Casting Director Renee Godbout discusses a few ways you can get an "upgrade" from extra to a speaking role

So you've decided to be an actor. What do you need to get started in pursuing your dreams? Here are the 8 must-haves for any actor starting out.

Being an extra, otherwise known as a background performer, can help transition into principle work in many different ways. First and most importantly, there is the opportunity to be on a real set and meet the various people in production. Networking is a major part of the entertainment industry and you have no idea the next person in a position to help you. Sometimes it can even be another actor who has heard about a great audition. Also while on set, production does take note of certain actors who have a good look or who have impressed them. Actors are regularly requested back on set for additional extra work, possibly followed by an audition for principle work. A principle is any actor with a speaking part, even if it's just a "hello."

While working on Law & Order: Criminal Intent I had several instances where my 2nd Assistant Director, or AD, has called me to get the number of one of my background actors to pass them on to principle casting. The 2nd AD is a casting directors' main connection to production. They decide the roles that are needed each day. Once a 2nd AD called me from a whole different set to ask for the number of someone he once worked with on Criminal Intent. Many TV shows will also try to find small principle parts for their regular stand- ins. Stand-ins are actors used on set for lighting and sound purposes before the actual shooting takes place. They will stand on the actors' marks and show the film crew the best lighting to use.

Another opportunity for principle work is being hired as an extra and then getting upgraded. For those not familiar with the term "upgrade," it refers to an actor being hired as an extra and then given lines on set. The instant you get lines you become a principle. I have had upgrades on every single TV show or movie that I have worked on. It doesn't happen every day but it happens enough to not be considered extraordinary.

So how can you get upgraded? Unfortunately, it's often just being in the right place at the right time. Occasionally, I'm told that an actor may be upgraded and we can give them a heads up. Other times, they may be standing somewhere and the director decides it looks odd to not have an actor saying anything. I've also had people given dance choreography at the last minute and upgraded to principle dancers. Anytime an actor is given a choreographed dance, it's considered principle work. On the TV show Gossip Girl and the film Enchanted we were responsible for hiring most of their principle dancers. We went through our entire database of background talent before we called agents and requested referrals.

One thing actors should know is that being an extra on a television show will not keep you from working on the same show as a principle. It's a common misconception that actors will be pigeon-holed as extras and not receive full consideration for principle work. Often times, there are actors who are used regularly for extra work and I will find out after calling them that they have already booked a principle role on the same show. In that situation, I can not use them as an extra for quite some time since they would be recognizable. But if they have worked as an extra the week before they go in for an audition on that same TV show, it would not stop them from getting the part. The only thing that could keep them from getting cast would be if they were in an extra in the same episode. This is very rare since principle casting is normally done before the episode starts shooting.

Remember that casting directors talk to one another. We'll often recommend extras that we know are talented, responsible, and right for what someone is looking for. In my office, my co-workers are constantly asking for advice on what actors we want to bring in for principle auditions. The next time it could be you!

Renee Godbout - Freelance Casting Director. Renee Godbout recently worked on the first season of The CW's popular teen show Gossip Girl at Grant Wilfey Casting. Some past projects include 2 seasons of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, the pilot for Dirty Sexy Money, and the upcoming Jonathan Demme-directed Dancing with Shiva.