Types of Acting Roles

This article is about the different types of acting roles, such as Background, Series Regular, etc.

If you're looking to learn about Type and see an acting character Types list, check out this guide instead: A Shortcut to Finding Your Type. And if you're looking to learn about different acting techniques, visit this page: Types of Acting Techniques: The Ultimate Guide

Types of Acting Roles

Depending on where you live and what type of acting work you do, the different roles can vary. For instance, film has different roles than TV, which has different roles than theater.

That being said, this guide should give you a baseline understanding of the different types of actors and roles in each, plus tips on how to find auditions for those kinds of roles!

Types of Acting Roles in Television

In general, television is the only medium that has very specific designations for the crediting system of actors. Film and theater are much looser in their categories.

​Let's slowly work our way up from the smallest to the largest credited acting role definition in television:

• Background Actor: Background actors are also called extras or atmosphere actors. These actors typically appear in the background or foreground of the scene, often out of focus. Background actors do not have lines and are there simply to provide ambience so a scene feels real and alive. Imagine if they filmed scenes without background actors – every restaurant, street, etc., would be empty! Someone needs to be in the background, and productions need to use people who sign a contract allowing their faces to be seen on camera, which is why they employ background actors.
  • Where can you find background actor roles? There are plenty of background role opportunities on websites like Central Casting, NY Castings, Backstage, etc.
  • Will being a background actor help my career? No (aside from the money you'll be paid and the experience you'll gain). Do NOT include background or extra roles on your resume, as they mean nothing to casting directors.
• Co-Star: Co-star actors are also called day players. They are actors who typically have just a few lines and usually appear in only one or two is being questioned by a detective, or a customer placing an order at a restaurant, etc. Most screen actors begin their professional career by booking their first co-star role.
  • Where can you find co-star roles? There are numerous co-star role opportunities on Actor's Access. You can also find these roles by getting an agent or networking directly with casting directors through classes and workshops. Websites like Casting About and Up to Date Actor can increase your chances of getting co-star roles without an agent by giving you the contact information of the casting directors you should be networking with.
• Guest Star: Guest star roles are significantly larger than co-star roles. Guest stars are characters who are integral to the storyline of the episode. They are typically seen in numerous scenes and have plenty of lines.
  • Where can you find guest star roles? Most guest star roles can only be accessed through agents or by directly networking with casting directors. Most casting directors will only hire an actor who has at least two co-star role credits on their resume, unless they have a very unique Special Skill that is difficult to find elsewhere.
• Recurring: Recurring roles are characters who appear in more than one episode. Depending on the contract, a recurring role can span anywhere from two episodes all the way up to multiple seasons. Landing a recurring role is one of the major dreams/goals of screen actors who want to build a network television career.
  • Where can you find recurring roles? Most recurring roles can be found through agents or by networking with casting directors. You can also find recurring roles by auditioning a lot during Pilot Season when new shows are pitching to networks. Most casting directors only hire actors who have at least two guest star roles for a recurring role.
• Series Regular: Considered the "gold standard" of television roles, most actors dream of one day being hired as a series regular on a major network television show. The series regular is in almost every episode of every season of the show – they are considered to be one of the main characters.
  • Where can you find series regular roles? These can almost only be found during the initial pilot episode of a new show. You'll need to make the most of Pilot Season and you should also already know the director or producer of the show.

​​If you're trying to find more auditions, I highly recommend reading this: The Ultimate Guide to Finding Auditions

Types of Acting Roles in a Movie

Film's crediting system is significantly less structured than that of television:

• Extras & Background: Similar to television, these are people who do not have lines and simply sit, stand or walk in the background (or foreground) to fill in space and liven up the scene. Casting directors will bring in anyone off the street as long as they are reliable and fit the look they're going for.
• ​Featured Extra: These are people who do not have lines, but need to perform in some special way. Imagine a taxi cab driver who doesn't have a line, but needs to drive the car. Or a person who winds up in a fight with someone but has no lines. Typically featured extras receive special credits and higher pay.
  • Where can you find featured extra roles? You can find these roles on the same websites as you'd find regular background acting roles.
  • Will being a featured extra help my career? Yes, you can include these credits on your resume. Since they require special skills, casting directors take them more seriously than standard background roles.
• Supporting: These are all the actors who have lines in a film, whether they appear in multiple scenes or just one. In film, the bigger the name of the actor (and what's written in their contract) is what will determine where their name appears in the credits (opening vs. closing credits, etc.).
  • Where can you find supporting roles? It's extremely difficult to find these types of roles without an agent. You can try to do your own networking with casting directors, but it's almost impossible to find out which films are being cast by whom with resources like Casting About or Up to Date Actor. This is because films are not recurring like television shows. For that reason, I strongly suggest getting an agent.
• Star or Lead: These are the actors who play the main characters that the story is focused on. They're in most of the scenes and have tons of lines. They are similar to "series regular" characters on TV.
  • Where can you find star or lead roles? You should network directly with filmmakers and producers to find these kinds of roles. Having an agent and knowing casting directors can help, but being friends directly with the person creating the project will give you a much higher shot at landing the roles since casting directors usually don't have final say on who is hired for these major parts.

​If you're trying to find more auditions, I highly recommend reading this: The Ultimate Guide to Finding Auditions

​Types of Roles in Theater

Here is a simple breakdown of the three main types of acting roles in theater:

• Understudy: This is the person who studies everyone's roles and works as a backup actor in case someone becomes sick. Most actors make their Broadway debut by starting as understudies, and one day when a key player can't get on the stage for whatever reason, they get to perform for the first time!
  • Where can you find understudy roles? You can find these through online casting websites like Playbill or by reaching out directly to playhouses that are casting for new shows.
• Chorus: This is anyone who does not have a speaking role (or they only have a background singing role) in a play. There are a lot of gray areas here, however – think of the chorus as the background and featured extra roles in a film.
  • Where can you find chorus roles? Similarly to understudy roles, you can find these through online casting websites like Playbill or by reaching out directly to playhouses that are casting for new shows.
• Cast: This is anyone who has a speaking or primary singing role in the play. Think of the cast as the main or supporting characters in a film.
  • Where can you find cast roles? Finding cast roles in theater is more difficult. Rather than trying to reach out directly by using online sites like Playbill, it's better to be more strategic and focus on small theaters first, performing as the cast in them, and slowly moving to higher and higher level theaters that are putting on the same show. Keep showing them your expertise by playing the same character over and over again, and you'll eventually get booked in a major theater playing that role. Learn how Arbender Robinson used this exact technique to build his Broadway career spanning 11 shows.

​If you're trying to find more auditions, I highly recommend reading this: The Ultimate Guide to Finding Auditions

​Other Types of Acting Roles

​There are also a few other types of acting roles to be aware of:

• Cameo: Sometimes, an extremely famous person will make an appearance in a show or film for one shot or one scene. They may or may not have a line. This "cameo" appearance is fun for the audience and fun for the famous person!
• Bit: This is a loosely-used term to describe an acting role of just a line or two. It can be used interchangeably in film or television.
• Stunt Double: This is someone who performs a dangerous stunt in place of a key actor in a film or television show to protect the actor from injury. Many famous actors use stunt doubles and because of the way it's filmed, the audience would never know they used someone else for the shot.
• Stand-In: This is the person who holds the place of a key actor in a show or film during technical setup (like positioning the lights, microphones, etc.) and for certain rehearsals. Rather than paying a high rate for the main actor to stand there for hours while the crew sets up, the production hires a stand-in to do the job so they can pay a much lower hourly rate.

​How to Know if You're Ready for a Higher-Level Acting Role

In general, most actors underestimate themselves and hold themselves back for years, thinking, "Maybe I'll be ready for that kind of role someday."

​The problem with that is it means you're letting yourself off the hook. How? By not forcing yourself to get better as quickly as possible!

I have a whole article on that here: How to Stop Getting in Your Own Way

I recommend you look at your resume right now and ask, "What's the next level up from what I've done so far?"

For instance, if you have 1-2 co-star roles, it means you need to start looking for guest star roles. If you have one guest star role and one co-star role, I recommend you start looking for a recurring role. By simply holding yourself to a higher standard and asking what you need to do to get to that next level, you'll instantly put yourself ahead of most other actors out there and move your career forward more quickly.

That's the kind of high-level thinking needed to keep growing your career and keep from staying stuck!

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​Knowing the different types of acting roles and always pushing for the next level is extremely important to grow your career. But it's only one small part.

​As someone who has worked with people in thousands of industries (through my headshot business), I've been able to take growth strategies that work for businesses and apply them directly to actors – to help them grow their careers faster than most would think possible  (examples: one of my clients landed his first-ever Broadway role in just 4 weeks of working with me, and a brand-new actress signed with a high-level agent in just six weeks of working with me).

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​Martin Bentsen (author of this guide) is an actor marketing coach who uses “outside the industry” thinking to help actors book more work. He’s helped over 6,000 actors with their careers and actor headshots since 2009 and his photography studio City Headshots is ranked #1 on Yelp. He’s spoken at NYU, The New England Theater Conference, The Actor’s Green Room, and other venues.
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Want to book more acting work by thinking different? Start with his free Actor’s Toolkit to create new opportunities right away, or visit his website at www.martinbentsen.com.

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​Further Reading:

If you enjoyed this article (Types of Acting Roles), you might be interested in some of these:​
​

• Acting Resume Template Free
• How to Become an Actor: The Ultimate Guide
• How to Find Auditions: The Ultimate Guide