Illinois Woman Was An Extra In 3 Chicago TV Shows

When it comes to TV shows, it's so easy to get invested in the main characters, but have you ever wondered what it's like to be an extra?

My older sister, Kristen, has been working as an extra on several popular Chicago-based TV shows and started getting more and more screen time. Chicago Med, Chicago PD, and Chicago Fire are the three shows you might spot her in!

Even though she isn't the main character, it's still so exciting to watch an episode and randomly see her pop up. She decided to share how much she was featured as a trapped subway passenger in one of the latest crossover episodes.

An hour into the episode, she's nowhere to be found.

Two hours in, finally she's featured. Yes, my entire family screamed watching it.

She spent 12 days as the same role and the pay breakdown was $126 for every 8 hours of work. Anything past that she was paid overtime. She spent 150 hours on-set and made it in basically one scene. Hey, at least she got paid!

NotKahnJunior/Canva

While she may not be in the spotlight, her story as an extra sheds light on the hard work and behind-the-scenes magic that goes into creating these shows. Pretty solid gig if you're looking to kill time, make a little extra money, and see if acting is your calling.

For anyone interested in breaking into the industry, maybe hit up my sister on TikTok for any tips and tricks to auditioning and booking gigs in Chicago! Could be your big break.