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Alum trades law and order for ‘Law and Order’
Ask Johnny Sneed (JD 94) about working on the film “Hollywood Homicide” with Harrison Ford, and you won’t hear the Gulfport native speak in hushed tones about the experience. Instead, Sneed will have you in stitches as he relates one of his most embarrassing moments on a movie set. While doing a scene that involved a lot of action, Sneed inadvertently locked a car’s keys in the trunk while acting out a scene. “The keys fell in the trunk of the car, and I had to keep going with the scene. So I slammed the trunk lid like I was supposed to; but, then, when the scene was over, it was like, where are the keys?” Sneed said, chuckling at the memory. “The director had me take a picture with him, and I got some award for messing up so bad. It’s not the best story about being in a movie, but it is a funny one.” And it’s a story that exemplifies Sneed’s outlook on his life and his career. In the years since graduating from law school, Sneed has landed numerous appearances in commercials and television shows such as “Law and Order,” “Boston Legal” and “ER.” “Working with Candice Bergen in ‘Boston Legal’ was amazing,” Sneed said, talking of his time on the ABC show. “And ‘ER’ was just surreal in a sense. I mean, the set, the show is like an institution, and to be standing there in this place you’ve seen on TV, seeing it in person is a different experience.” Sneed, also a musician who plays drums and sax, began his love affair with the performing arts long before his law school days. As a child, he enjoyed listening to his mother play piano and hung out backstage at the Center Stage Theater in Gulfport where his father performed. Sneed’s parents, as well as his sister, Lori, are UM graduates. “My mom, Patti, is a musician and also plays organ for the church [that] she and my father attend in Gulfport, St. Mark’s,” Sneed said. “My father, John, performed in plays, and that was my first introduction to acting. I realized you could actually pretend to be someone else in front of people.” “I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a lawyer, but I’m glad I took the route I did,” he said. “Studying law and being a lawyer gave me a strong foundation that has allowed me to understand society and how we try to create order out of chaos.” But acting, Sneed said, is his true passion, and his friends agree. “In law school, I thought he had acting ability,” said Goodloe Lewis (JD 94), an Oxford attorney. “I’m glad Johnny was able to follow his dream.” Law school not only opened Sneed’s eyes to the complexities of the world, but it also provided a safety net while he pursued his dreams. “I accomplished being a lawyer, and it was like, OK, I’ve done this. I have the confidence to go and try this other thing I feel passionate about,” Sneed said. “The acting wasn’t so precious that I was afraid to take risks.” After all, risks are what working actors face every day. Sneed said the profession is generally hit-or-miss, to the point that getting a job is not always the best part of the experience. “You’re glad to have a job, of course,” Sneed said, “but you are continually focused on the next job. In that sense, for me, the auditioning process is where I try to find joy because that becomes your chance, and the job is like a bonus.” —Mary Stanton is a communications specialist with UM’s Department of Media and Public Relations. |
