Stars in movie with Rob Lowe
By Krystle J Bailey
“When his beloved dog goes missing, a young man embarks on an incredible search with his parents to find him and give him life-saving medication.”
That young man featured in the new Netflix family film, Dog Gone, is played by Mays Landing’s own Johnny Berchtold. The 28-year-old Atlantic County native discovered his love of acting at a young age when he enrolled in the Drama Club at George L. Hess Elementary School.
His early love of horror films lit a fire for creativity in his mind and heart, and he hasn’t looked back since. While many children his age would move on to the next movie, Johnny would find himself lost in the behind-the-scenes features, inspired by the direction and talent that went into production.
From Drama Club at Mays Landing public schools to the big screen, Berchtold is living out his wildest dreams while pursuing his acting career in Los Angeles. After graduating from Oakrest High School, Berchtold pursued an education at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. On a whim, he entered a contest that would dramatically change his life’s trajectory.
The ABC Make Me A Star contest was a digital casting opportunity that would ultimately become the catalyst for his acting career. After winning the contest, he was flown out to Los Angeles, where he spent what he describes as “the craziest four days of his life.” He was welcomed into studios and introduced to executives, actors, and directors in Hollywood.
Upon returning to Philadelphia, he asked his now fiance to take a leap of faith with him. The couple moved to LA, and Berchtold has been building his acting portfolio ever since. Starring in a few films set to be released this year, his big debut came with the release of Dog Gone, a family film produced by Netflix in which Berchtold plays the son of actor Rob Lowe.
“I always wanted to play in a movie like this,” shares Berchtold. “I wanted to work with a dog and play a wholesome character. It felt right from the beginning.”
After virtual auditions during the Covid-19 pandemic and a Zoom meeting with the film’s director, Stephen Herek, Berchtold was excited to learn that not only was he cast for the role, but Rob Lowe would be playing his father.
“Shooting the movie was the time of my life. It was the biggest movie I had been in up until that point,” shares the young actor about his Netflix experience. “Rob Lowe invited me to his house for dinner before Netflix flew me out to Atlanta a week before filming just so I could become best friends with the dog, which was magical.”
Before the release of Dog Gone, Berchtold had spent time in New York playing in a much heavier Off-Broadway play, Camp Seigfried. He explains that switching gears from the heaviness of a holocaust-themed play to the light-hearted family film was a shock to the system. However, the outpouring of love and support from his local friends and family, including his two grade school drama teachers, Gay Laubert and Kimberly Tunney, assured Berchtold that he was on the right path in life.
Since the movie, Berchtold tells us that life has been a little strange.
“No one really tells you what it’s going to be like or how to prepare for so many people actually watching the movie,” he explains.
As he relishes in the buzz that is being created by Dog Gone, Johnny Berchtold is looking forward to the future. He is already back in audition mode and excited about what his acting career has in store. He continues to hold onto his fondness for horror films and is writing a few of his own scripts that we hope to see on the big screen one day. There is much more coming from Johnny this year with the upcoming release of Tiny Beautiful Things, which will be streaming on Hulu, and several other projects in the pipeline.
“I just want to keep busy with the work,” shares Johnny Berchtold. “I enjoy it so much. It truly fulfills me.”
Keep up with Johnny’s journey on Instagram @JohnnyBerchtold and TikTok @Johnny_Berchtold.
Krystle J Bailey. Multimedia journalist, Author, Poet.
Connect with Krystle on Instagram @thedailybailey5
