When you are cast as a background extra it is one of those gigs that sounds more impressive to your folks back home but is not necessarily glamorous in reality. The truth is that background extra work can be a thankless job with long hours and uncomfortable conditions. “I want to be a star,” you’re thinking. Why would I want to be cast as “background?” As the saying goes: Everyone has to start somewhere.

A hot set is the actor’s classroom. Get out there and build relationships with the directors, the producers and even the production assistants. Make sure you are in front of the right people because you might be just the person they are looking for.

Background Extra work is a great way to start an acting career- by David Pearlstein

I’ve always thought of acting as more of an exercise in empathy, which is not to be confused with sympathy. You’re trying to get inside a certain emotional reality or motivational reality and try to figure out what that’s about so you can represent it. – Edward Norton

Please register below.