Working As An Extra

If you are truly serious about being an actor and want to be taken seriously as an actor, then I highly advise against working as an extra. Allow me to take a moment to shatter some misconceptions about extra work.

1. Extra work is acting.

Extra work is NOT, and I repeat, is NOT ACTING. It's not, I'm sorry. There are actors and there are extras. If you were an actor, you would not be placed in a separate holding area, you wouldn't be yelled at like children by the second ADs and production assistants, you would have first pick at craft services, you would have lines, and you would get paid a hell of a lot more. This leads to me to misconception #2.

2. You can put extra work on your resume.

It does not go on your resume and if you are guilty of putting extra work on your resume, you are telling anyone of real influence (agents, producers, casting directors) that you are an amateur and that you have no idea how this business works. I see it time and time again: I'm talking to someone about past projects and this person is bragging about how many TV shows and films they've "acted" in. You are thinking to yourself, "If you've done so much, why don't have an agent/SAG card/manager"? Then you see their resume and see a score of "characters" named 'dead body #67', 'cafe patron', 'audience member', etc. All of these are listed next to HUGE television shows and films. If you somehow manage to catch an agent's eye and are granted a meeting, I GUARANTEE they will ask you about your credits and will most likely want to see a reel. When you tell this agent that you were just an audience member on "Glee", or a dead body on "Fringe", you can kiss that agent goodbye. You've just wasted their time and they will not be happy about it.

3. It's a great survival job and you'll have time to purse your acting career.

The day rate for SAG extra work is around $135 a day. That's before taxes are deducted so we're talking around $100 a day. You are generally notified a day or two in advance of your call time and shoot date. In order to make an okay living as an extra, you'd have to do this almost every day of the week. Then you are on set ALL day long so where you'd find time to pursue a true acting career is beyond me.

4. It's a great way to gain set experience.

Meh. I'd say doing extra work once is a great way to get a bird's eye view of whatgenerally goes on on set. But there is a huge difference between the set experience of an actor and that of an extra. The job of an actor is much more technical and involved. The extra has no real bearing on the story being told, and they are easily (and cheaply) replaceable. Extras have one action per scene. For example: You are told to walk to the left of the bar carrying a tray of cocktails and set it down. Don't cross in front of the actors or you'll be reprimanded. You do this over and over until the scene is wrapped. Actors deal directly with the director and assistant director, they are usually given better holding areas and trailers, they are provided costumes (extras are sometimes given costumes on larger productions), and they are all around treated better. It just doesn't compare. Trust me.

5. It's a great way to earn your SAG card.

If you are serious about being a professional working actor, you are doing yourself a HUGE disservice by gaining your SAG card through extra work. For one, the process of collecting three SAG waivers is erratic at best. There is no rhyme or reason as to how they are given out and you usually have to work as an extra several (if not dozens) of times before you acquire all three.

So, say you've worked many films/shows as an extra and you managed to get all 3 waivers. You just joined SAG and think that all of the big opportunities will start pouring in from agents wanting to sign you, casting directors giving you auditions, and producers wanting to hire you. Um, wrong?

Your resume is pretty much non-existent (extra work doesn't go on there, remember?) and you have no reel or a very meager one. Well, your weak resume is going to turn off most prospective agents and when they ask for a reel, you'll have nothing to show them. So now, you can't get an agent and you need an agent in order to be seen by high level casting directors. Forget ever meeting a producer and convincing them to hire you based on the amazing audition that never happened. No job for you.

Now you say, "Well I can build up my reel by doing indies and student films". Wrong again. You're part of the union now, which means that you have single-handedly cut yourself off from the plethora of student films and non-union films that actors use in order to gain acting experience and reel material. You can be fined and permanently lose your SAG status by doing non-union work. I've been SAG-eligible for over 6 months now (well I'm technically a must-join) and I don't plan on joining until I have to. There's too much amazing non-union work at my disposal right now.

Many newbie actors are so caught up in joining SAG that they forget the process of working your way up to a professional status. You have to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run. Start out with student films and non-union films so that you can build up a REAL resume with real on set experience. Then you can use your best scenes on your reel. Once you get some great work under your belt, you can start shopping yourself to good agents and managers. A lot of agents don't care if you aren't SAG, but they do want to see a good amount of set experience, good training, and a great photo. If they really believe in you (and you've given them all of the tools that they need), being non-union is small potatoes because a good agent can get you seen for SAG projects. Then, when you become SAG eligible from booking a principal role on a national commercial, or a co-star on an amazing show, you can feel like a true professional that earned their card the right way.

So, in conclusion....

I hope that I have not offended anyone, I'm simply speaking the truth. It's better to read it here, than to be told by an agent or casting director why you're not being taken seriously as an actor. And for what it's worth, I have worked as an extra. I did it once my very first year in NYC....before I knew any better. It only took one time for me to realize that it was not going to be the right path to get to where I wanted to be. Plus, it was hellishly depressing to watch the stars of the TV show that I was working on do what I'd been dreaming of doing for half of my life.

Now, I will say that if you have already built up your resume with student films and indies, you have a good reel, good headshots, and you are still having trouble getting a legit agent, you still have better options than doing extra work to gain union status. It's much easier to get a commercial agent than a legit agent. Commercials are a great way to earn your SAG card. If all else fails and your dream agent won't take you on unless you're SAG, then and only then would I recommend extra work as a way to get it. But, if you're doing everything that you should be, you're working hard, and keeping your skills up, you should have no problem getting the results that you desire.

Progress Report

I had three commercial auditions this week for: Special K, Kindle, and Payless. I received a callback for Special K that took place on Friday the 7th, and I'm also holding for the shoot dates. It shoots next week in Toronto and if I book it, it'll force me into joining SAG since I'm currently a must-join. Fingers crossed!