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The differences between actors and cast members can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an actor has an average salary of $53,376, which is higher than the $29,039 average annual salary of a cast member.
The top three skills for an actor include makeup, improv and music videos. The most important skills for a cast member are customer service, guest safety, and guest service.
An actor is a person who specializes in representing the character they are portraying and convince that it is real by engaging and drawing the audience into their story. They deal with several types of spectators, coming from all ages and which could be from home televisions, films, traditional theaters, radios, and other performing arts center organizations. There is no formal education required to become an actor; they could be someone striving with passion or be one of those who are born with talent. However, others would prefer to take official courses from colleges, universities, conservatories, while some prepare through theater arts programs or private classes and also can be recruited and trained directly by entertainment agencies.
A cast member is responsible for ensuring that the guests have a wonderful and comfortable experience, usually in a film production setting. Cast members assist with the guests' inquiries and concerns, verifying their schedules, and directing them to the appropriate area based on their tickets. They also help serve food and beverages and remind the guests of the event's safety policies and procedures. A cast member must have excellent communication and customer service skills, helping the management develop marketing campaigns and programs to promote productions and generate revenues.
Actors and cast members have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Actor | Cast Member | |
| Average salary | $53,376 | $29,039 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $115,000 | Between $22,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between an actor and a cast member in terms of educational background:
| Actor | Cast Member | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Theatre | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between actors' and cast members' demographics:
| Actor | Cast Member | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.5% Female, 32.5% | Male, 37.4% Female, 62.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 13.6% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 6.3% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 19% | 19% |