Did Any Actors Start as Extras?

All our favorite actors had to start somewhere, and many appeared as extras in movies and TV shows before they became household names. A young Leonardo DiCaprio appeared briefly in the TV show "Roseanne." Future Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr. was an extra in "Coming to America."

Do extras ever become actors?

Extra work doesn't necessarily get an actor noticed by casting directors or agents, but it can be a valuable way of gaining experience on set. It can sometimes result in being upgraded to a speaking role, or helping an actor get his union card. ... Yet, working as an extra can be worthwhile.

Do actors ever talk to extras?

“Walking background” and “human props” are two of the gentle and tired jokes used to describe the role of the film and television extra, usually by extras themselves, but the description is entirely appropriate. Extras aren't supposed to say anything during a take, for as the saying goes, you aren't being paid to talk.