So, what is a "day player" in acting?
A day player is an actor who works on a film or television set for a day or two and has just a few lines (they're usually in one or two scenes). They're hired for a short term contract and never on a repeat or long-term basis. Actors not considered day players include those who don't have lines (background actors) and main characters (actors who are in tons of scenes or multiple episodes). In this guide, we'll go into depth on the following:
If you'd like an in-depth list of the types of acting roles (such as lead, supporting, co-star, etc.) plus tips on how to find work in each, I highly recommend checking out my guide: Types of Roles in Acting: All You Need to Know. What is a Day Player in Acting?To make it simple, think of a day player as the character who is asked a few questions by police in a scene of Law & Order, or a waiter who takes an order at a restaurant from the main characters.
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Martin Bentsen (author of this guide) is an actor marketing coach who uses strategic thinking to help actors book more work. He’s helped over 14,000 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 strategically? Start with his free Actor’s Toolkit to create new opportunities right away, or visit his website at www.martinbentsen.com. |
Some Additional Q&A
How Much Do Day Players Make?
The SAG-AFTRA day rate is $1,056, or $3,564 for an entire week. Learn more about joining SAG here.
What are Movie Day Players?
So what is dayplaying? Well, if the article wasn't enough, to sum it up in one sentence, dayplaying means performing roles where you're hired for just a few days at a time. No long-term contracts – instead, small bit parts for actors that are basically one-offs.
What are the 4 Key Types of Actors?
There are four key types of actors, which are defined as Personality Actors, who use their own personality to bring life to a character; Creative Actors, or actors who go against their own personality; Chameleon Actors, who can play a wide variety of unrelated roles; and Nonprofessional Actors who add realism to stories.
Learn more about the types of actors here.
Learn more about the types of actors here.
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