Should Actors Work for Free?

In the UK acting industry there is a debate still raging after many years on the topic of low pay/no pay work.

Clearly professional actors should be paid for their work like lawyers, doctors and everyone else.

But unlike those people, the excess of actors in supply massively outweighs their demand. Breaking into our business is hard, hard to get into drama school, hard to get an agent, hard to get work, hard to get noticed.

Sometimes to get noticed actors opt to work for nothing.

I don’t think there’s a problem with that, volunteering your time for your own benefit is your choice. When it’s a mutually beneficial situation, it should be a simple partnership. I occasionally give my time away for free, watching rehearsals or coaching someone I think is a good investment for me.

But what about any money raised from the show/film? Everyone should still have a contract of agreement, with profit share or the open book system being used.

The real problem is when big organisations exploit unpaid actors. If the BBC or a big funded film company expects people to work for free, then the problem should be dealt with by Equity or SAG.

Exploitation is a very different case.
But should interesting projects just get killed because the director isn’t rich? How would the neophyte director ever get to put something on?

The other option is this. Legally ban all unpaid work. This will reduce the number of free projects happening and only those with funding can work. This will drive 80% of actors and directors out of the business.

That doesn’t sound like a great option either.

I think we need to calm down about biting people’s heads off for suggesting that people could work for experience but also those offering the work should work hard to keep things above board and not suggest that ‘doing it for the experience’ is why the actors should do it.

To You, The Best!

Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND