At the beginning of your career you'll probably find yourself getting roles that seem of little consequence to the story line. You'll be tempted to "phone it in," especially if it's background work in film or tv. Truth be told -- you can most likely get away with it. There are usually many background players, and the director is often focusing on the lead characters, using the background performers for general movement in the - you guessed it - background!
Why should this matter to you? Because you're missing a wonderful opportunity to hone your skills in a professional environment, and in front of others. Write a history for your character, give them a name, occupation, a reason to be where they are, determine where they are going and why they have to get there. Will the director notice all your hard work? Again, truth be told -- probably not. But you know what? It doesn't matter. Because while many other background performers just wasted their time going through the motions, you were ACTING! And when you DO finally get that opportunity to be a real part of the story line, you won't be just starting out - you'll have all this experience to draw from!
-- Michael Mariano
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