music credits song was part of the disney channel circle of stars , a group of performers from several different disney channel television series . she took part in the recording and music video of a version of " a dream is a wish your heart makes " . the recording was included on the special edition cinderella dvd and on the disneymania 4 cd . the album cd was released in april 2005 under the walt disney records label and peaked at # 15 on the billboard 200 , and # 2 on the top kids audio chart and top compilation albums chart . in 2004 , song appeared in jesse mccartney 's music video for " good life " . film clips from stuck in the suburbs , which included song , appeared in music videos for anneliese van der pol 's song " over it " and taran killam 'a " more than me " , " on top of the world " , and " make a wish " . in the suite life high school musical - themed episode , song performed " bop to the top " and " really great " . " really great " became the theme song for the online series , london tipton 's yay me ! . she sang " bling is my favourite thing " on another suite life episode . in these episodes , song purposefully sang poorly to create the impression that her character , london tipton , is tone - deaf . ian scott wrote and produced demo songs for her . the songs are credited to mark jackson productions , which is associated with warner bros. records . filmography films television web awards and nominations