Louisiana Extra Casting Industry
Often dubbed "Hollywood South," Louisiana has emerged as a top destination for motion picture productions.
Louisiana's film industry workforce, which grew by more than 400 percent since 2002, has contributed to the production of over 700 movies, television series, and documentaries. As actors look to get on set, veterans in the industry are eager to give advice to emerging talent.
"It's a natural progression to be able to elevate new actors to a different level and give them a shot at their dreams of speaking on camera. After doing this for so long, I've found myself being able to nurture young talent and foster a community of actors that are up and coming," Ryan Glorioso, founder of Glorioso Casting, said.
After Hurricane Katrina, Glorioso moved to Shreveport and worked alongside Elizabeth Coulon, founder of Coulon Casting, before starting Glorioso Casting in 2007. Glorioso worked in casting for both background and local actors as he began his career as a casting agent. Today, his main focus is on casting local actors.
"As film workers, we had to recognize that we were doing two jobs. Now, we get to separate it a little bit and have two different departments," Glorioso said. "[Casting background] is a whole other beast. I really do enjoy being able to create the bigger picture that's involved, and when those opportunities come up, I am definitely willing [to do it]."
Glorioso noted that being on set as a background actor can open the door for a multitude of other opportunities. "Some people end up becoming actors and some of them remain as extras. Others find that they have a passion for working in different departments and end up in the assistant director's department or in hair and makeup. Background roles can present opportunities for you to meet people on set who can help you get to other departments that you might be interested in," Glorioso mentioned.
Glorioso recommended that any person looking to be a background actor on set should create an account on mycastingfile.com. When casting background, casting directors are mainly looking at photos to determine if the actor is the right fit for the role. "Typically, it's from your photos, which is the reason why your photos should always be current," Glorioso pointed out. "If you change your look, cut your hair, dye your hair, get a tattoo on your face—whatever—you should be updating your look."
According to Glorioso, Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) rates on commercials can make being a background actor much more profitable. "I tell all my actors in town that if they're not going to be a principal role in the commercial, to do background work on it. It pays about $500 for eight hours and you could be there for at least 12 hours, so background actors can make a lot of money in one day," Glorioso said.
SAG-AFTRA formed in 2012 after the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio merged, both working towards the common goals of securing labor protections for media artists. In Louisiana, the SAG-AFTRA contract does not cover background actors statewide, but production companies can hire up to 45 union background actors within a 100-mile radius of New Orleans.
Depending on the production, union actors are entitled to a scale daily rate of $1,158 for speaking roles and a five-day scale weekly rate of $4,019, accompanied by overtime pay, residuals, health and pension benefits, and workplace protections. Non-union actors are not guaranteed a fixed pay for background work or speaking roles.
The quickest way to join SAG-AFTRA is by booking a speaking role, although there are other pathways to membership. Members are required to pay a one-time initiation fee, as well as annual dues.
Casting companies generally have a list of go-to background actors that they know are reliable, but they are always searching for new talent. "They always need fresh faces. We're always looking for new people. You don't want to see the same people over and over in every movie that's made in New Orleans—right?" Glorioso said.
During COVID-19, when local actor Dylan Jones couldn't work as a bartender, he started applying for background work through Central Casting, a national background casting company.
Since then, Jones has been a background actor on five sets, including the Netflix series The Corps, where he did extensive stunt work from March to July 2023. "We would do obstacle courses. It's like doing the same stunt or obstacle course about 17 times until that same take is done. You still do the same thing every time without messing up or trying to change anything, because if you change it, then you have to go through the whole process again," Jones said.
Bill Rainey began working as a background actor in films across the South after retiring from Cox Communications in 2009. Since then, Rainey has garnered 231 credits, including from television series, commercials, and movies.
Though Rainey could have pursued speaking roles, he decided that he preferred to act in background roles. "I didn't want to have to memorize anything. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to submit. I basically submitted and volunteered for everything possible because, when you start this business, you have to work for free a lot of the time," Rainey said.
Background actors, as Rainey recounted, should always expect to work for at least 12 hours. "You might go there and work one hour, or you might work 18. That's the biggest thing. Be prepared for that," Rainey said.
After gaining extensive work as a background actor, Rainey founded The Holding Tent in 2011, a free resource for finding low-budget actors in Louisiana, southern Alabama, and southern Mississippi. Since then, Rainey has amassed over 20,000 members.
According to Rainey, background actors who are struggling to get cast should remain resilient. "There's probably thousands of people trying to get background work in the New Orleans area. You're competing against that, so following instructions and being pleasant to deal with [is important]," Rainey said.
