Breaking away from extra parts?

Question:a few years back, when i was much younger, i was in a handful of shows. just extra parts, nothing big.
now that i'm older i want to get more serious about acting and everything.
how hard is it to break away from being seen as just an "extra"?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: a few years back, when i was much younger, i was in a handful of shows. just extra parts, nothing big.
now that i'm older i want to get more serious about acting and everything.
how hard is it to break away from being seen as just an "extra"?

The only thing you have to worry about with extra bits, is doing them too often. You said you were much younger when you did extra work before. Its doubtful that many if any will remember you if you have changed. If you want to get back in, it would be ok to do some extra work again, just don't do too much, as then you will have the problem you are currently worrying about.
Another option you may want to look at that I think will be more valuable than extra work, is some local community theater work. As an extra, you learn what goes on, on a set. Well, you know what goes on, and you probably know how to carry yourself on a set. Audition at Repetory theaters, Community theaters, etc and get yourself some speaking roles so you can start exercising your acting chops. You need to constantly be working on your craft, polishing it to become a better actor.

Perhaps you've never heard the saying "there are no little parts, only little actors."

Little parts are the way that actors work their way up into bigger parts. Look at the resumes of any of the icons of show biz, all of them paid their dues by doing little bit parts--I just read last weekend about how Jack Nicholson was a gopher at a studio and then went into acting and did bit parts for a decade or so until his big break came in "Easy Rider."

The thing it's hard to break away from is type-casting.