Movie Extra Opportunities: Which Roles to Say Yes To

Choose roles you can finish. Saying yes to everything feels productive, but a booking you cannot keep hurts the production and your name with casting. A short check of five things before you tap "Yes, I'm available" will keep you from that.

Check fit

Start with the role itself. Casting for background is about types and looks: a businessman, a police officer, a customer in a coffee shop, or a person who fits a certain costume size. Read the description in the Open Call and ask whether it sounds like you.

Some roles need a specific skill, such as juggling, a handstand, or riding a unicycle. Reply only if you can really do it. Your profile is the only way casting can know you have the skill, so list it there. Stand-ins and photo doubles are matched on height, build, and sizes, so read those details closely. If your look does not match the description, replying will not change the result. Save your replies for roles that fit.

Check dates

Look at the dates carefully and compare them with your Calendar and your own plans. Days on set are usually about 12 hours, sometimes more, and seldom less than 8. Many start at 5 or 6 in the morning, and being on time means arriving 15 minutes early.

If any date is a problem, skip the role. Do not say yes and hope it works out. Some roles also need a fitting, which can be a week or two before, the day before, or the morning of the shoot. If you are not sure about your dates, check your Calendar before you reply and fix it if it is out of date. For help with that, see keeping your Calendar current.

Check wardrobe

Many roles say what to wear or bring. Casting usually asks you to bring about 3 looks, sometimes 3 to 5, and wardrobe picks your outfit. Plain clothes in solid colors, with no busy patterns, logos, or brands, fit most roles. Look through your closet and ask if you own what is needed.

Period roles have extra rules. For a show set in the 1950s, you may be asked to have no visible tattoos, no highlights, and no long acrylic nails. Casting sends instructions first, and you should not cut your hair or shave your beard before the shoot unless casting says to, so the hair department can style you for the period. If a look is something you cannot or will not do, skip the role.

Check location

Extras are usually hired locally, so read the location and think about the drive, the time you would leave, and how you would get home after a long day. Productions seldom pay for travel. Parking is paid only when the production sends you to a paid lot or garage, so read any parking note in the Open Call.

Consider whether you have a reliable way to get there, since a ride that falls through leaves you with no way to arrive. Getting to set and back goes through the details of travel and call times.

Check comfort

Think about what the day will be like. Will it be outdoors in the heat or cold? Is it a night shoot? Will you spend hours waiting? None of those is a reason to say no on its own, but you should know your limits. If you have trouble standing for a long time or are sensitive to heat, pick roles that are likely to be easier on you. Holding is usually indoors or in a heated or cooled tent, and the weather article explains what to bring.

Comfort also includes how you feel about the scene. If a role asks for something you are not happy to do, skip it.

Roles with special requests

Some roles ask for more than your time and your look. A role may ask you to work with your car, bring your pet, or wear special wardrobe. These roles usually pay extra, and casting tells you the amount when you are hired, so ask if the Open Call does not say. You can add pet and vehicle photos to your profile, which helps casting see what you have.

Featured extras are a step above the crowd. A featured extra is singled out, may play a character such as the parent of a child character, and may be on camera, but does not speak. Casting usually sends options to the director or an assistant director, who picks, and sometimes the pick happens on set from the general extras. Say yes to these roles only if the look and the day suit you. Say no to anything that does not.

Reply or skip

When all five checks come out well, tap "Yes, I'm available" once, and do it the same day if you can, since roles are often booked for the next day or two. If any check fails, skip the role without guilt. If you already replied and your plans change, say no early. You cannot cancel on the website. Email or call the casting company, or use the "email casting" link in your Calendar.

Not every role needs an answer. Another one will come along. Reply fast, reply once explains how to move quickly when a role does fit.

Your next step

Open Open Calls, pick one role, and walk through the five checks. For a broader view, the guide to movie extra roles is a good next read.