Waukegan HS and UIC Alum Lands Guest Star Role on NBC's Chicago PD.
CHICAGO-Jocelyn Zamudio is only the second woman from Waukegan to land a guest star role on a major network TV show.
At Waukegan H.S., Jocelyn was far from president of the glee club. Her extracurricular focuses were cheer, drill team, and volleyball-she excelled at cheer and drill. These activities proved to be the foundation that prepared her for the rigors of acting. She found comfort in the meticulous nature of mastering precise movements and remaining disciplined.
Jocelyn continued her education at UIC where she majored in Theatre, minored in Law and Society, and was a student athlete on the cheer team. Balancing D1 athletics and theatre is difficult to say the least. However, as a student athlete Jocelyn was still able to perform in 2 mainstage shows her junior and senior year. After her senior showcase, she was scouted by several talent agencies and ultimately signed with Grossman and Jack.
The pandemic started only a year and a half after she graduated. Roles were scarce and harder to land for everyone-but even more so for those with less professional experience. Prior to the pandemic, Jocelyn landed a co-star role on Showtime's The Chi and had steady work as a theatre actor. She knew she had the talent and work ethic to make it in this industry-she just needed the right opportunity.
The moment she got the email from her agents about the audition for Chicago PD, she knew it was different from all the other roles she'd auditioned for. There was little info on the character, but it was apparent it was an intense scene. Her self-tape was immaculate and showcased her emotional range. She beat out local, New York, and LA talent to earn this top-billing role.
Per Jocelyn, "This is far from an individual achievement. This is a win for my parents, coaches, community, and agents-it's a culmination of all our hard work. I'm proud to be the second woman and first Latina from Waukegan to earn a guest star role and I hope to shed light on all the many other talented individuals from there."
Not much can be revealed about the episode-but there will be blood, and there will be tears. It will air March 31, 2021 at 9 P.M. CST on NBC.
For more information: Randall Wood, Brand Manager, 224-595-6707 (mobile); randall@woodbmg.com