Now that I’ve covered the broad strokes of what a casting director does, I want to discuss what the term “casting agent” means and how it differs from a casting director. Many casting directors will tell you the term casting agent is an inaccurate term that conflates or confuses a casting director with a talent agent. While a talent agent represents actors (i.e., talent) and takes a percentage of what the talent is paid for the multifaceted job of submitting them, pitching them, negotiating on their behalf, and sometimes serving as their proxy therapists, casting directors are paid for their services by one of the entities involved in hiring the talent, such as the production company, ad agency, studio, or network. Because casting directors do not take a percentage of the actors’ fees, they, in theory, remain more of an impartial creative judge throughout the casting process. A talent agent, on the other hand, has a vested interest in advocating for the talent on their roster. Sure, casting directors may have their favorites, but there’s no money changing hands between the actors and the casting directors.  

According to the Casting Society of America’s FAQ section, the term casting agent is “frequently used incorrectly by those outside the business and in the media.” I’ll one up that statement to say that plenty of people who work inside the business and the media use the term incorrectly as well. Countless times I’ve received official paperwork from a SAG signatory advertising agency that wants me to sign my name stating that I understand my responsibilities on a job, and the signature field lists my position as “Casting Agent.” I’m sure most of my colleagues do the same thing I do before signing – strike through the word “Agent” and write “Director” in its place. We direct the process of casting but do not represent the actors throughout that process.

Ok, here’s an exception to the rule (of course there’s always one), and it’s such a huge and obvious one that it’s easy to overlook – extras casting. Casting professionals who work in the extras space, casting background talent for movies, TV, and commercials, do receive payment based on a percentage of the actor’s fee. Depending on how the extras company is set up and what arrangement they have with the talent on their roster, they may be classified accurately as an extras casting agency. For example, Central Casting, the largest and oldest background casting agency in the business, has an interesting explainer on their website about the company’s history dating back to the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1920s.

And now to confuse things further, here comes the exception to the exception… Not all companies that cast extras consider themselves casting agencies, and they may prefer to be called extras casting companies run by extras casting directors, rather than casting agents. I know some extras casting directors who are just as particular about who gets a background role as casting directors who cast principal talent. To them it’s not just a game of bodies and percentages but a true creative endeavor.

To sum it up, the term casting agent is not a complete misnomer, but it’s often used inaccurately when referring to someone who casts principal talent, i.e., those actors who are recognizable, have lines, and offer more to a scene than atmosphere. If there’s a performance involved, then a casting director most likely cast those roles, while a casting agent may have provided more people to help round of the background of the scene. But don’t go calling that extras casting professional a casting agent (unless they prefer to adopt that title) because it’s not always accurate. If you want to play it safe and sound like you know what you’re talking about, avoid the term casting agent altogether and stick with the safer term casting director.

Want to know the difference between a Commercial Casting Director and a Theatrical Casting Director? Check the next post to find out.