Erin Charchut was born and raised in Miami, Florida. When she was a baby, a casting agent who lived in their apartment building told her mom she should bring Erin to an audition for a Pampers commercial. At the audition, to her mom’s horror, the director put Erin on the floor and pushed her tummy around with his foot. Instead of wailing, though, Erin smiled and giggled, and she got the job!
Though her first audition was a success, Erin always put her studies first and only auditioned for a few jobs while growing up. She modeled in a Jordan Marsh catalog as a little girl and still remembers getting to paint a teenage model’s nose while wearing a Garanimals-type outfit.
In high school, Erin was once again “discovered”: this time, by a modeling agent who noticed Erin while practicing with her dance team for the Orange Bowl Halftime Show. Erin was told that if she didn’t stay in Miami and pursue modeling instead of going to college, she would never make it.
Instead, Erin went to Northwestern University, in Evanston, Illinois, graduated with a B.A. in English and Hispanic Studies, worked in advertising, got married, worked in advertising some more, worked in insurance, went back to Northwestern for her M.S. in Elementary Education, taught at an elementary school, had a daughter, T.A.’ed for her old M.S. program, had another daughter, T.A.’ed some more, had a son, and became a full-time mom and volunteer.
While volunteering as a model for a charity fashion show, a photographer told Erin she should think about modeling. Blushing profusely, she told him she wasn’t fifteen anymore (such flattery!). No, he knew that, he said (flattery squashed), but asked who she thought played the “mom” roles in advertising.
Long story short, Erin got a great agent, and began auditioning for commercials, print ads, and television roles, booking several along the way. She relishes the solace of the drive from the ‘burbs to and from her favorite city, Chicago, as it allows her to sing loudly without her family telling her to turn the music down. She is living the dream – one opportunity at a time.