What does Co-Star mean?
Co-Star is a performer credit and role category in television denoting a small speaking role — typically a guest appearance with limited screen time and few lines, smaller than a guest star role but above a background performer. Co-star roles are often single-episode appearances and represent an important stepping stone in a young actor’s television career, providing their first or early principal credits in scripted television. Co-star bookings are frequently a child actor’s introduction to union work and to the professional demands of a TV production.
Example:The child actor booked her first television co-star as a young patient in a medical drama — three scenes, eight lines, and her first union credit, which her agent described as an important building block for her resume.
Example: The casting director was looking for a co-star to play the neighbor’s child in two scenes — a role with limited screen time but specific comedic timing requirements that made it a meaningful audition opportunity for young performers.
Did you know?
In the Screen Actors Guild’s contract structure, the co-star rate is lower than the guest star day player rate, which is itself lower than the series regular rate. Each tier represents a different level of professional achievement and financial compensation. For parents tracking a child’s career progress, moving from background work to co-star to guest star to recurring roles to series regular represents a clear progression through the industry’s established hierarchy of opportunity.
You can also find “Co-Star” and related terms in this category: TV and Commercials.
