Extras work can sometimes feel a bit disheartening: you may think you are nothing more than part of the backdrop to a particular scene, and you may long to portray someone a little less two-dimensional.
At other times, extras work can be a considerable comfort to an actor. In a break from a long run of theatre performances it can be a lot less stressful than being ‘in the limelight’ and it usually offers reasonable pay and flexibility, so you can make yourself available for casting calls for other projects.
When it comes to acting auditions and casting calls, you need to switch into ’solo’ mode. You are no longer part of the scenery you are ‘no. 1′. Hitchcock famously said that Disney had the best casting; ‘If he doesn’t like an actor, he just tears him up.’ It is therefore important that you don’t let yourself get ‘torn up’ at acting auditions by not being prepared.
Some actors say you should never do extras casting work: by compromising your talent for the money, you may make it difficult to be taken seriously as a real performer. On the other hand, especially when you are starting out in your career, it is a useful skill to learn. To play a piece of walking scenery is an important discipline and may genuinely benefit an enthusiastic novice.
At Audition Now we can help you with planning your future career as an actor, as well as keeping you posted via your mobile about the very latest theatre auditions and casting calls.
Tags: acting auditions, casting calls, extras, extras casting, Theatre Auditions