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I get tons of emails from people wanting to be actors, stuntmen or extras. They ask me where they can go, who can they send photos to, and which agents will hire.
In short they want to know what they need to do to get into movies...
... to get into acting, stunts or extras work you need to develop one attribute above all others. I know this because of my experience on Bangkok Adrenaline - several potential actors who were completely qualified were ruled out because "Oh, no - I could not work with him for 8 weeks. He is a constant pain in the ass"
Your Ability To Get Along With a Full Range Of Personalities Is Your Most Important Asset
At the "Manthing" casting I was called in to meet with the Producer and Director to see if they could get along with me because once they made the monster suit there was no way they could get rid of me.
Other actors I know will never get work in Thailand as their reputation for being difficult on set precludes them from even getting a call to the casting.
Imagine being stuck on set in the jungle with the same 30 people for 6 weeks of hardship, sleeping in a shared room (this sucks if you get a homebody bunked with a party goer - unless you are the party goer), often in difficult climate, like 18th century clothing in hot tropical heat. Add in sometimes bad food and people start to loose their tempers, add in one or two rotten apples and the whole movie suffers from the negative influence.
Casting Directors look for this.
Also if you are likable the casting agent is more likely to remember you and call you more often, gaining you more chances at getting a job.
Being likable is THE most important asset an actor can have, get out and introduce yourself to everybody, talk to the camera guys, talk to the 2nd unit Director, make friends. You never know who you will meet, and movie people are fun - the bad guys don't get hired a second time.
So to answer the original question - who can you see, who can you send photos too? People you know! i.e. no one that I know. All my contacts only call me when they are looking for a huge guy.
Unless you are really, really good or UNIQUE it is difficult to start.
OK unique means one of a kind, it does not mean you have tattoos that you think are unique, that just means you are another guy with tattoos.
Being 7 foot tall and full of muscle is one way to be unique, but you'll have trouble doing that. Being the best in the world at your chosen skill will help if it is a film friendly skill like martial arts, but you had better be a National Champion at least.
So get listed with many acting agents, go to as many castings as you can and be Mr Personality, get known, be friendly (don't over do it) and do as you are told and do not ask too many questions. Smile a lot.
There you go, a few years later you should be working regularly.
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