Three Roles for Men in Background Acting

In background acting there seems to be only three roles for men. Aside from age specific roles, or extreme characterizations, there are three basic roles for men in background acting:


1. The Professor
2. The Blue Collar Worker
3. Military Police

The Professor is upscale, clean cut and conservative looking.  He is generally thin with small shoulders and a mild disposition.  He is very well manicured and has good personal hygiene. He usually plays roles like Doctor, Lawyer, Businessman, Upper Class, Minister, Priest, University Professor, Banker, President.

The Blue Collar Worker is the common man.  He is a little rough around the edges and a little unkempt.  He might have facial hair, or tattoos.  He might be a little fat or muscular.  He dresses down and wears ordinary clothing.  The Blue Collar Worker is frequently cast in roles like Factory Worker, Ex Con, Homeless, Good Old Boy, Farm Worker, Criminal, Clown.

The Military Police is the enforcer.  He frequently is muscular with long legs and broad shoulders.  He is almost always clean cut and clean shaven.  The Military Police is selected for roles like Policeman, Army, Navy, Marines, Security Guard, Tough guy, Super Hero.


It is curious to me that these three types are a rough analogy of the three body types in a form of personality analysis that was popular in the 1970's

Ectomorph   =  The Professor
Mesomorph  =  The Blue Collar Worker
Endomorph  =   Military Police

Note: For background acting, this is not necessarily a critique of you as a person, so do not take it personally.  This is a critique of how you can portray a character that is natural to your innate nature and then you get more work for you to perform more effectively (and get paid more money).

Recently, an unfamiliar person at work called me "The Professor" and so I explained this theory to him.  When asked what type I thought that he might be, I said, "Blue Collar Worker."  And then, he was offended that he was not "The Professor."  He told me that he played plenty of Professor roles.  Oh well.  Personally, I have tried to get roles as a Homeless Man on numerous occasions and I have never been selected, even though I am sure that I have the correct wardrobe.


copyright (c) 2016
William Schaeffer