LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Getting your first big job in your dream field is something you will never forget. That is true for Shullsburg native, Sam Uehling, after he booked a part on Investigation Discovery Channel’s ‘Betrayed’.
“This was my first time being on a television show and I truly had an amazing time on set,” Sam said.
Uehling, son of Eugene and Cherie Uehling, moved out to Los Angeles after graduating high school in 2015 to pursue a career in acting and film at the Studio School Los Angeles in the heart of downtown.
In 2019, at the end of his senior year there in, the school held an acting showcase for the graduating class, where they had to perform scenes in front of Hollywood agents, casting directors, managers, and producers.
“It was very stressful, as we had to rehearse over 100 different scenes to needle it to the specific one that showcased us each best.”
After the show, he was signed to Prestige Talent Agency based in Burbank, Calif.
“My talent agent at Prestige, Mark Scroggs, understands my brand well and has been sending me out on auditions both in person and online.”
He went in person to book the part on ‘Betrayed’.
“I personally like going into the physical rooms rather than self taping because the casting directors get to see a bit of your personality before and after you perform the scene.”
The show ‘Betrayed’ is based on real life cases of “deception that end in murder at the hands of a trusted family member, co-worker, lover, or friend”, the description for the show states.
In Uehling’s episode “Little Shop of Horrors”, he portrayed John Gertz, a creepy, nerdy stalker who kills the woman he stalked, Claudette Ficik.
Uehling wasn’t sure if he did well at the audition due to his nerves.
“I was a bit nervous but I guess that helped me look more awkward.”
That must have been just what the producer was looking for. The producer told Uehling he was awkward and creepy.
“Just what you want to hear after a job interview, right?” he joked.
They shot the show for seven days. Sam was there for four. They did 4-5 scenes in those four days at four locations: pet store, cemetery/morgue (which they turned into a police investigation precinct), a big mansion and a high school/library.
The show aired on Investigation Discovery on March 30. Due to the shows different content and storylines for each show, Sam won’t be in any more episodes.
“I’d love to do more of these types of true crime, document-style TV shows though. Very intriguing and fun to play real people.”
He has absolutely loved his time living in California. He currently lives in Burbank, which is also home to Warner Bro’s, Universal Studios, Disney Animation Studios (which is across the street from Sam) and ABC studios.
“Having all those around me keeps me motivated. It all helps me to continue to strive for my insane goals and dreams that I hope to achieve.”
Even though he has made several new connections and friends there, he does miss his old stomping grounds of Shullsburg.
“I miss my parents and friends back home but I’m out here trying my best to succeed not only for me but for them.”
He would love to win an Oscar some day but his number one goal is to buy his mom a house in Malibu with her own private section of the beach. He is not sure what he wants to get his dad yet but feels he is just as deserving.
“My family is my everything and I would absolutely not be anywhere without them.”
He misses his parents and siblings Andrew and Sadie and the family pets, bird LJ and dog Trevor, everyday.
“However things like booking a TV show and them being able to support me across the country by watching it and posting about it and sharing it with people make all this distance and time away from each other worth it. Shullsburg is my biggest support system and I love that town to death. GO MINERS!”
