Brian the puppeteer said one shouldn´t work as an extra after having had a part in a film, but work has been pretty thin lately.

I must admit I have become more selective with what I do but it’s also worth acknowledging that even landing jobs as an extra has become increasingly difficult. However, every now and then I get offered background roles which might not be very well paid, but are nice opportunities to be on set and do my bit.

Like playing a City Bar Singer. They said I might be required to sing live, so I had to send my singing Demo and my show reel. The pay rate wasn´t even the Union minimum but I felt I really wanted to do it, so I put myself forward.

Two days later I get an email telling me I have been shortlisted, but production now requires this character to be drunk whilst singing to karaoke -same pay rate, of course. For this reason they wanted me to self-tape “drunkenly” singing to karaoke. I sent an amazing clip singing to Dean Martin’s version of Volare whilst holding a champagne glass filled with Coca-cola.

Betty just called from the extras agency to tell me there is a change of plan: “Production haven't got a karaoke track anymore so the drunken singer is more going to be drunkenly egging the audience on to listen to him singing again. Could you do a new self-tape to that effect for me?”

Dear Betty, I said, tell production they should hire an actor.