Campbell stage actress lands first movie role

Susannah Wheeler, right, works alongside an unidentified actress playing her character’s mother in the zombie film “HERD,” which filmed in Poplar Bluff for most of April. Casting information suggests Wheeler is playing a younger version of the film’s main character, Jaime, for flashback scenes. Wheeler began acting two years ago with a role in “Cheaper by the Dozen 2” and most recently joined The Stage Co. for Jesus Christ Superstar.

Photo courtesy of Sara Wheeler

Susannah Wheeler, a fifth-grader from Campbell, got her first acting gig in a production of Cheaper by the Dozen 2 at age 9. Now she is making her film debut in the zombie movie “HERD,” which releases next year.

Wheeler’s mother, Sara Wheeler, explained her daughter was invited to audition for the part during a casting call at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center. They arrived at the very end of the auditions because, fittingly, she rehearses with The Stage Company. After a quick interview with producer Steven Young and head of production James Allerdyce, Wheeler got the part.

“I hadn’t really gotten the opportunity before, but I always thought that it would be cool to be in a movie,” she said.

“HERD” filmed in and around Poplar Bluff during April. Wheeler was cast as a younger version of the film’s main character for flashback scenes. She recalled the experience on set differed greatly from her stage roles. For example, in a live theater performers have one shot to get a scene right, while filming involves multiple takes of the same sequence. This also changes how many lines actors need to memorize ahead of time.

“On stage, we don’t do cuts... it’s all at the same time. You have to memorize it. But in this scene, I didn’t really have to memorize what my (character was) doing because I was doing it at different times,” Wheeler explained.

She also had to watch out for moving cameras, but noted, “I got the hang of it.”

Susannah and her mom were surprised by how much work the cast and crew put into each scene.

“I noticed that there was so much, behind the scenes. I know they must have taken like eight takes for just one little scene,” Sara Wheeler said.

Wheeler regularly watches zombie shows with her dad — as long as no brains are eaten onscreen — so she and the rest of her family are excited to see the final product when it releases online next year. The streaming platforms for “HERD” are to be determined.

The central story of “HERD” involves a woman trying to outrun her past, and becoming trapped between a zombie outbreak and warring militia groups in her hometown. The cast includes Corbin Bernsen of ‘L.A. Law,’ Amanda Fuller of ‘Last Man Standing,’ Ellen Adair of ‘Bull,’ Timothy V. Murphy, who has had roles on ‘Sons of Anarchy’ and ‘NCIS: Los Angeles,’ and Jeremy Holm, who has been on ‘Blue Bloods,’ and ‘Madam Secretary.’

Many of the cast members were in Poplar Bluff in April for filming.

Susannah hopes to be an actress when she grows up, or maybe a paleontologist.

When asked if she wanted to act in another film, she grinned and replied, “Yes, yes.”