Resume Billing

Creative interpretations of billing are common on actors' resumés. Certainly, there are variations from market to market, but the standard for Los Angeles actors' resumés is pretty clear. Regardless of where you started, once you come to LA to pursue a career in acting, the lingo goes like this.

Film Billing

Lead: principal role in the film, in most scenes, on-screen credit is often in the credits that start the film (as well as in the complete end credits).

Supporting: principal role in the film, in one or more scenes but not a lead character although important to the storyline.

Featured: principal role in the film with one or more lines but easily cut from the final version of the film. Unfortunately, many extras have started using the term "featured" to describe their extra work and that means casting directors are less and less convinced that a job listed as "featured" actually was a featured principal role.

Extra: non-speaking role in the film with no on-screen credit. This billing does not belong on an acting resumé.

Television Billing

Series Regular: contract role with exclusivity to the series, network, and production company for a term of a year or more; paid for a predetermined number of episodes produced, on contract for all episodes, even those in which the character doesn't appear.

Recurring: character returns over multiple episodes, either on standing contract or contracted periodically, based on negotiations and number of appearances.

Guest Star: one-episode guest whose character's storyline is central to that episode, works at a weekly rate (and is under contract for the week, even if only shooting a day or two).

Co-star: one-episode guest whose character's storyline may or may not be central to that episode (since co-star billing actually depends more on negotiation than size of the role), anywhere from one line to multiple scenes.

Contract Role: a soap opera AFTRA contract term for a daytime series regular or recurring character.

Under 5: an AFTRA-only contract term for a character with between one and five lines.

Extra: non-speaking role with no on-screen credit. This billing does not belong on an acting resumé.

Theatre Billing

Billing is pretty much non-existent for theatre credits on a resumé. Most theatre credits include the character name, as role size is generally known. If, however, the production is of an original work or relatively new play, it is fine to include a parenthetical notation of "lead" or "supporting" after the character name. Also note that you originated the role, if that's the case. Depending on how well known the play becomes down the line, this could be especially impressive information.

With all issues of billing, when in doubt, check your contract. If you are working a union television contract, your billing will be spelled out specifically in your contract and there is no room for error. If you do not have a contract or deal memo for your work, check the original breakdown for the project, as the billing for the role will likely be listed after the character description. When in doubt, check with your agent or someone in production. You do not want to mistakenly upgrade yourself on your resumé and then meet up with the casting director in the future. "Oh! You got bumped up from featured extra to co-star? That's GREAT!" "Uh, no. I actually didn't. Oops." "Oops is right, and I already knew that, since I'm the one who cast co-stars and the extras casting director is the one who cast you."

Q&A on Film Billing

Why do you not list Star and Co-star in Film Billing?

Until a feature film is coming from a major studio, the term Lead really does suffice on your resumé. Once you are the star of a studio feature film, it's more common to create three columns of film title, director, and production company or studio. At this point, there will no longer be billing on your resumé. A major motion picture will have been well-promoted enough that your billing will be known (or easily tracked down).

If you are the star of an indie feature film, you may certainly use that wording in the billing column of your resumé, but I would recommend that you do so in a parenthetical notation: Lead (Starring). I have also seen actors use the terms First Lead, Starring Lead, and Lead: Also Starring. Co-star is generally a television term and not used in film billing.

Can I use the term Principal instead of Supporting when I'm not the lead but also not in a Featured role?

Yes. A supporting role is a principal role and it is assumed that you will use the term Lead when you are, in fact, the lead. Of course, there's nothing wrong with using the term Supporting, so if that's what your role was, by all means, call it that!

Since the term is frequently misused, how can I be sure people know I did have a featured (not extra) role?

If you were truly a featured actor in a union project, your union status will back that up. Perhaps consider using a hybrid term like Featured Principal or Featured Performer if you're overly concerned with coming off as attempting to promote your credits.

And, since I know someone will ask, if your featured work was on a union project in a right-to-work state, yes, we'll know that means you may not yet be a member of SAG despite having had a featured role on a SAG project. Most folks in casting keep up with what's shooting where enough to know when you've worked on a right-to-work state-based project and will take that into consideration when evaluating your credits.

Q&A on Television Billing

I have a Guest Star credit, but I wasn't paid by the week. Did I actually work as a Co-star and I just don't know it? Do I need to change my resumé?

You worked as a guest star if your contract said you worked as a guest star. Since television billing is as much about negotiation as it is about the actual amount of time you spent on the set or the money you were paid, you have to rely on what your contract indicates. If you worked for one day but were billed as a guest star, you should list it as such.

Remember, billing helps with quote bumps later. You may receive average-range co-star pay on a gig but be billed as a guest star, which allows you to negotiate for guest star pay on your next gig. Many times, actors will accept lower pay for higher billing, since that helps ramp them up for better pay on the next project.

You specified the billing for TV and movies, but what about TV-movies? I never know in which section they belong (my manager advised I place them in the TV section) and I don't know what to call my credits. Can I call a lead role "Lead" even though it's in the TV section? I cannot call it a Series Regular role. What do I do?

Great question! First, you do what your manager tells you to do, as he or she is the one who is helping to shape your career.

Next, a TV movie is most like a movie, in terms of the billing protocol, even though the credit lives in the television section of your resumé. Most actors will list the title of the project and then add "MOW" (Movie of the Week) after the title. The next column will list billing (Lead, Supporting, Featured) and the third column will list the production company and/or the network on which the MOW aired.

If the credit in question is a miniseries, it's often more appropriate to use standard television credits, as you can be a three-episode guest star of a miniseries. If you are the lead character in a miniseries, however, you may be nearing the stage of those actors who no longer list billing on their resumés.

Remember, when you have more than a couple of MOW credits, you may choose to create a section devoted to them, breaking them free of the conventions applied to either film or television sections on your resumé.

Soap Opera Billing

Principal/Recurring (a Day Player who recurs over time but is not on contract by either the Producers' or actor's choice, thus freeing the actor to pursue roles on rival soaps by virtue of the fact that there is no contract) and Day Player (a character with five lines or more).

Remember; when in doubt check your contract. If you do not have a contract or deal memo for your work, check the original breakdown for the project, as the billing for the role will likely be listed after the character description. When still in doubt, check with your agent or someone in production.