actinginacave
81631
1378
30
I’ve been in SAG since 2005.
Trust me, I’m not famous.
Jul 18, 2023 4:21 PM
actinginacave
81631
1378
30
I’ve been in SAG since 2005.
Trust me, I’m not famous.
hellsgunslinger
I used to be a licensed NASCAR driver. In the lowest of categories lol. Still a licensed driver though and you'd never hear of any of the races I ran. Hope these guys stay strong amd get a good deal
AmbientPlatypus
@OP Of your list, I've only seen Important Things with Demetri Martin. You're welcome! :D
actinginacave
Thank you!
igniskonig
You were in other people's children!
actinginacave
Yes! You saw that?!!
MrStoic100
what bar? where can I find
actinginacave
Somewhere in Tinseltown my friend. Through a magical hidden door.
Zeeo
why it called the Supreme Actors Guild then!?! :D
brettboedeker
Wait, so you're saying that all my bartenders are also actors?? I had no idea.... they ARE good!
actinginacave
See? Actors are important.
Dannyalcatraz
I recently met a British guy who has been (essentially) Lead Henchman in several major action movies & TV series. Looks kinda like Jason Statham.
TheStreetForce
By association I have a guy who is a professional extra as a facebook friend. This is me playing wheres waldo with him in every dick wolf cop show in nyc. XD
actinginacave
Yes! I worked background for years & my friends also had this experience.
ArmedandOverclocked
I wonder if William Shatner's Ai would also be an asshole
Grimmrog
Why do they unionize like this and not simply fund and run their own buisness where they all share what they make off?
actinginacave
I don’t SAG-AFTRA has that kind of money. The average blockbuster has budgets that are sometimes 100s of millions of dollars…
Grimmrog
Maybe, but they can start small and become big, because they have the writers and the reat has shit and even a 500k dollar paid iron man actor cannot make a shitty script become good.
AndOfCourseTheSquirrels
At first I read this as Tom Hanks being in a real bar, and the bartender being an actor that is have to be a bartender since he's not making much money acting.
NeynasGhost
To be fair, there's an actor I really like who washes dishes for restaurants between jobs sometimes. Tom Hiddleston used to be a waiter, I believe. They all had to survive somehow before making it big.
AndOfCourseTheSquirrels
Yeah, that's why my brain went there first
nikolateslaismyhomeboy
Dude you were on Bones?? That’s awesome!!
v
actinginacave
Ha! Thanks. It was just background but it was one of my regular gigs. I was a lab tech for 3 seasons.
nikolateslaismyhomeboy
That’s so awesome! Bones was one of my favorite shows during adolescence and was truly one of the biggest media influences on my becoming a scientist. So, thank you, mate!
v
actinginacave
Thank YOU! That’s so cool!
opermech
Oh God you're right, who are you
actinginacave
Told ya.
EmotionallyCrippled
Every famous actor was once a background actor.
actinginacave
Oh man, I wish that were true. Some of them though. Brad Pitt for example.
EmotionallyCrippled
It's always a nice surprise when I rewatch an older movie from the 90's and recognize the background actor.
actinginacave
Totally. I spotted Mickey Rourke in a bit part/extra role recently in 1941. He looks like a teenager!
JackalopeElope
I'd like to think that to a small group of Greeks, you mean the world.
actinginacave
JackalopeElope
misanthropicbob
I am gonna say that since I've seen all of Bones, I've seen you in something!
actinginacave
Nice!
AnimalFlow
Omg you are a cow!
wylkyn
What about the guy Hanks bumps into outside of the bar? He's not an actor, right? Because you just said actors are in the bar. What about movies where there is no bar? Is nobody an actor? Is Tom Hanks an actor outside of bar scenes? Acting is more complicated than I thought! No wonder they went on strike.
Tomigami
I don't know whether I'm a member, but when I was a teen my siblings, father and I were extras on Strangers With Candy. I should probably look into that...
thedudeman519
It baffles me thar people don't fuckin realize this. How about TV shows which don't have ANY big name stars? Just a whole lot of working people doing a job.
actinginacave
I know. People just don’t think about it.
thedudeman519
I guess I'm kicking knowing grips , electricians , location assistants and OAs. I have a better idea about the INS and outs of the industry. Really made me appreciate the process again. Always loved behind the scenes documentaries. And knowing just a bit more about how it it all works (or doesn't sometimes lol) made me appreciate it that much more.
thedudeman519
I'm lucky knowing *
zalurker
Everyone is at risk if they start switching to AI. Set designers, gaffers, anyone involved in production.
Cabreza
TIL Tom Hanks can transform people into actors with his mere presence. If there is a more sensibly explanation I’m not here for it.
SomeDetroitGuy
I think it is more the fact that the people who are also in the movie in the bar scene are also actors.
CapitalNick
Yeah it's worded a little odd.
MadamPuddifoot
I think they mean in a scene, not in real life.
NoNameFred
Nyther53
I suspect Sir Ian McKellan and Sir Patrick Stuart emanate a similar field around them at all times. (This post is a thin excuse to link to this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyoWmkhRyp8)
actinginacave
Yes. It’s amazing. Love this show.
aarkarr
I shook Tom Hanks's hand years ago and have been an actor ever since. I get booed off stage 3 nights a week, and go to 100 failed auditions a month. I just wanted an autograph, now I wish he'd let me die
Cabreza
It’s his curse. A Midas touch that transforms anyone into an actor
RadiDaddy
They’re saying that the people working 2nd or 3rd jobs tending bar and waiting tables are also SAG-AFTRA members, but they don’t get megabuck contracts like Mr. Hanks.
Nyther53
I'm pretty sure they're not talking about 2nd and 3rd jobs outside of film production, but about bit parts and small roles. When the end credits roll, they start with Tom Hanks at the top, but there's also someone credited as "Bartender" "Taxi Driver #2" "Little Girl at Funeral" and all three of those are also actors and SAG-AFTRA Members.
Vesorias
I'm pretty sure they're just saying most people in movies are actors, not just the big names
zuken
Maybe. They didn't say the bar was part of a movie scene, just that Tom Hanks is in a bar getting a drink.
actinginacave
Exactly
Iaimtomisbehave
Gotta feed the fam somehow! https://www.eightieskids.com/harrison-fords-carpenter-to-star-wars/
Fauxcused
We need to make Victor here famous.
actinginacave
That’s a brilliant idea!
Fauxcused
Oh you thank me now but when you can't get any sleep because the paparazzi are hounding you you're going to be all pissed at me
[deleted]
[deleted]
actinginacave
This movie called Adventure Tom I did a fun bit part in is coming out next year.
Fauxcused
Okay you heard them everybody needs to buy a ticket or two. Mentions on social media. The works.
JeanLucguizamos
I have always wondered how lucrative acting is for the people who play one off characters in network series. if you watch them all you see a lot of recurring actors playing different one off characters. Oh and you were great on Chicago Med :)
actinginacave
Oh my god, thank you! That’s so nice! Right now the day rate is around 1000$ a day for a co-star on network TV shows. I probably make like a couple hundred a year off residuals for this cause it’s only online. For my PD episodes I make closer to 1000-1500$ a year cause they are on cable in syndication. This is 1 of the reasons for the strike. We need more for streaming…
AnbaricDragon
I missed my chance to be an actor. Two twin brothers who were my friends and co-workers were characters in a decently popular show, they pulled my roommate into it, and he invited me once to come with him. I declined because I was working and couldn't go.
Theoneandonlydickpoop
You can always change the trajectory of your life and become an actor!
actinginacave
Oh bummer. I have lots of stories where I was close to something & fate decided otherwise so I feel you…
MelismaGoodberry
Officer Nutley!!
actinginacave
Yes! That pilot was so good, wish it was available online. Hoping they still manage to sell it but it’s been years now…
drago1337
Just an idea, what if you began acting outside your cave?
actinginacave
drago1337
Jokes aside of course, best of luck to y’all as you fight the good fight.
Snooj
Oh man, I loved you in that thing.
actinginacave
Ha! Thanks!
Snooj
You're welcome! Legitimately jealous, too. I've been in a couple indy flicks but there's nothing on IMDB about them. I'd love to have a profile with credits.
Da3n
I've been in SAG since 1986. Extras without lines will be replaced by 100% AI actors for certain as they always have been. Background aliens in star wars became 100% CGI as technology advanced and no one thought twice. Fight to preserve your rights to your images for sure, but don't expect not to be replaced completely. I suspect film acting to die out and actors will return to the stage.
MarioBoon
AI is just another form of SFX anyway.
Da3n
Fook. I should have said "I was in SAG in 1986", not "since 1986." I have not continuously been in the guild. I was specifically thinking of the commercials I was in and how much easier it would be to make today because you could make better people with CGI (we had to ice-skate and kept falling down).
actinginacave
Yea, maybe theatre will be making a comeback!
ChelVanin
A lot people assume background extras are pulled off the street or something.
HenryLongfellowIII
Sometimes they are. You must live in some place where they are not constantly making films and TV shows.
goodmorningvietnam
These pretzels are making me thirsty!
chetnixandflill
unluckyandbored
They often are, especially for scenes with large crowds.
Heyitsdave13
They also assume anyone who works on a film is a millionaire.
ALLCAPSROCK
One time and I don't even think they used the footage!
Skizzlesnap
They basically are at casting calls. You only need a SAG card if you have a speaking part.
WeAllLiveInAUserSubmarine
Hi, was pulled in on the day of shooting, was filmed being kissed on both cheeks by Heather Graham, and got up to hijinks with Jaime Winstone. Fun week.
rbudrick
They often are.
digitalaaronscustoms
My dad and some of his biker buddies got cast as extras off the "street" (they were riding around the desert) for Thelma & Louise. He was in a scene at the honky tonk bar, right behind Susan Sarandon, but apparently it was cut from the movie. He said he got to meet Susan and Geena Davis. He got $100 for two days of showing up to the set.
Starcatcher1986
I've received a bunch of casting calls going out to people like me (non-actor, not in Hollywood) because they were shooting locally. The example above is still true for those movies, but the people walking past on the street, the bar patrons that are truly in the background etc, are often "just pulled off the street".
rakas90
Or that they're employees with other jobs just like "filling in" or something. I've talked to a few people lately who were actually mad that they're on strike, and I had to explain that literally every good thing we have about our jobs is from people going on strike.
Rongeong
That's because they actually use to do that. I don't know how many do it nowadays but decades ago you could get offered a few bucks to walk around ignoring the camera and actors. They also would ask schools to borrow some children and a teacher to herd them for a shot or two. My dad was actually an extra in a John Wayne movie because the movie studio needed a group of kids for a busy street scene. Hard to remove the idea that the whole practice started with.
IconicM
Outside of NY and LA they often are...
C141Clay
This guy mainly writes stuff:
v
Royfokker69
Yeah, hé is quite good at it
VulpesIncendium
Because they often are? A movie production came to my hometown one year and hired at least half of the locals to be extras, myself included.
Knightendae
Now just imagine if they had scanned you're likeness for $150 (or $10/hr or one days work) then you start seeing yourself in a lot of movies and don't get paid for any of them in the future
Viliny
To be fair, a generic face is pretty easy to just generate.
thedudeman519
Sure it does happen. But it isn't necessarily standard practice.
TinaEveFox
They shot a movie once, in my home town, everybody was in it, for miles around.
unluckyandbored
Happened here too. Got a couple thousand people to fill a football stadium.
TeenyTinyTubeyDratini
Explain moar plz.
Ghlargh
When there are lots of extras and they don't need any skills other than "wear this, stand here, look there" sure.
anitabieror6
yeah my buddy is not an actor but has been an extra in 2 different productions
salunatics
When Major League filmed there was an open call for locals to fill the stadium.
RadiDaddy
We were at the game that day where they asked people to return that night to be in “a major motion picture.” I had to work, so we couldn’t and that missed opportunity haunts me to this day.
MBTerrorKitten
I was in major league 2 for that reason!
Thesaya
Not the ones with speaking roles, in general, no matter how small.
hjf2011
any actor that has a speaking role isn't an extra. they have to be credited in the movie too.
Thesaya
Those are obviously the ones being referenced in the tweet though, not the ones actually pulled from the street.
HolyCringeLordBatman
"So is everyone in the bar". The tweet doesn't just specify the speaking bartender. Hell my mother literally got pulled off the streets to be an extra in the producers.
Vloudimestre
I used to try and recognize extras walking in the background in the same scene. Now with a hat, now with an umbrella, now with a briefcase and a blue hat, with a different coat on, etc. It really breaks the magic so I stopped.
wisher1977
I look at this just like with athletes. There are a lot of people who can play basketball and football real well, but only the select few who try, ever make it to the big leagues and even less that get the huge contracts.
RandAIFlagg
Sometimes they are. I'm in the background in at least 2 big movies - Beverly Hills Cop and Rain Man - cause I happened to live where they were shooting and my parents were like "let's go check out the shoot, they called for extras." Not even getting into indie productions where my actor friends are like "come be a zombie, hope you have torn clothes"
thereitis101
Some are. They have casting calls constantly for background actors. You need to meet certain qualifications to get a SAG card like have a speaking line.
ActionJohnnie
Be careful of the black couch.
Skizzlesnap
They won’t give you a speaking part without a SAG card. At casting that’s the first thing they do. Sort groups into SAG members and non-SAG members.
HenryLongfellowIII
You also have to have $3,000 initiation fee to join the union so someone who is paid a few hundred dollars is not going to be interested.
actinginacave
I know! It’s really funny.
ameranthe
People also assume that the acting is the hard part, once you know how to do that the rest is smooth sailing. Auditions are a full time unpaid gig on their own. I have a few friends in LA who gave it a go and had like a couple background non-speaking roles, but I could never do it. I don't have the drive to hustle like that.
actinginacave
Yea. Auditioning is rough. I can’t tell you how many rejections I’ve had at this point. Hundreds.
blkmagik83
@actinginacave - does SAG give you insurance ? And is it good ?
AStrayCowLivesHere
I read news article that to qualify for the insurance offered, they have to make a yearly minimum of $26k. Which based on the pay and hit/miss of steady work, only 12% of the union members qualify. https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/17/business/hollywood-actors-sag-aftra-strike-by-the-numbers/index.html
actinginacave
I’ve qualified twice. The last time was in 2020, after scoring a National Lunchables Commercial. It is pretty good insurance. It was too much trouble to switch over cause it was only for the year I qualified but I could have put my whole fam on it for like 100 some a month!