Life as a Background

Well, recently I've been working not as a Production Assistant. But as a background actor. In fact, I've been in 3 television shows already! First in Ft. Pit. You may just be able to see me in the background inside the police precinct.

Then I had a walking bit on The Sopranos. Of which, my roommate, Morgan, suggested that I bring a gun and start shooting up the set. To go along with it, yell out "How dare you steal Infernal Affairs!". I met a lot of other Chinese Americans. Old, young, and all with American accents rather than Chinese accents. It was a night shoot in the freezing rain right before it turned to ice. It was brutal. I got home at 2AM only to find out that I had to be on the set of another show in Yonkers by 10AM.

Yep, I had to get up at 4:30am to catch the courtesy bus to Yonkers in the UWS. You can actually see me in the background of the court room. I'm to be called back for 3 more days! Yea! I'm getting paid and being fed.

I know, I know, being an extra or background actor is not really "acting". But then again it does pay the bills and I can put it on my acting resume, which ain't bad. The more credits I collect, then I can send those head shots of mine to other casting directors. Get into some non-union film. I've realised that being SAG may not be such a good choice. Once you're a SAG member, I've learned from other actors, is a double edged sword. You get paid more for being a background actor, but you get less work because you get paid more. And you won't be able to act in any non-union films, which means you will have less creative choices. It just means that you're bound to only work in signatory projects. It sucks because let's say there's a brilliant script out there and you want to do it, but it's a non-union film. Then you're shit out of luck and other actors will get to act in it, and not you. Oh well...I think I'll stay non-union then.


I also think I should stick working in Production. At least that way, you get to know the producers, directors, and you get to speak to the principal actors without having them look at you as low-lifes.