to be said by the actor on screen? I was reading this link:
and it just says that the person has to have a principal or speaking role. Can it just be one word spoken on screen or is there a minimum?
If I remember the rules correctly, a principal role does not necessarily have to be speaking - only one in which the actor stands out individually. The director of one commercial my daughter was in was annoyed no end by mothers who tried to get their extra kids (as in kids who were extras) to push themselves to the front to be considered principals.
Do you want to join SAG? Why? They’ll make you join when you have to, before that why pay the dues? Pre-merger, AFTRA let anyone join, and my daughter’s manager was deadset against her joining without absolutely being forced to. I’m not saying SAG isn’t a great thing, but even those doing the first gigs who get the waiver get the benefits of a union set.
Rereadeing the OP, I guess you’re just curious. But there is no reason to join until you get a job requiring to join, in which case you have a contract for the current job, and there is no issue. It did required a hurried run to SAG HQ in New York (gorgeous place!) to fill out the form and pay the money.
yeah, just curious. Not an actor, but I am interested in doing some acting later in life.
I was in a “person on the street” type commercial. I said " I’ve always used XXXX because it’s always been easy." I was paid at SAG scale, but not required to join. I also received health insurance from SAG for the 3 years the commercial was aired.
Were you “lying” or do you really use XXXX?
I did then. It was in 1990 it was AT&T and I didn’t know it was for a commercial until the interview was over.