I work as an extra for a living. So I make money by appearing in film or stage productions in non speaking roles.
Neat! That is an interesting career! Do you have to go through auditions?
Yep, sometimes multiple per day. A lot of war or epic films have even thousands of extras these days
Amazing! I thought they just used effects to duplicate people! Do you have a favorite genre to be in?
Honestly, opera is so fun. Some of those productions are massive.
I see! I've never been to an opera, but I would! I bet plays have some extras as well?
Yeah, in stage productions background actors are often called "supernumeraries".
Cool! So do some extras require more qualifications than others? I know I've seen some auditions that people on the streets can go too.
"supers".
Casting.
Casting criteria for background actors depend on the production. It is not entirely true that background cast members require little or no acting experience, as any type of unrealistic portrayal must include some form of imagination and acting. Punctuality, reliability and the ability to take direction also figure prominently for these cast members. Background actors are often selected on short notice, after all other preparations for the shoot have been finalized.
Several casting agencies specialize only in background work, whilst in the UK
Extra (acting)
A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking or nonsinging (silent) capacity, usually in the background (for example, in an audience or busy street scene). War films and epic films often employ background actors in large numbers: some films have featured hundreds or even thousands of paid background actors as cast members (hence the term "cast of thousands"). Likewise, grand