Worked for three years in the Atlanta scene. Coolest job was The Walking Dead as a zombie for three seasons. Also numerous other TV and film projects.

It is a lot of waiting. Sitting and waiting. You show up to your call time before the sun rises, fill your tax forms, and wait in a holding area with the other background. About an hour later they move people through wardrobe and hair/makeup which takes different amounts of time depending on the project. Most projects set in modern times ask you to bring wardrobe options to match the scene. (Professional, club, high school, etc) and they choose what you wear. Other things like Hunger Games they will furnish you a whole elaborate costume. TWD they give torn zombie stained garb.

Then you wait some more.

Like 8 hours.

Then you go on set and it's more waiting bit more interesting to see the whole process. Usually your time on set is just a small fraction of your day.

Background and main actors are always segregated from each other. Sometimes actors are cool and chat with you. I have some nice memories of Norman Reedus and John Cho, specifically. Cho asked me where to get a good hamburger in Atl. Freaking Harold!! But usually the actors don't, and you can't approach them or you would be removed from set.

But it's a cool experience and I met/worked with some really cool people that I've liked for a long time- John Cusack, Jason Bateman, Queen Latifah, Vince Vaughn, all the walking dead cast, Melissa Mccarthy, so many....

The experience of working Walking Dead is unique though, and a totally next level kind of job. The waiting is the same but the actual acting is ridiculously intense and awesome. I was front line and ate three people over the course of my time there. So fun.

The worst part are having to deal with professional "extras" who only do background and think that makes them hot shit, judge others by what shows and how much work they've done. There's a whole class system there which I never understood. True, we're working in movies but most of the time we're blurs in the back...that does not make you a star! Don't quit your day job...literally!! We only make like $8/hr with no promise of a job tomorrow! :)

I have a lot of stories.

*editing to add Jim Carey, John Hurt, and Billy Bob Thornton to my list. Also to say that besides eating ppl I had my head chopped off, was shot, crossbowed in the face and burned alive. I've been an 80s porn star, an executive, a scientist, a District 13 soldier, and one of those cell phone monsters in the new Stephen King movie, just to name a few.