Former Oswego High School teacher appears on series finale of ‘Shameless’

A face familiar to many Oswego-area residents is on the recently aired series finale of the popular Showtime drama “Shameless.”

Former Oswego High School teacher Eric Feltes, the son of area photographer Jack Feltes, appeared on the long-running show.

A 2004 graduate of West Aurora High School, Feltes was exposed to acting early on, thanks to his father’s work with now-retired OHS drama teachers and directors Dave and Donna Barnes.

“My dad took me to all the plays and musicals growing up there,” he said. “I have very fond memories at OHS from a very young age. I was introduced to the magic of theater at OHS, and this sparked my love of theater.”

Feltes later taught at Oswego High School for four years, before moving to Chicago to pursue acting at age 27.

“Because I was closeted until I was 25, I was very drawn to things I could control. At a young age, I was drawn to teaching, partly because it was stable and secure. I never thought I was worthy of chasing my actual dreams. And furthermore, I felt it would be impossible to be a good and authentic actor while not living an authentic life myself.

“After coming out, I took a look inward and decided to live my life,” he said.

Los Angeles was always going to be his final destination, Feltes said, “But I wanted to stay close to home, at first, to make sure it’s what I really wanted.”

“Chicago was a great starting-off point. I made some great connections and learned so much about the craft of acting, but also the business of it,” Feltes said.

“I think I knew I wanted to be in LA because there is no glass ceiling.

“There are plenty of cities in the U.S. where people can sustain acting careers, but it’s much harder elsewhere, in my opinion,” he said.

While some shows may film in other cities, like the popular “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago P.D.” series in Chicago, a significantly larger number of shows and movies film in the Los Angeles area.

“When I was in Chicago, there were about three to four major casting directors. In LA, there are hundreds,” he said.

Feltes wasn’t able to submit himself for the role of Conklin in “Shameless,” but was submitted by his manager, Victoria Monroe.

“The audition ended up being my whole scene and consists of just a few lines,” he said. “After reading the character description and the lines, as well, my gut told me this character is gay.

“Did it matter to the plot? No, but it helps me to inform the way I portray the role.”

Following his instincts, Feltes submitted two takes to the casting directors: “one where I felt I was playing the role in a way society might believe he is straight and one in which society might believe he is gay.

“When you only have three lines of dialogue to ‘win over’ a casting director, the more specific you can be – while also taking into consideration the given circumstances, relationship to my reader, and environment – the better,” he said.

Without spoiling his part on the episode, Feltes said that his role played into the theme of gentrification, something that “Shameless” has addressed continually in its 11 seasons.

“Over the past 11 seasons, “Shameless” has had a lens on gentrification and how this affects marginalized groups in major ways,” he explained. “As a white … male, let’s just say my small role in the series finale personifies this in a very realistic way.

“It was the best day of my professional life,” Feltes said of his time on the set.

“Every single person I was in contact with, from the woman who did my makeup to Shanola Hampton (Veronica) was grounded, kind, and full of wonderful energy,” he said.

“These are people who have been on the same show for 11 years. I was there for eight hours, and every person went out of their way to greet me and make me feel welcome. They didn’t have to do that, but they did, and that says a lot about this show and this team.”

Feltes’ time on the set was special for another reason.

“The day I was on-site was the day we wrapped on four of the actors. Two out of the four have been in the show for 11 years,” he said. “To be on-site with them for their final day was a huge honor. It was also the last shot they needed inside the bar.

“Between takes, I hung out with two of the actors who played bar regulars; they were just the coolest guys,” he said.

“One of them asked for a selfie and the other asked me to sign his script since it was his final one. Of course, this was a special day for me, but being their final episode, it was very special to them and that meant a lot to me.”

Actors across the world felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown, Feltes said.

In 2020, he had a few auditions and no bookings. But since the start of 2021, he’s had several auditions, his appearance on “Shameless” and two pins – where a role comes down to only a few people.

Feltes isn’t only an actor, but a producer and writer of several original productions, and he has several pieces of advice for aspiring actors.

“Trust that you are enough, because guess what? You are enough. Don’t be someone you think society wants you to be. Be you, because there is only one you,” he said.

Feltes also encourages young actors to “know what your ‘enoughness’ is.”

“So you trust you are enough? OK, but now you need to know who you are. The more you know and love yourself, the more others can know and love you, as well.

“2020 was rough for me,” Feltes said.

But he says he’s doing OK now.

“I got on TikTok and I began to create. I did this to stay sharp on my craft, but also to show casting directors what I sell: my brand, talent and the roles I can play.

“It’s been a wonderful journey,” he said. “I feel like 2020 was the year I put the air in the tires. 2021 is the year I get to ride the bike.”