How to Get on TV

Do you have dreams of being the next TV star? Or just want a chance to see how your favorite shows get made? If you want to get on TV, Central Casting is a great place to start.

What is Central Casting?

Central Casting is the leading background casting company in the entertainment industry. Since 1925, we've been casting Background Actors, Stand-Ins, doubles, and other roles in blockbuster hits, Oscar-winning films, your favorite TV shows, Emmy-winning series, and everything in between. With Central Casting, there are plenty of opportunities for you to get booked and on set.

New to the industry and unfamiliar with background work? Here's an overview on common roles we cast.

• Background Actors are non-speaking talent who typically appear in the background of scenes. Without Background Actors, city streets in Will Trent, courtrooms in Law & Order, and the police precinct in High Potential would all look like Hollywood sets instead of authentic scenes.
• Stand-Ins take the place of principal actors for blocking, lighting, and camera set-ups. Depending on the type of production and role, a Stand-In may need to match the actor's height, build, hair color, and complexion.
• Doubles replace a principal actor on screen, though their faces are rarely (if ever) seen. Doubles are used when a character is in a scene but not the focus, when an actor can't convincingly portray a skill, and a variety of other reasons.

Sign up with Central Casting

Ready to become a Central Casting Background Actor? The first step is to fill out your online application. This information is used to create your casting profile, which our Casting Directors use when booking their projects. The more accurate and thorough you are, the easier it is to find you when searching our casting platform.

You must also take a headshot and full body shot as part of your online application. Casting Directors use your self-uploaded photos, including additional photos you upload of different looks you can portray, when booking their projects.

Photos you upload to your online profile should be only of you, well-lit, in focus, unedited, and taken against a white or solid background. Photos that include other people, are dark or blurry, or taken on busy backgrounds (like outside or at a club) cannot be used when considering you for background work. While you are unable to change or update your main headshot and full body shot after they are approved, you can keep the rest of your photos current and up to date. Be sure to read through our photo guide to learn more about what we're looking for in profile photos.

To learn more about the onboarding process, see your location's Sign Up page.

Update your online profile

If you're already registered with Central Casting, one of the best things you can do to be successful is keep your online profile up to date with your accurate sizes and appearance details. Casting Directors use your sizes regularly, like when booking photo doubles who must match the sizes of the principal actor and when production provides wardrobe. Not sure how to take your measurements? You can find easy-to-follow video tutorials on our Measurements page.

Adding vehicles you own and are willing to work with on set, wardrobe, props, and special skills are other great ways to help Casting Directors find you when booking these types of roles. Just remember, you will be expected to show up to set with that prop or convincingly portray that skill on camera. Please be honest when filling out your profile and when responding to messages from Casting Directors.

Now that you know how to get on TV, learn how to find work through Central Casting and how to prepare for set.