Productions usually recruit several performers
The average casting call contained 3.48 roles, showing that most productions were looking for more than one performer.
The Acting Jobs Report 2026
Rather than relying on surveys or general industry opinion, this report is based on casting opportunities contained in the Fame Street database during July 2026. The snapshot includes 730 casting calls and 2,539 individual roles. That equals an average of 3.48 roles per casting call, showing that productions generally recruit several performers within each listing. Because the figures come directly from advertised casting opportunities, they reflect production demand represented in the database at the time of analysis.
730
Casting calls
2,539
Individual acting roles
3.48
Average roles per casting
July 2026
Database snapshot
The size of the market
The snapshot contained more than 2,500 individual acting roles
The 730 casting calls contained 2,539 separate performer requirements. This means the number of available roles was more than three times greater than the number of casting notices.
The average casting call recruited 3.48 performers. Some productions advertised one highly specific part, while others sought lead characters, supporting performers, featured actors and background artists within the same listing.
What this means for actors
Do not judge a casting call only by its headline. Opening the complete listing may reveal several roles, including characters better suited to your age, location, appearance or experience.
See which productions are casting now
Browse current film, television, commercial, theatre and independent opportunities.
International opportunity
Where are actors being recruited?
Casting activity on Fame Street extends across multiple international markets. Productions recruited in the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, Africa and Oceania during the reporting period.
England recorded the largest number of current casting calls with 76 listings, followed by Australia with 64, Canada with 51 and Ireland with 50. Scotland, the United States and Germany also represented substantial casting markets within the dataset.
Leading countries and markets for casting calls
Current casting calls associated with each country or UK nation in the Fame Street dataset.
Figure 1. Number of current casting calls associated with leading countries and UK nations in the Fame Street dataset. Bars use a scale of 0–100 casting calls and do not represent percentage shares. A casting call may be associated with more than one market where applications are accepted internationally.
What this means for actors
Casting opportunities are not confined to one country. Actors should check whether a production accepts self-tapes, international applicants or performers willing to travel before assuming that a role is outside their reach.
Search acting jobs in your country
Browse current casting calls and filter opportunities by location, age and production type.
Who was hiring
What kinds of productions were casting?
The acting market extends far beyond major feature films and television drama. Short films, music videos, web series and other independent productions collectively generated the majority of opportunities represented in the Fame Street snapshot.
Short films were by far the most common production format, accounting for an estimated 68% of casting calls. Feature films represented approximately 11%, followed by music videos at 9%, web series at 5%, television productions at 3% and other formats at 4%.
Student status was considered separately from production format because the two overlap heavily. Around three quarters of short films were estimated to be student productions, while approximately 95% of student productions were short films.
Casting calls by production type
Estimated share of Fame Street casting calls by production format.
Figure 2. Estimated distribution of Fame Street casting calls by production format. Percentages total 100%. Student productions are not shown as a separate format because they overlap heavily with short films.
What this means for actors
Short films created the widest pool of opportunities, particularly for actors building credits, footage and practical experience. Because many were student productions, performers should review payment, production standards, filming arrangements and how the completed footage will be used before applying.
Explore different production types
Search current opportunities in film, television, theatre, commercials and independent productions.
Payment and expenses
Are acting jobs usually paid?
Payment varies according to production type, budget, usage rights, experience requirements and the amount of time involved. Some projects offer a fixed fee or daily rate, while others cover expenses or provide experience and screen credit.
Across the current snapshot, 32% of casting calls offered an acting fee. A further 58% offered expenses only or no acting fee, while payment information was not specified in 10% of listings.
How casting calls described payment
Share of current casting calls by stated payment category.
Figure 3. Payment information in the current Fame Street casting snapshot. “Expenses only / Unpaid” means no acting fee was stated, although some productions covered travel, meals or other costs.
What this means for actors
Payment is only one part of evaluating a role. Actors should also consider expenses, usage rights, travel, working hours, footage, credits and whether the project supports their current career goals.
Review payment details before applying
Current Fame Street listings show the compensation information supplied by each production.
Performer demand
Which actors were most in demand?
Casting decisions are driven by character requirements and playing age rather than one universally preferred age. Even so, some performer age groups appear in more advertised roles than others.
Performers aged 26–35 appeared in more roles than any other age group, with 1,880 matching role records. The 18–25 category followed closely with 1,737, while substantial demand also existed for performers aged 36–45, 46–55, 56–65 and over 65.
Advertised demand by performer age group
Number of role records accepting performers within each Fame Street age category. Bar lengths are relative to the largest age-group count shown.
Figure 4. Relative demand by Fame Street performer age band. Bar lengths are scaled against the largest category shown and do not represent percentage shares. One role may appear in more than one category where a wide playing-age range was accepted.
What this means for actors
A quieter age category does not mean that no work is available. Productions require performers throughout the age range, and less crowded categories may sometimes attract fewer competing applications.
Find roles suited to your playing age
Create a profile and discover casting calls matching your age, location and performer details.
Gender demand
How were acting roles distributed by gender?
Gender demand was relatively balanced across the current Fame Street database snapshot. Male performers were requested for 44.3% of individual roles, while female performers were requested for 37.2%.
A further 18.5% of roles were open to performers of any gender. This means that almost one in five advertised roles did not restrict applicants to a male or female category.
Advertised acting roles by gender
Share of the 2,539 individual role records by stated gender requirement.
Figure 5. Gender requirements across 2,539 individual Fame Street role records in the July 2026 database snapshot. Male roles accounted for 44.3%, female roles for 37.2%, and roles open to any gender for 18.5%.
What this means for actors
Almost one in five roles accepted performers of any gender. Actors should read the complete character description rather than assuming that a role is unsuitable when its title does not clearly indicate a gender.
Find roles matching your profile
Browse current casting calls and review the complete gender, age and character requirements.
Key findings
What the figures tell actors
More than 2,500 separate opportunities were represented
The 730 casting calls contained 2,539 individual role requirements across different countries, ages and production types.
Casting activity is international
The current dataset contains opportunities across the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United States, Germany, South Africa, New Zealand, the Netherlands, France and other markets.
Short films dominated the production mix
An estimated 68% of casting calls were short films. Feature films represented approximately 11%, while music videos, web series, television and other formats made up the remainder.
The report represents a current industry snapshot
The figures describe the casting calls and individual roles contained in the Fame Street database during July 2026, rather than a month-by-month history of every listing published during the year.
Methodology
This report analyses a snapshot of Fame Street casting data taken during July 2026. At the time of analysis, the database contained 730 casting calls and 2,539 individual roles across multiple countries.
- Each casting notice contained in the database was counted once.
- Each separately described performer requirement was counted as an individual role.
- A casting call may be associated with more than one country where applications are accepted internationally.
- Age figures measure advertised eligibility and may include one role in more than one age category.
- Payment classifications use the information supplied by the production.
- Production-format figures are estimates based on the available listing information.
- Student status is analysed separately from production format because student productions and short films overlap heavily.
- Historical publication dates were not retained consistently during an earlier platform migration.
- Deleted listings are not included, so the report represents the available database snapshot rather than every casting call published during 2026.
- Figures and chart values were checked against the July 2026 report data before publication.
- The findings describe Fame Street casting activity and are not a complete census of every production worldwide.
Looking for your next acting role?
Browse current casting calls from productions recruiting across multiple countries, or create your free actor profile to discover opportunities matching your age, location and experience.