How to hire actors
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Attend auditions and casting calls to audition for roles. • Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble. • Learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations. • Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures. • Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences. • Read from scripts or books to narrate action or to inform or entertain audiences, utilizing few or no stage props. • Study and rehearse roles from scripts to interpret, learn and memorize lines, stunts, and cues as directed. • Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Some college, no degree] • Strong reading comprehension, speaking, active listening and critical thinking skills • Working knowledge of English Language, fine arts and communications and media • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $29.05 an hour ($60,424 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for actors
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to attend auditions and casting calls to audition for roles. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What actors do
- Attend auditions and casting calls to audition for roles.
- Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble.
- Learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations.
- Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures.
- Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences.
- Read from scripts or books to narrate action or to inform or entertain audiences, utilizing few or no stage props.
- Study and rehearse roles from scripts to interpret, learn and memorize lines, stunts, and cues as directed.
- Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for actors
- Typical education to start: Some college, no degree (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: None (O*NET)
- Training on the job: Long-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: 0% over ten years, little or no change · about 6,300 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay actors
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Maryland | $76,918 |
| New York | $59,155 |
| Texas | $53,789 |
| Pennsylvania | $46,072 |
| Georgia | $41,080 |
Related hiring guides
- Musicians and Singers
- Producers and Directors
- Choreographers
- Music Directors and Composers
- Writers and Authors
- Dancers
- Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary
- Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys
- Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance
- Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.