How to Meet Hollywood Celebrities and Get Paid for It

Who hasn't thought it would be fun to be in the movies; all that fame, money, travel and even the star stalking drama of the paparazzi? Some people pursue their acting careers by taking drama in school and then moving on to major in the arts at college or other specialized schools for acting, modeling, dancing and other things of that nature.

As we have witnessed on television, at the big casting/audition calls for the Janice Dickinson Modeling agency and American Idol, other people with big hopes and dreams of fame and stardom, stand in lines that go on for days to get the opportunity to be discovered as the next biggest thing since Angelina Jolie, Matthew McConaughey or Kelly Clarkson. Kelly Clarkson and Matthew McConaughey came from modest backgrounds and look at them now. The road to stardom can be tiring, disappointing and hard on a struggling stars budget, but alas, there is a way to break into television and movies and get paid for it, even have fun while not living on top ramen and water.

Becoming a star almost never happens overnight and depending on the degree to which you apply yourself to the field may never be a full time profession for a great number of people, but there is a way to get your feet wet in the industry without any prior experience, and still make money, have fun and get the opportunity to meet some of your favorite celebrities. If you use the resource as a means of part time entertainment and don't get your hopes dashed at every turn then this opportunity will be a rewarding adventure and possibly even your ticket to your big break! No matter what you look like or what age, race or gender you are there are acting positions for you.

In every major city across America there are casting agencies that will put you on their list of available talent, just waiting to be sent out to take your place on television commercials, sitcoms and movie sets as an extra. Most casting agencies pay on average of $125.00 dollars a day that you are on set, even if you are not actually used in the shoot, you will be paid for just being present on set for the day. Most often new faces are cast soon after enrollment in the agency, in order to keep you excited and coming back. The legitimate casting agencies will not charge you to sign up because they make their money from the film or television syndicates that hired them to staff for their extras, so this is an added bonus for aspiring actors/actresses, it is FREE to sign up and they pay you!

When you are called about a job that is available the agency will brief you on what it is for, where you have to be, how much you will be paid and the duration of the assignment. In most cases they will ask you to bring several changes of clothes of all different styles, the more the better. Once you arrive on location this is typical of what you can expect. You will be directed to a large room or rooms near the set with all the other extra's, usually between 50 and 150, in some cases there can be scenes where even thousands of extra's may be needed but it's not typical. You will be asked to make yourself as comfortable as possible and wait. In most cases you are expected to be available all day, so the wait can be very very long, up to 14 to 16 hours. While you are waiting you will often find that the movie or television company you are working for has provided snacks and drinks for free as well as catering trucks that will provide lunch at no charge also. During the sometimes long and arduous wait times is the perfect opportunity to wander around permissible areas of the set and see if you can spot the celebrities that are cast for that film, take pictures and see how things are done.

When extras are needed on set the casting director will come in and scan through the faces and begin asking individuals to show what types of wardrobe they have brought with them, if you have articles of clothing that match what look they are going for in that scene you will be selected to be in the shoot! They will ask you to go and change your clothes quickly and move to a specified location and wait for further instructions. Once the casting director has made his final selections he will approach the group and let you all know what the scene is about and what he/she needs for you to be doing during the shoot. This is where all the excitement starts. You will be paid more for actually be used in the film as opposed to just being present all day. In some cases the casting director will ask the extra's if they have a car, motorcycle or bike of a certain color to be used as a prop during some scenes and if they use your vehicle you get paid $250 to upwards of $500 dollars for letting them use it.

Extra's are used in almost every scene of a film, and can be anything like dead bodies under a sheet in a morgue, spectators at sports events, dancing crowds in a night club, patrons on a sidewalk or in a restaurant, the possibilities are endless. You have to remember that extra's in movies or on TV. are used to make the scene as real and believable as possible, and there are people of every size, color and gender that make the world go around, so being an extra in a movie is fun and easy money for anyone and everyone. If you register with several agencies that cast extra's your chances of getting sent to shoot locations more often increases. It is fun and it really does work, I personally have been on several film shoots and had a blast doing it. I met Martin Sheen, Marlee Matlin & D.B. Sweeney on the set in 1993 while shooting what later turned out to be a HUGE bomb in the box office "Hear No Evil" they also used my 1989 blue Nissan Sentra in this film as a prop; I met Sean Astin, the future Lord of the Rings star, on the set while shooting "The Long Way Home", and a few others. This really can be a lot of fun and you get to earn some real money while getting autographs and taking pictures on a movie set! You can even do this on your free time for extra money. Great opportunity and good money!