Childers, Schlueter & Smith Attorney Laura Wheale displayed another of her many talents – acting – when she recently appeared in a supporting role as a reporter interviewing Tom Hanks in the newly released film Sully, which grossed $35.5 million in its opening weekend, according to studio estimates from comScore.
Sully, directed by Clint Eastwood, stars Tom Hanks as pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who landed a plane on the Hudson River after the aircraft experienced problems shortly after takeoff. The movie was set largely in New York, but filmed primarily in Atlanta. In her scene, which filmed at the Healey Building in Atlanta, Wheale plays one of the reporters firing questions at the pilot shortly after the incredible water landing.
Wheale Believes in Being ‘Prepared for Anything’
After taking acting classes at the Alliance Theatre as a child, Wheale appeared in community theater in Rome, Georgia. Her first film role was in the feature film A Larger Life, which co-starred Fred Thompson. In 2015, she was cast in the Ang Lee film Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, which is set for release in November 2016, in a supporting role as the title character’s sister Patty Lynn.
“You’ve got to be prepared for anything and everything, ” whether in front of a judge and jury or in front of a camera, Wheale said, drawing parallels between her two professional passions. “You have to perform under pressure in both scenarios.” She told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she remains grateful for the opportunities to pursue her craft.
After attending Jacksonville State University on a tennis scholarship, Wheale graduated from Cumberland School of Law in 2013 and practiced law at Parker and Lundy in Cedartown, Georgia, before joining the legal team at Childers, Schlueter & Smith in Atlanta.