Co-stars often don't even have names and are usually defined by their occupation. In the script it will simply say nurse or secretary or waiter. I had the role of Flight Attendant with one line and one speech. But, as with any job in Hollywood it is extremely competitive and difficult to get even a small role like this one. Most actors will even tell you these roles are the hardest to audition for and here I wrote some hints on how to tackle these auditions. One thing that I think helped me book this role was to make a very specific choice on how I felt about the character I was speaking to and decided to make the very boring, exposition type dialogue as a way to flirt with him.
I know an actress that spent a year getting to know the casting directors for her favorite show. After that year of going to workshops and sending postcards she finally booked that much coveted co-star role. The day after she shot it, she quit the business. Decided it wasn't worth all the work she put into it.
Not every role is going to take as much work as your first one. But, remember as an actor your day job is to network and audition because that is what you'll be doing much more often than actually getting to act. If you can't enjoy that then you'll never be happy in this business.
So, now that I filmed a co-star role, was all the work worth it for me? Yes, a million times over, yes. I love being on set, I love the actors, and I love the crew. I am never happier than when I get to act. Even though I only had two lines, I worked on them the same way I would any script. The best part was after we filmed the director gave me a hug and thanked me for bringing so much to such a small role.
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| In front of the door to my trailer. |
Now, if I could just book some more!
