Many planned to start as background actors, dreaming they’d be discovered by a director and finally get their big break. More recently AI has been a key concern for background actors, though Goldstein said he doesn’t think the new digital tools and the rise of synthetic characters will eliminate the need for background actors. The company has 200,000 background actors in its database, with more than 20,000 new names added a year. “Our families are here, our lives are here.”AdvertisementLast year, I got a glimpse into the world of background acting when I covered the annual Los Angeles Union Background Actors Awards. Some were full-time background actors; others did the work part time.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 24, 2025 03:02 UTC