What I Made as an Actor My First Year

2023 was my first year as an actor and it was a busy one. There’s a process from breaking into acting, acting in amateur/independent productions and moving into mainstream work. Starting you’ll do a lot of free work or work for very little pay.

Recently, I made a post that acting wasn’t paying the bills and that I had to get a bartending job in order to pay the bills while I continued to audition. I thought I would actually break down what I made last year for the 19 roles I did book.

Feature Films

• Deadline, supporting – No Pay
• Happy Endings, supporting – No Pay
• Malcolm, supporting – No Pay
• Cut, supporting – $250.00
• Stuntgirl, supporting – $800.00
• Trouble Man – supporting – $1500.00

Short Films

• Bounty in Chinatown, lead – No Pay
• Braised, lead – No Pay
• An Orange, supporting – No Pay
• Love and Death, lead – No Pay
• Companions in Misery, lead – $160.00
• The Fifth Ring, lead – No Pay
• O&0, supporting – $100.00
• Stone, lead – $340.00
• The Portrait, supporting – $300.00
• Chuck, lead – $200.00

Commercials

• Hard Rock Casino & Hotel – $2500.00
• Walden University – $350.00

Music Videos

• Chinese Food – $100.00

For 19 roles, I was paid a total of $6600.00. As I move more into mainstream work, the pay will get better, but I also know I will be booking less. But to all the new actors out there, this is the reality of acting and starting out.