How to Become an Extra in a Movie: Your First Week

You can go from no profile to your first reply in about a week, doing a little each day. MyCastingFile is free to join, free to see Open Calls, free to reply, and free to get booked. It runs in the browser on your phone, so there is nothing to download. Here is a simple order to follow.

Day 1: make your free profile

Open MyCastingFile in your phone's browser and create your free profile. Take your time with it and fill in the details about yourself honestly. Casting directors search by city and ZIP code, so your location matters, and they read your profile to decide who fits a scene. Height and sizes matter for some roles. If you have a skill, such as juggling or riding a unicycle, put it in your profile, because that is the only way casting can know about it.

Joining costs nothing, and applying costs nothing. If any site asks you to pay before you can apply for a role, close it. Another sign of a scam is any claim that you must take a class to get roles. There is more in how to spot a casting scam.

Day 2: add your two photos

A free profile includes two photos. Use one headshot and one full-body or three-quarter photo. They do not need to be professional. Stand in good light against a plain background, with only you in the frame, and make sure the picture is clear and in focus.

Skip AI-generated photos, sunglasses, hats, and group photos. Skip out-of-focus shots and old photos that do not look like you now. Casting mostly picks from photos, so what they see has to match the person who arrives on set.

Day 3: mark your Calendar

Your Calendar tells casting which days you can take a role. Tap a day once to mark it available. Tap it twice to mark it unavailable. It saves by itself, so there is no save button to look for.

When you mark a date available and you are in the area, casting sees a small calendar icon on your profile for that date. Fill in the next few weeks now. Count the days you are really free. Days on set are usually about 12 hours, so a day with an appointment in the afternoon is not a free day.

Days 4 to 7: browse Open Calls and reply

Open Calls is where casting directors post roles for background extras. Tap a role to see the dates, the pay, and the location. Read all three before you do anything else, and ask yourself if you can be there on those dates and get there on time.

If the role fits, tap "Yes, I'm available." You only need to tap it one time, and the same day the role is posted is best, because roles are often booked for the next day or two. Marking your Calendar is not enough, so also reply to the roles you want. You do not need to reply to every role, and in your first week one reply is a good start. The article on which roles to say yes to can help.

What to expect after you reply

Casting answers show up in Replies. A red number on Replies tells you how many new ones are waiting, so glance at it each day or two. You may hear back quickly, slowly, or not at all. A broad role can get from 20 to 500 replies or more, so no answer is common and says little about you.

If casting does want you, you will see an availability request or a booking request. What happens after you reply explains both, and how to find your Confirmed bookings.

What your first booking looks like

Casting usually emails wardrobe guidelines the evening before, and many casting offices ask you to bring about 3 looks. The day usually starts early. You check in with the assistant directors and do paperwork, then go to wardrobe, then hair and makeup, then wait. Bring a driver's license and Social Security card, or a passport. Arrive 15 minutes early, since that is what on time means.

The day is usually about 12 hours. You go home after you return any props or wardrobe and check out with the same assistant directors. Pay comes from a payroll company, usually by mailed check in 2 to 4 weeks. The pay article has the details.

Optional extras

Pro is optional, $48 a year, and you do not need it to be booked. It adds up to 10 photos, new-role email alerts, and your own Pro Page. You can add a pet photo or a vehicle photo to your profile, which helps for roles that ask for them. If you are a parent, you manage a child's profile from your own account.

Where to go next

If you have no experience, you are in good company, since many extras start with none. How to become an extra with no experience or agent covers what casting really asks of a new extra. To keep a steady habit going after week one, try the weekly routine for finding casting calls.