This article is about the different types of acting roles, such as Background, Series Regular, etc.
Types of Acting RolesDepending 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!
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Types of Acting Roles in a Movie
Film's crediting system is significantly less structured than that of television:
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- 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.
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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.
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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.
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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 downloading my free guide: The Top 6 Casting Websites for New Actors
Types of Roles in Theater
Here is a simple breakdown of the three main types of acting roles in theater:
If you're trying to find more auditions, I highly recommend downloading my free guide: The Top 6 Casting Websites for New Actors
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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.
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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.
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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 downloading my free guide: The Top 6 Casting Websites for New Actors
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.
The Top 6 Casting Websites for New Actors
Book acting work as soon as this week.
These 6 legit casting websites are the best places to find auditions FAST. This resource not only shows you where to find auditions, but also how to submit effectively to maximize your chances of being called in.
Here's what's included:
Here's what's included:
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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 continue growing your career and keep from staying stuck!
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 continue growing your career and keep from staying stuck!
Enjoyed this article?
Book more work by thinking "Outside the Industry."
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).
I'd like to invite you to my free insider newsletter where I share my best material, including:
Download my free Actor's Toolkit to get started and you'll hear from me a few times a week with unique "outside the industry" strategies. I promise they'll help you build a career you're truly proud of.
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).
I'd like to invite you to my free insider newsletter where I share my best material, including:
- How to network easily and authentically with casting directors – even if you hate self-promotion.
- How to find your Type and Brand in just 18 minutes (it doesn't require awkwardly asking lots of random people for feedback)
- How to find a hardworking and reliable agent – even if you don't have a strong resume or reel
- And much more...
Download my free Actor's Toolkit to get started and you'll hear from me a few times a week with unique "outside the industry" strategies. I promise they'll help you build a career you're truly proud of.
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. 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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