Background Actors Sound Off On Alarming AI Future And What’s At Stake In The Actors Strike

Background acting jobs can help people pay the rent and gain crucial experience on film and TV sets. Cecil Castelucci, a Los Angeles-based writer of novels, comic books and operas, used background acting to make ends meet while breaking into writing. She has appeared in shows like “Mike and Molly,” “You’re the Worst,” “Sex and the City,” “Girlfriends” and “Gilmore Girls” — and ironically, the Steven Spielberg film “AI: Artificial Intelligence.”

“The AI news has me spitting mad, and I’ll be out on the lines,” Castelucci said.

While background acting is no longer her primary source of income, “I keep my SAG card active for many reasons, one of them being that cobbling an art life is hard, and I knew it was something that I could do should I need a bag of groceries during lean times,” Castelucci said.

In addition, being a fly on the wall on film and TV sets was an essential training ground for her as a storyteller. “I feel that it is an apprenticeship to film and television making in a way that school can’t teach you. You learn to observe and know what makes a great set or a terrible one, what an actor at the top of their game, or just starting out, does to bring a character alive by watching them do take after take and how they work their craft,” Castelucci said. “And you see firsthand how a great director tries to weave a story and steer the ship. It’s a masterclass for anyone in the field and vital to making the magic.”

Background Actors Sound Off On Alarming AI Future And What’s At Stake In The Actors Strike Huffington Post, July 14, 2023