How to Become an "Extra"

Location, location. Just as in real estate, where you live can make a big difference in whether or not you can get work as an "Extra" in a movie or TV production. If you live near NY or LA you've got a better chance. But if you just watch the newspapers in your area, you might get lucky. Several years ago, I spotted a notice in my local paper about an open casting call for extras for a movie Ron Howard was filming. The ad said when and where to report (a building at Princeton University), and hundreds of people turned out. We were all photographed and given a card to fill out, and several months later my husband received a call from the Bill Dance casting agency that he was selected as an extra. He reported at 6 am on the assigned day and returned well after midnight, for which he received a tiny paycheck. But he did get to hang out with Ron Howard, Russell Crowe, and Jennifer Connelly for a day. The movie turned out to be "A Beautiful Mind" and it won the academy award for best film of 2001. When we retired to North Carolina, we heard that there was a lot of filming done in and around Wilmington. We found out about a local casting company, Fincannon and Associates, who supplies extras for some of these projects. We went to their office and signed on. Several weeks later we received a call to be extras in an episode of "One Tree Hill", and have been called back several times for other episodes. An important point is that we did not have to pay anything to sign up at either of these agencies. If you are interested in "extra" work, find out if there are any casting companies near you, and go there and register in person. Remember that working as an extra doesn't pay much, so you won't be able to travel very far from your home without losing money, considering the cost of transportation. Also, if you don't live close to the film hubs of NY and LA, check your local newspapers regularly to see if anyone is filming in your area. A few years ago, Tom Cruise was filming at the Daytona International Speedway, and they needed hundreds of extras to fill the stands. My eighty-something Mom lived in Dayton and saw this in her local newspaper. She said if she was a little younger, she would have signed up.