Elijah Fritchman hasn't quite gotten used to seeing his face plastered on the sides of buses and trains in New York City.

        In fact, he doesn't like to see himself on TV or the internet either.  It's more than a little awkward for the naturally introverted 16-year-old.

        "I highly dislike it," he said with a laugh.  "I don't like listening to my voice.  I'm always critical of how I look.  Not that I'm at that level, but you hear a lot of Hollywood A-listers can't watch themselves on screen either."

        While he may not like seeing his work broadcast to millions, Fritchman has succeeded in garnering a lot of attention for his acting in a short amount of time. 

        Three years ago, his mom, Pattie, answered an email seeking a boy in her son's age group to appear in a print ad for a water gun.  Soon after the toy, sold at Walmart, sported the younger Fritchman's face.  At the Bethlehem talent agency handling the ad, a scout insisted he try an on-camera toothpaste commercial.

        And the rest, as they say, is history.

        "They would always say 'well in New York City,'" Fritchman said of his former agency in Bethlehem.  "I'd think, well I'm never going to get there; that's not going to happen.  But eventually I got my first role and things just sort of continued from there."

        That first on-camera role, a public service announcement (PSA) on bike safety for Nickelodeon when he was 13, opened the door for other jobs both in print and on screen.  The Hereford resident has not only continued to print model, for the UK-based La Redoute clothing retailer and others, but to act in commercials and short films. 

        Earlier this year he landed a principal role in a Pepsi commercial entitled "Oh Holy Hype," a spot plugging the soft drink giant's Super Bowl XLIX halftime show this month.  It got more than 2 million views on YouTube alone.

        He also recently did voiceover work for a national Verizon commercial which aired during the Grammys last weekend.  For that role, he was deemed Screen Actors Guild (SAG) eligible, which he said helps boost his resume and gets him higher paying jobs.    

        You can also see Fritchman on public transportation throughout the Big Apple in a birth control PSA he did for the city. 

        The former Upper Perkiomen student, who now attends Charter Arts in Bethlehem, was also hired as the "rebellious teen" for an independent film called "Gehenna Project" slated to come out later this year. 

        It's a hectic schedule and difficult career choice for the junior who has a passion for guitar, his focus at school, and progressive metal.

        "There is a lot of complete uncertainty.  If I was to get a job they don't usually tell you when filming.  They call the day before.  It's so random sometimes and hard to predict what's going to happen," Fritchman noted.  "I think the rate of people [actors] who actually get far speaks for itself.  It's a lot of first impressions, meeting the right people, and being in the right place at the right time."

        His mom agreed.

        "You really are a slave to it," she noted.  "Just my two cents as a parent, when they say 'jump' you have to run because there will be somebody else to take your place.  I've gotten calls at 11 p.m. the night before to be in New York the next morning.  You have to be adaptable."

        You also have to love your work and have the talent to back it up, something Fritchman seems to have no shortness of.

        This week Fritchman will  audition for the NBC mini-series "Heroes Reborn."  It is set to star Jack Coleman, of "Dynasty" and 2006's "Heroes" fame, as well as Zachary Levi, best known for his role as Chuck Bartowski in "Chuck."

        He is also waiting for a call back on various jobs, including scheduling a taping for the second episode of a new Nickelodeon series and a print job for a pharmaceutical company.  Plus anything else that finds its way to his itinerary.

        He said his favorite on-screen roles, though, are serious ones.    

        "The thing I enjoy the most are the very serious roles, the darker roles.  I feel the most comfortable with them.  I really like Johnny Depp and the weird roles he has played and Leo DiCaprio – he can play the sketchy guy as well as the hero and people don't think it's weird or doesn't work."

        Fritchman recently worked with director Edward Zwick, of "Blood Diamond" and "Legends of the Fall" fame, and Richard Speight Jr., an actor and director who plays Gabriel on the CW's hit series, "Supernatural."  He's also done a spot with Jenni McCarthy and met Rod Stewart.

        As he gains experience, he said it helps him be more confident and lose that initial nervousness.   

        "One of the biggest things in being an actor is having no problem with being stupid, being in uncomfortable situations.  I guess I've been able to appear more extroverted," he said.  "The hardest thing is to stay out of your own head.  There's a giant balance between being aware of yourself and not being aware of yourself."

        Fritchman, who along with his mom has gone from country-wise to city-savvy in no time, catches up on homework late at night if he misses school for a morning audition.  He also spends a lot of time in New York taking acting classes and touching base with his manager.  

        "It's not really something I saw myself doing," he said of his current lifestyle.  "But now with the amount of jobs I'm doing it's worthwhile.  I'm very happy doing it."