Have you ever wondered about the hierarchy of TV acting roles and what they mean for your career?
What’s the difference between a co-star and a guest star? How is a principal actor different from a background actor? Understanding these distinctions can help you navigate auditions, evaluate opportunities and make informed decisions about your acting career.
Key Insights
- Understanding the differences between co-star, guest star, recurring and series regular roles can help actors navigate auditions and make informed career decisions.
- Background and non-union work can help actors build experience and credits, but knowing when to join SAG-AFTRA is an important career consideration.
- Delivering a strong performance in a smaller TV role can open the door to recurring appearances and larger opportunities.
Have you ever wondered about the hierarchy of TV acting roles and what they mean for your career? What’s the difference between a co-star and a guest star? How is a principal actor different from a background actor? Understanding these distinctions can help you navigate auditions, evaluate opportunities and make informed decisions about your acting career.
That’s where actor and acting coach Amy Lyndon comes in.
Lyndon’s work focuses on helping actors book roles by mastering the audition process. Drawing on her own acting experience and that of her students, she also understands the nuances of television role classifications. She covers these topics in her online course and discusses the acting industry on her podcast.
TV Acting Roles at a Glance
| TV Role | Definition |
|---|---|
| Background Actor | Performs in a scene without an individual speaking role |
| Principal Actor | Performs an identifiable acting role, typically involving dialogue or another qualifying performance |
| Day Player | Hired to work on a production for a limited number of days |
| Co-Star | Typically a smaller speaking role supporting the episode’s story |
| Guest Star | A substantial role that contributes meaningfully to an episode’s storyline |
| Guest Lead | A prominent guest role, often central to an episode’s plot |
| Recurring | A character who appears in multiple episodes without necessarily being a series regular |
| Series Regular | An actor contracted as part of the show’s regular cast |
| Series Lead | A principal character who anchors the show’s central storyline |
These categories aren’t always mutually exclusive. For example, a co-star or guest star may be hired as a day player, while a recurring character may appear in several episodes without becoming a series regular. Specific classifications and billing can vary by production and contract.
Principal vs. Background Actor: What’s the Difference?
A background actor helps establish the environment of a scene, generally without individual dialogue, whereas a principal actor performs an identifiable role, typically with dialogue or another qualifying performance.
Background work can also provide a pathway toward SAG-AFTRA eligibility, although actors should understand the requirements before pursuing union membership.
“You get a voucher for every background role you have on a SAG set, and when you get three, you’re SAG eligible,” Lyndon explains. “But whether or not you actually want to get your SAG card is another story. I think I got mine too early, and honestly, I don’t think anybody should get their SAG card until they absolutely have to.”
Editor’s note: Not every background job on a SAG-AFTRA production provides qualifying union credit. Actors generally need three qualifying days of covered background work to establish eligibility through that pathway, subject to SAG-AFTRA verification.
Lyndon acknowledges that her advice about when to join the union isn’t necessarily a popular opinion. For instance, casting director Seth Yanklewitz believes “You [want to be] getting to SAG as soon as you possibly can,” but Lyndon disagrees.
Part of her reasoning involves the financial commitment of joining the union and the potential limitations on non-union opportunities. Actors who join before establishing a strong resume may find themselves competing for union roles while no longer being able to accept certain non-union jobs that could help them gain experience and earn income.
“One of my students was in a movie that was number one on Netflix,” Lyndon says. “It was a Lifetime movie she did that was non-union that she booked from, I think, Utah. She’s since moved to LA, but nobody knows it’s non-union. She stayed non-union as long as possible, so she booked five Lifetime movies in a row. The chances of you getting a really big role being union is minuscule. Your job is to build your resume, and there’s Hallmark, Lifetime, and 85% of commercials that are non-union right now. So, for you to get your SAG card without any credits on networks, you’re doing yourself a disservice.”
Lyndon’s perspective underscores an important career consideration: Union membership is a significant professional milestone, but the right time to join depends on an actor’s experience, opportunities and financial circumstances.
What’s the Difference Between a Co-Star and a Guest Star?
A co-star typically plays a smaller speaking role that supports an episode’s story, while a guest star generally has a more substantial part with greater involvement in the plot. However, the distinction isn’t determined by the number of lines or scenes alone. Role classifications, compensation and billing can vary by production and the actor’s agreement.
Co-Star and Day Player Roles
There are different definitions of co-star because the classification can mean different things across productions and even from episode to episode.
For example, a co-star might play an unnamed florist with five lines of dialogue. Another co-star could appear in multiple scenes, with compensation and billing determined by the production’s arrangements.
“If you’re a co-star doing multiple scenes, that really should be a guest star, but a co-star still fits,” Lyndon explains. “Now, if it looks like [your character] doesn’t die or get blown up, you could be an integral part if you do a good job, and they could keep bringing you back, which would elevate you to recurring.”
It’s also important to distinguish a co-star from a day player. A co-star describes the role, while day player refers to an actor hired for a limited period of work. An actor can be both.
Guest Star Roles
Guest star roles generally offer more screen time and greater involvement in an episode’s central storyline. For actors looking to build their television credits, these can be valuable opportunities to demonstrate their range.
Guest stars may also receive more prominent billing than co-stars, although placement in the credits depends on the production and contractual arrangements.
“Guest stars usually end up in the opening credits at the start of the show, with co-stars blowing by really fast in the back credits,” Lyndon says. “If SAG wants to do anything for their actors, maybe they should talk about it going a little slower, and standardizing it all. The ones in the back, you can’t even read them. There are a lot of actor-friendly TV shows that make them slower, and some of them even put it in the front.”
Recurring vs. Series Regular: What Actors Should Know
A recurring actor portrays a character who returns across multiple episodes, while a series regular is typically contracted as part of the show’s ongoing principal cast.
Recurring roles may be planned from the beginning, or a character may return because producers and writers see an opportunity to expand the role. In some cases, an actor’s performance can contribute to that decision.
Emily Bett Rickards is a notable example. Her character, Felicity Smoak, was originally intended for a single episode of Arrow, but the role expanded significantly, eventually becoming one of the show’s central characters.
Lyndon points to another famous example.
“Lisa Kudrow started out as a small co-star on Mad About You, it became something bigger, and led directly to her getting a little show you might have heard of called Friends.”
For actors, the lesson is that even a seemingly small television role can become a meaningful career opportunity.
How TV Roles Appear in Casting Breakdowns
When auditioning for television, actors can typically find information about the role classification, character description and anticipated production commitments in the casting breakdown.
These details help actors and their representatives determine whether an opportunity aligns with their schedules and career goals.
“It will tell you what the billing will be,” Lyndon says, “and will lay out what will be expected of you, time-wise. It’s all right there in black and white, because it needs to be. An actor and their reps need to be able to schedule accordingly, so it all has to match up.”
While casting breakdowns often identify a role as a co-star, guest star or series regular, final billing and credit placement may be subject to contractual agreements.
Actors should carefully review the breakdown and confirm any important details with their representatives or the production before accepting a role.
How to Move Up From Smaller TV Roles
Moving from a smaller television role to a larger one is possible, but Lyndon emphasizes that actors should focus on delivering strong performances rather than trying to force the next opportunity.
Showing up prepared, working professionally with the cast and crew, and making the most of the material can help an actor establish a positive reputation.
A co-star role might lead to additional appearances. A recurring character could eventually become a series regular. Even when a particular role doesn’t expand, the experience and credits can help an actor pursue future opportunities.
“Your job is to do a good job, and stop jumping over nickels to save pennies,” Lyndon says. “I always tell my people, just get on TV. I don’t care how you get on TV, as long as you don’t hurt anybody.”
She adds with a laugh, “and I’m not seeing you on Court TV.”
