Navigating the Background World as the COVID Pandemic Evolves

The COVID-19 pandemic changed life as we know it, positively and negatively. While many types of employment seamlessly transitioned to work-from-home, actors rarely have that luxury, because their work is usually performed at a studio or on location in the proximity of other actors and crew. This is particularly true for background work in film, TV and commercials.

While the work itself has mostly remained the same, except for donning and doffing masks during production, every other aspect facilitating the work has changed dramatically. This includes COVID testing days, prior to and during the shoot, on-set safety protocols and the background booking process. Plus, some practices prevalent at the beginning of the Return to Work Agreement have tapered off or been eliminated entirely, depending upon the production. 

One largely positive development COVID ushered in is the practice of “carrying” regularly featured background actors or stand-ins by a particular show. These background actors are paid for a week's work, regardless of whether or not they come to set every day. A few such shows included Grey's Anatomy, The Rookie, This Is Us and NCIS. 

This approach was around to some degree pre-COVID, but during the pandemic it became more widespread. Background actors who are carried are, with some exceptions, expected to decline work on other projects on their days off, since they should be keeping themselves safe from possible infection on another set. While most background actors appreciate the steady paycheck, there are some downsides as well. Occasional higher-paying commercial work might be offered, which these background actors won’t be able to accept, as well as auditioning for principal work. It remains to be seen whether this level of carrying will continue, regardless of the severity of future COVID variants.

Also, COVID testing days are a double-edged sword for background actors, as the regulars are not impacted to the same degree as those who work a day here or a day there. Most shows test on site Monday, Wednesday and Friday, days the background actors or stand-ins might be working on the show anyway.

Day-playing background actors, however, must often take a test (or multiple tests, sometimes in addition to fittings) for just one day of work. If they don’t have work scheduled or other significant plans, it can be an easy $100 they wouldn’t have otherwise received. As the testing has become cheaper and processed by larger labs, those background actors usually have greater flexibility to get the testing done.

However, if a background actor has a 5 a.m. call time in Santa Clarita and ends up having a long day, there’s no way he or she will be able to take a test for another upcoming job in, say, Culver City. Having to be at a particular place at a particular time can significantly impact the possibility of booking a job on another production.

As to the work hours themselves, some background actors have reported they feel overtime is less frequent, possibly as a way for production to offset the added costs of testing and other COVID protocols. Others report little change to their regular 15-hour days. Still others have mentioned they are being asked to perform "double duty" in greater frequency — i.e., standing-in and also working background in the same scene for which they are not paid more than the stand-in rate. 

Payroll issues have also been a challenge for many background actors. Payroll staffing shortages, employee confusion and/or differences of opinion regarding certain Return to Work policies, and the fact that some productions don’t want to pay for extras like COVID tests, have made life more stressful for background actors. This has led to an increase of claims being filed by background actors and the subsequent inconvenience of calling payroll companies to chase down COVID checks. 

Also, productions’ Return to Work protocols can vary, such as the mandates of Part l or ll, testing type and frequency, on-set safety standards such as mask-wearing and other requirements pertaining to “self-service” during meal times. Mandatory vaccination policies are not mandated by the union, but are up to each individual production’s discretion. While the vast majority of productions have elected such policies, we are nowadays seeing some changes as some productions no longer require that background actors test on the days prior to working, and instead conduct a rapid PCR or LAMP molecular rapid test the day of employment, while background actors wait in a designated area until test results come back negative.

It’s a far cry from the early COVID days, when masks and face shields were required, and meals were served from behind a screen in a to-go box, with individual tables at which to sit and seats spaced out considerably, mostly outdoors. Plus, ever-present COVID compliance officers routinely reminded background actors and crew to wear their masks and shields. While some productions remain strict with these rules, others have loosened them considerably, as determined by whether a production is in Part I or Part II of the current Return to Work Agreement.  

Background actors have always adapted to a constantly evolving business, and must be very flexible with their schedules. But the COVID pandemic really pushed all of this to the extreme. The jury is largely out as to whether some or all of the changes will endure or fall away, but background actors know they must always be prepared for what may come and stand ready to perform at their professional best.