We were lucky to catch up with Samantha Spellman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Samantha thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

After a car accident left me injured, my boss fired me. This left me with all the time in the world to start submitting to background work on the TV shows that film here in Chicago. When I first got on set of Chicago Fire in 2017 in a Molly’s Bar Scene (I’m seen all over the first episode of Season 6), I got bit by the acting bug. After seeing the way things worked on set production wise as well as the actors on the show (Miranda Rae Mayo and Jesse Spencer) being friendly and fun, I decided that this is where I actually belong in life. Jesse Spencer made me laugh so hard on that set. This was when I decided that I need to be a part of this creative storytelling!

Samantha, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an actress and as an empath, I have the ability to place myself exactly in a character’s shoes and feel exactly what they are feeling at a given time in their story. I am most proud of recently landing some agents, getting an actual audition for a speaking role on Chicago Fire and landing some paid roles outside of the Chicago shows. I got to play a guest star role in an episode of Greatest Prison Escapes, which filmed in Chicago last fall. I worked with the amazing director Ari Golan on that. I am also headed to Tennessee next month for a lawyer role in a web series called The Annihilator Series and I just got asked to be involved in a horror film that will be filming in New York in 2025!

I have been training with Glenn Morshower for a little over a year now and I’m about to go to Second City to get more comfortable in improv. I feel like I was put on this earth to entertain people and make them laugh. I’m ready to get into comedy! My biggest dream is to get on SNL!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I grew up in an unstable home and was placed in foster care at age 12. My mother taught me what not to do when you have children. She decided not to fight for her kids after we were taken away. As a result, when my daughter’s father took me to family court, I made sure to never give up on what is best for her. He got custody at first due to a mistake I made (the guardian ad litem gave him custody because I brought up his criminal record and talked badly about him – she said she didn’t believe I was going to foster a relationship between my daughter and her father), but a few years later when my attorney finally said that I had a chance, I took him back to court and I got her back living with me. I learned to never talk badly about the other parent to a guardian ad litem in family court proceedings and I learned just how corrupt family court systems are if they are willing to give custody of children to felons. And I never gave up on my daughter, I took every visitation I could get in the years that she lived with him. The pandemic actually aided me in my ability to get her back. When school went online, her father was unable to stay home with her for that and I was able to, so I got much more time with her. So it was less of a transition for my daughter when she came to live with me.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Yes! Glenn Morshower’s online classes! Not only has he been acting for 50 years so he gives you the inside scoop on his experience in the industry, he is affordable! He is generous, actually cares about his actors and wants to see them succeed. He will also make you laugh so hard in that class! If you are serious about being an actor, I would recommend his classes to anyone! He has really created a safe and nurturing environment for actors to grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/SamanthaJSpellman
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthajspellman/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samanthajane320/