PORTAGE | Justin Wolters was bitten by the acting bug as a third-grader at Hammond's Riley Elementary School.

It was the applause of his fellow students that turned the now 21-year-old onto his future career.

"It was just a rush," said the 2004 Gavit High School graduate, who now lives in Portage.

Fast forward a dozen or so years and Wolters is experiencing that rush again.

He's featured on a WWE Raw Fan Nation commercial now airing on the USA Network.

Donned in medical scrubs -- he once worked as an emergency room clerk at St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers in Dyer -- and looking at the camera with his piercing blue eyes, Wolters describes wrestling moves performed by wrestler John Cena.

"I'm Justin Wolters and I'm a member of the Raw Fan Nation," he signs off from the commercial, stethoscope slung around his neck.

Wolters, who also has been an extra in the Chicago-filmed "The Lakehouse" and "The Break Up," learned about auditions for the commercial from a friend.

"I wrestled in high school and it involved acting. Those were the two things I knew best," he said. He auditioned and then was called back.

"I came in for the audition. I was kind of nervous. I was timid, but wanted to be charming," he said.

Accepted for the commercial, he was flown to Los Angeles and treated like Hollywood royalty during the shoot. He stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel where a premier party for the film "Blood Diamond" was taking place. He missed it though, sleeping through the glitz and glamour, including an appearance by the film's star, Leonardo DiCaprio.

Then Wolters came home and waited. His family videotaped airings of WWE wrestling matches. Then late one Saturday night, or rather early one Sunday morning, he was reviewing a tape.

At 1:30 a.m., he woke his family.

"It was so crazy. I was fast forwarding and all I saw was the scrubs," he said. "It is surreal. Seeing myself on TV is just a totally different experience."

The commercial aired several times in the following week and already has given him some recognition.

"Forty-five people on MySpace asked to be friends in just one day," he said. Friends called and so did family from across the country. He even gave a couple of autographs.

The experience, he says, won't be a once-in-a-lifetime thing. It has boosted his confidence and confirmed he's on the right career path.

He's looking for an agent and hoping to get more jobs in the Chicago area.