Adding Props and Special Skills to Your Online Profile

Your Central Casting online profile is one of the best tools you can use to get booked as a Background Actor. The more accurate and thorough you are when filling out your profile, the easier it is for Casting Directors to determine the types of roles you can portray and find you in searches. Here’s what you need to know about adding props and special skills to your profile.

Before we jump in, it’s important to note that if you’re booked based on the props or skills in your profile, 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.

Adding props you own

Just like with wardrobe or vehicles, Casting Directors often need to book Background Actors with certain props. From everyday objects like luggage, to role-specific props like a stenographer machine, to period items like a 1990s camera, you never know when a prop can help you get booked.

You can add props by logging in to your online profile, selecting the Casting Information tab, and scrolling to the props section. From the dropdown, you can add as many props as you own, have access to, and are willing to work with. After selecting some “other” options, a field will appear to type in additional information about your prop.

Don’t see a prop you have listed? When booking roles requiring props, Casting Directors will search our casting platform or post to our Jobs page. We recommend bookmarking this page and checking back regularly so don’t miss out on opportunities that may pop up with other props you own.

Be sure to delete any props you no longer own or no longer want to work with on set and add new props as you get them so our Casting Directors always have your current information when considering you for roles.

Updating your profile with special skills

Whether it’s roller skaters in 9-1-1: Lone Star, EMTs in The Big Door Prize, yoga teachers in Harlem, or basketball players in The Crossover, you can get booked in a wide range of roles. To make movements believable on camera, productions may opt to look for Background Actors who have experience with the role, like someone who looks convincing playing a sport or portraying a certain profession.

Casting Directors also search for special skills when casting doubles. Doubles take the place of principal actors on screen and are needed for a variety of reasons, from freeing up actors when their faces don’t need to be shown or to perform specialized tasks the actor can’t convincingly portray. Hand doubles are especially common and are often used for insert shots, like a close up of a character playing an instrument.

You can add special skills by going to the Casting Information section of your online profile, scrolling to the Skills dropdown, then choosing the skills you can portray. There will be some skill options with proficiency levels listed, please be honest about your abilities to perform that skill.

Other opportunities to update your profile

If you’re updating your props and skills, it’s also a great opportunity to look at other areas of your online profile to see what you can update or remove. If your look has changed, you can update your appearance information and sizes in the Appearance section of your profile. Remember, even changes that you might think are small, like shaving a goatee to a mustache, can matter to Casting Directors.

Have a car you want to work with? Whether it’s brand new, beat up, or classic, Casting Directors are constantly booking Background Actors with their vehicle. If you own a car, have it insured, and are willing to work with it on set, add your car’s information to the Vehicles section. Then if you sell or no longer want to work with one of your cars, please remove that vehicle information so it doesn’t show up in Casting Director searches.

To learn more about updating your online profile, check out our guides 7 Opportunities to Update Your Online Profile and Do’s and Don’ts for Optimizing Your Online Profile.