Hollywood of the South: How to become a movie or TV extra

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) - You don’t always need acting training to get your 15 seconds of fame in the Hollywood of the South.

With so many TV shows and movies filmed in Georgia, there’s a growing number of opportunities for you to land a spot on the big screen — as an extra.

For years, Brian Beegle was an actor, best known for his role as Lucas Booth in We Are Marshall. But now, he’s a casting director in Atlanta.

Beegle says becoming an extra is as simple as a Google search.

“You can go online and type in extras casting Atlanta or extras agents Atlanta and find the top five places to list yourself,” Beegle said. “As soon as you get listed on there, then they reach out to you for things that are that are right for you.”

Casting TaylorMade, Central Casting Georgia, CL Casting, and Hylton Casting are listed as the most popular casting agencies in the metro, according to Georgia’s website.

While the task as a movie extra can be quite rewarding and fun, Beegle says the days can sometimes last 16 hours.

“The movie filming is glamorous. But honestly, it’s tedious and it’s rehearsed,” Beegle said. “And there’s a lot of things that go into it. So you get to see the meat being made, which is a little bit different side of things for sure.”

The pay scale for a background actor depends on the film’s budget. Right now, the national average sits at $13.31, according to Indeed.

Despite the pay and long hours, Beegle says being cast as an extra gives you a front-row seat to movie magic, which could someday help you land a lead or supporting role in a production.

“It puts you on the set, like I said, where the camera’s not focused on you,” Beegle said. “Acting in the entertainment business is a journey. And you never know what you’ll end up doing because there’s so many opportunities here in Atlanta and you can do anything you want. You just have to love your journey.”

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