Actors
Play parts in stage, television, radio, video, or film productions, or other settings for entertainment, information, or instruction. Interpret serious or comic role by speech, gesture, and body movement to entertain or inform audience. May dance and sing.
$81,670 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 26%
- 0%
- 74%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 9%. Today's estimate: 13%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 18 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study and rehearse roles from scripts to interpret, learn and memorize lines, stunts, and cues as directed.Done daily by most who do it. | 31% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | Stays with people | |
| Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 18% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 15% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 11% | 1.7 h25 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 9% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 5% | 1.7 h38 min to 5 h | 66%Half by now | |
| Attend auditions and casting calls to audition for roles.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Work with other crew members responsible for lighting, costumes, make-up, and props.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Read from scripts or books to narrate action or to inform or entertain audiences, utilizing few or no stage props.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 2% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | 95%Half by now | |
| Write original or adapted material for dramas, comedies, puppet shows, narration, or other performances.Done more than yearly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 1% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | 8%Half by Sep 2027 | |
| Sing or dance during dramatic or comedic performances.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 0.9% | 2.1 h50 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Tell jokes, perform comic dances, songs and skits, impersonate mannerisms and voices of others, contort face, and use other devices to amuse audiences.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 0.5% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.