Tonight I have to skip out on going to a BBQ with Honeybun and Melon Girl because I got a last minute call from my agent to be on set with the movie Ex-Terminators. It is just featured extra work, but I jumped at the chance to see Jennifer Coolidge work.
I have mixed feelings about extra work. When I first moved to Austin, I was thrilled to be working as a recurring featured extra on NBC’s Friday Night Lights. It was steady work, it paid decent, and to be honest? I didn’t have an agent in Austin, and I was grateful to be given that opportunity.
But as time wore on, I started booking lead and supporting roles in other, smaller projects. In these projects I was actually able to utilize the concepts I had been learning in acting class, and I felt challenged and rewarded. A lot of the time, when you’re doing extra work, you’re just walking back and forth from point A to point B. No talent needed.
On the other hand, if I don’t have any other projects booked, doing extra work is like being paid to take acting class, especially if you are in small scenes with principle actors. I have learned so much from being on set and getting familiar with how a production works and how the lead actors treat their material. On top of that, any time you’re on set, it’s a great networking opportunity.
I loved being a part of Friday Night Lights. I have not yet decided if I will go back for season three, which starts production again this fall.
In the meantime, I have typically, passed up extra work. I have decided that I will continue to do so unless the following occurs:
- my agent personally calls or emails me to request that I do it (I pretty much do whatever they tell me to do!),
- I’ll be in a small scene, and
- I’ll get to see someone who I admire work.
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