 There are two ways that you can be on Stranger Things season five, either through Carmen Cuba, the casting director of the principal speaking roles, or through Casting Taylor Made, who does the background casting. I wanted to make this video because every time Stranger Things or any big show starts filming a new season, I get all of these ads from different casting websites or actress conferences promising ways to audition for these huge shows. And in reality, if you are an actor who has very little or no acting experience, you should not be spending money on submitting to these huge shows. Let me just tell you the information for free, whether you want a speaking role or you want to be background. And first of all, you can see who does the casting in the credits of the show. If you want a speaking role in Stranger Things, but you have no acting experience whatsoever, it is extremely unlikely that you will be cast. And that's not just me saying it, it is something that Carmen Cuba, the casting director of Stranger Things said a few months ago in an interview with Vanity Fair. Very early on, the Duffers and I discussed that these parts were not likely going to be able to be pulled off by a kid who didn't have some experience. From the very beginning, we were like, okay, no sort of street casting for this, we're going to start with theater schools, acting coaches, kids who've been on Broadway, the kids on the Stranger Things cast have not popped up out of nowhere. They've been working really hard for years. To audition for a show as popular as this, you do want an agent to submit you through a casting website like Actors Access, because that's usually where they post these. But why would you have an agent submit you if you can just make a profile yourself and submit? Well, because you can't. When casting offices post these breakdowns on Actors Access or casting networks, they can put a filter as to who sees the breakdown. So there's some kind of buffer between casting and the thousands of people that want to audition. For example, if Stranger Things was to be casting for an 18 to 25 year old of any gender who is a natural blonde and has a bubbly personality, and they just put it as an open call, they will get tons of thousands of submissions because actors who don't even fit the description will be like, hey, I'm just gonna I'm just gonna do it and try what's worse that can happen. Where if instead they put the filter or have relationships with specific talent agencies, then there's going to be more of a buffer. This way agents want to keep a good relationship with the casting offices, and they will truly only send those actors that look 18 to 25 blonde, bubbly and can live and play in that Stranger Things world. And instead of casting, getting tens of thousands of auditions, because they were filtered through the agents, they might get like 999. The other even less likely option is to be incredibly talented and have clips of you acting online. So if casting is looking for fresh faces, new talent, they can be scrolling through YouTube or TikTok and find your incredible video and ask you to send in a self tape. But even then there needs to be a role in the show that fits you. If you're new to acting, what might be a better option is to be background, a background actor or an extra. And you do not need any experience for this, but you do need to have reliable transportation and be within driving distance of Atlanta, Georgia, or wherever they're filming that day, because big shows like this often travel in order to be able to get certain shots. You will need to live within driving distance because they do not pay for any kind of travel or lodging and the pay itself is usually around minimum wage. If you or your child is under 18, you will need a Georgia workers permit. In addition to that, you have to have a flexible schedule and be willing to work long hours, like 10 to 12 hours. And then in order to submit to it, you need to create a profile on this app that they use. It's called Casted App. And I wanted to see what it was like. So I made a profile. You can upgrade to premium, which gets you more photos. And if for some reason casting wants more photos of you, you can upgrade for a month for $5 and then cancel it or ask casting if you can send it through email. But really for background acting, all they really need is a full body shot and a closeup smiling or closeup not smiling. Please just do your research and get your information from more than just one source. The bigger picture of this video is that I want you to not get taken advantage of or scammed because you want to be on a show like Stranger Things. If anybody ever tells you that you have an amazing look, so they want to cast you, they need to see your acting first. Or if they see your acting and they're like, wow, it's amazing. It's incredible. And then ask you for money. That's a huge red flag. So take care of yourself. And if you are under 18, please make sure that your parent or guardian is doing all of the communication for you and anything you're reading, they're reading too. Here's a video on how you can take those photos on your own at home. And especially if you're going for background work, you don't need a professional headshot. Sure, you can send it in, but they're definitely going to ask you to just take a photo with your phone because they want to see what you actually look like naturally without any camera magic or editing.