You might have not even noticed that Uriah Shelton was in 13 Reasons Why.
The actor stars as Pratters in the Netflix series, a background character who makes himself known when he decides that he doesn’t want to hear about suicide awareness anymore in the Peers Connection class.
“Pratters isn’t really malicious like everyone thinks he is,” Uriah tells JJJ exclusively.
“He’s just immature. He hasn’t learned to care about others appropriately yet, but I do like his character because, unlike some of the other characters on the show, he’s honest. And that’s a hard quality to come by in the world of 13 Reasons Why.”
Uriah actually didn’t even audition for Pratters, but was on the first ride out when the producers called him.
“I actually auditioned for two different characters, but I didn’t really fit them,” Uriah says. “I guess the producers liked me though, because I got a call one day asking if I would come up to San Rafael where they were filming to play Pratters.”
He adds, “I loved the project, so even though it was such a small role, I was eager to go.”
Although he’s mainly in the background, you should know about Pratters, because he may be in season two: “I honestly don’t know if Pratters will be returning for season 2, but I’d definitely like to see more of him. I may be a tiny bit biased though.”
We also talked with Uriah about the show’s impact on society and about all the criticism the show seems to be getting lately.
The biggest takeaway for him is to “realize what your actions and words do to other people.”
“Once you do realize the effect they have on others, don’t use them for the wrong reason. Don’t manipulate, abuse, or hurt anyone with them. And if you do accidentally hurt someone, make things right with them. It may be hard, but it’s the right thing to do.”
You can catch Uriah in episodes 1 and 4 on 13 Reasons Why, streaming on Netflix now.
