If you are an extra or background talent in a movie or a television show, you will not likely get mentioned or credit is bestowed to you and your character if you are a featured extra. This only happens in rare circumstances.
Depending on the casting agent who sends you to a job, they will tell the background talent that they are usually only background people, that means they act naturally as if they are part of the scene, without drawing attention to themselves.
Featured extras are sometimes called upon to take on more specific actions, which usually do not include dialogue. Dialogue use is very rare for extras, but if utilized by a company, still the work is only for a specific reason to forward on the action.
What parts Can Featured Actor Get
A featured extra can be offered a line of dialogue in production at any point in the filming. Often the lines and or focal point are added in an organic way to improve the action of the scene. Sometimes lines are added as part of the script giving (a chosen person pre-casting or during filming) a line of dialogue to speak. However, extremely rarely are background talent offered a line of dialogue. This tends to happen on lower budget television programs.
But this only with certain productions in certain countries. For instance if you are a back ground extra, in the filming of Shorland Street for a New Zealand and are asked to say one line to enhance the action, you will be known as a featured extra who should get paid more than if he or she didn’thave the line. However, in Hollywood productions usually an extra isn’t normally chosen to speak lines, but if they are, they and then considered an actor.
However, it is up to the production producer if that extra gets actual credits for their show. An \extra can certainly put in their acting resume that they have had a featured role with dialogue.
Examples of Featured Extras
There are a variety of ways a background talent can be considered a ‘featured’ talent. Featured extras can lay down a plate of food for the main characters, hand over a helmet in a War movie, Show a look of horror when viewing a monster that could devour you, or make a wonderful dive into a pool while the camera pans across the pool party crowd drinking and partying. Generally, a featured extra does not get an opportunity to be featured more than once in production.
Here is a video of Marilyn Monroe acting as a featured extra saying one line dialogue.
The allure of the wonderful and sensual Marylin Monroe.
Casting Agents Won’t Accept Extra Parts as Acting Experience
Casting agents won’t generally accept work done by extras as acting experience. However, they will accept acting experience where a character has a significant role which may or may not include dia8logue.
This role will typically be written into the screenplay as an actual character rather than a person who steps in to fulfill a rudimentary function.
If for example, if a character is written in a screenplay to slip another character a secret note and they pass on a knowing wink, it is more likely that character is written in the script as a character worthy for professional actor to portray.
There will likely be a close up of the movement and facial information. The director wouldn’t want just anyone to have this role. The actor portraying the role would likely have a acting chops and a CV to match.
If the production company took a chance on an unknown background actor taking that role spontaneously, there is more room to make mistakes. A train and or experienced actor is less likely to mess it up. Also during the casting process you’d want a certain look who can pull off the roll….not just the look.
Movies Which Did Credit Featured Extras
Many actors who are major stars actually started out as background talent or had very small parts, which weren’t often billed in the credits.
From young method actor Daniel Day-Lewis was almost unrecognizable in the 1971 movie “Sunday Bloody Sunday. He played a young boy who scraped the side of a car door.
Here is Screen legend Marilyn Monroe playing a giggle teenager in the movie 1948 film “Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay.” This was in 1948.
Of course there is always Leonardo DiCaprio in the television sitcom ‘Roseanne.’ He was only a teenager, but clearly had huge things lined up for him.
Renee Zellweger played a background character in the movie ‘Dazed and Confused.’ Leaning up against the wall is the young Matthew McConaughey. Apparently they both had heard of each other, through their joint agent, but didn’t meet until their starring roles in Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
From celebrity actors to singers. “Little Mix’s” singer Jese Nelson was an extra in one of Harry Potter movies. I guess when you’ve got it in your blood to perform, you’ll do many things.
Of course there are many others such as Viola Davis who played a background character with a line. In this case she would be considered an actress because her agent would have sent her for an audition for part. But there is a fine line between extra and one line wonders.
But of course there are many, many extras who want to be noticed, but aren’t simply because they didn’t have background in learniing the craft, from drama school or on the stage itself.
If you are serious about wanting to be know as a serious actor you need to get a strong background in acting first before you try for decent Hollywood actor’s agents.
Check out my other reads which show you how to audition for roles in the theater and on screen good luck.
So in a way, it stands to reason why extras shouldn’t get credited in a television program or movie.
