Your Casting Call Background: What to Put in Your Experience

Your Profile can include a section about your experience. Many new extras leave it empty because they think they have nothing to add. You do not need acting credits to start, and a short, honest list is better than none. Here is what to put in it.

What casting wants to see

Casting wants to know what you have done and what you can do. A few facts they can picture are more useful than a long list of big claims. If you were in a school or church play, list it. If you have a job that puts you in front of the public every day, that tells casting you are comfortable around people.

Background casting is mostly about types and looks. A scene may need a businessman, a police officer, or someone with a certain build. Your photos do the first job of showing casting who you are, and your experience adds the detail that photos cannot. Write only what is true. A casting director who reads your Profile may mention it on set, and you should be able to talk about anything you listed.

If you have no credits

Most people start with none, and that is normal. Casting books many people who have never been on a set. Leaving the section empty gives them less to go on.

What counts most for background is how you act on the day. Casting books people again because they are reliable and early, have a good attitude, follow the rules, and answer emails, texts, and calls. You cannot list that yet, but you can start earning it on your first booking. Movie Extra Work: Habits That Get You Booked Again explains how.

Use the space to describe your everyday life and skills. A job, a hobby, or a volunteer role can all help. Keep each description plain and short.

Skills that matter on set

Some roles are about a skill. A scene may need someone who can juggle, do a handstand, or ride a unicycle. If a role needs a skill, your Profile is the only way casting can know you have it. They cannot guess. A second language, a sport, an instrument, or horseback riding might suit a certain scene. List what you can really do, and say how well you do it, such as "plays piano for fun" or "plays guitar in a band."

Do not list a skill you cannot do. If a scene needs it and you cannot do it, the day goes badly for you and for the crew.

Looks, sizes and stand-ins

Some roles depend on your body more than your résumé. Height and sizes matter for stand-ins, photo doubles, and costume fits. A stand-in needs a similar look to the actor, a good attitude, and to be easy to work with. One stand-in job often leads to more. If you think that might suit you, make sure your height, sizes, hair color, and skin tone are accurate in your Profile. Extras Casting: Fill In Your Profile Details and Sizes covers the details, and the stand-in guide explains the role.

Keep it short and true

Use short lines, and let each line name one thing. Skip vague claims like "very experienced," since casting cannot check them. A line such as "volunteer firefighter" or "swam in high school" is easier to picture.

Read your experience section once a month, and remove anything that is no longer true.

Some examples of plain, useful lines

Try writing three or four short lines before you decide what to keep. A retired teacher might write "taught school for many years, comfortable speaking to groups." Someone with a farm might write "grew up around horses." A person who coaches a youth team might write "coaches youth soccer." None of these needs a credit, and each one tells casting something real about you.

If a line sounds like a sales pitch, cut it and write what you actually did.

Update it after each booking

After a booking, add the production to your list with your role and the year. Keep your own list too, in a notebook or a file on your phone, since your Profile is not a complete record of your days. Write down the title, the date, the role, and your pay, and save your booking details. Movie Extra Casting: Getting Paid and Keeping Records has a simple method.

Photos need to stay current too. Casting wants one headshot and one full-body or three-quarter photo that look like you now. For your photos, read Background Auditions: Profile Photos That Get You Noticed. For a broader view of what casting notices, read What Casting Directors Look For in a Movie Extra.

Open your Profile today and add one true skill you have.