Have you ever heard the expression "Straight out of Central Casting?" It's a thing I promise.

However, I had never heard of it until I was reviewing the plethora of notes that Maddie had left me with. I was sitting in a cafe with my boyfriend now inputting my credit card information into every acting, casting and informational website Maddie had given me crossing my fingers that I would get work off of one of the sites. My eyes ran over my notes about "Central Casting" and after putting in the research I discovered Central was a background talent casting company.

Now what is background talent? Okay, imagine your favorite show...I'm going to use mine, Pretty Little Liars. Now imagine a scene from an episode. Mine is a classroom scene, where the four main actresses are sitting in a full classroom in a highschool. Okay, well obviously they aren't filming in a real highschool even though the actors are surrounded by "students" sitting in desks identical to the actors. Those "students" are background talent, or a.k.a background actors. Any scene in any TV show or movie that has people milling about the main actors but don't say any lines are background actors. Walkers in a park? Actors. Dancers in a club? Actors. Patrons ordering food in a cafe? Actors.

So I researched this Central Casting and discovered I needed no skill or previous experience to sign up. More importantly, it was FREE! The first free thing I discovered in L.A. So what did I do? I found the next registration time and asked my boyfriend to come join Central with me.

Central Casting is a tiny building in a small suburban town in Burbank. It's located in a hidden spot under a bridge so parking is a nightmare. Hardly any place in LA provides drivers with parking lots so everyone has to drive around and around to find street parking that doesn't have about fifteen signs lining the streets threatening to tow. Our registration was at 10:30 a.m and we had gotten there an hour early to find parking and to get in line as spots are not guaranteed.

As we walked up to the building an hour before our time slot we saw a line of people of all ages already camped out on the sidewalk also waiting to get in to register. Of course I panic, wondering if we'll even make it in the building and as I continue to walk down the never ending line down the sidewalk I realize anyone and everyone can join Central. You don't need to have any experience, you don't need to have any skills, you can look anyway you want and they literally accept every body that applies.

Why is this you wonder? Well, imagine a movie scene that takes place in a nursing home. The scene will need old women and men. Imagine a scene in a prison, they will need prisoner looking men and women. Imagine a scene out of Spiderman where he's strolling the streets of NYC...you need women, men, teenagers, moms, babies, children...this is why Central needs every type of person imaginable.

So after waiting in line for an hour the doors for registration finally open. The cutoff literally happens after my boyfriend crosses the threshold into the building. We both sigh in relief and like cattle everyone is herded into a small square room where a chair and a thick packet of information is waiting for us.

I'm seated next to a rambunctious girl, around my age who is already complaining about sitting through a power point presentation. She attempts to plug her phone charger into a socket that has a large "DO NOT PLUG ANYTHING INTO THIS SOCKET" sign taped over it behind our chairs. She smacks her gum, asks a ludicrous number of common sense questions like, "It says to only use blue or black ink, does this mean I can't use this green marker that's in my purse?" OR, "It says under talents and skills to only put what skills and talents I have. I see a fire breather option, what is a fire breather? Do I have that talent?"

The woman running the power point presentation is obviously used to these kind of nonsensical questions and seems to have much more patience than I do.

After filling out our packet the woman explains how they cast for shows and movies. Here is an example: Casting 15 women. Caucasian women, ages 18-25, brunettes and blondes must fit dress size 0-6. Works at Warner Brothers. If this is you please call 818-555-5555.

I would fit that category so I would call in and if they have a spot, they will book me the job. Here's the catch. Central Casting employs over 100,000 people. They have 100 open phone lines so if 5,000 women also fit that category, all 5,000 women will be trying to call in to book one of the 15 spots.

They do not guarantee work and IF you are lucky enough to get through to one of those 100 lines they might already be booked up. So you have to be quick to see the postings.

Now, after the power point presentation we are all to stand in a single file line where one by one they will take your measurements and a picture of you from your shoulders up. The same rambunctious woman is standing next to me now and all the time we are in line she is complaining about the long line. She also manages to show her tattoos to anyone that will listen and ask everyone around her if they have pot she can buy off them. The whole time I am realizing that this company hires off of looks and not personality. Not work ethic or professional behavior. I could be working with all walks of life and I was going to have to learn to have patience.

Finally, it was my turn to get measured and have my picture taken and after I was free to leave! I was so excited to get out of the stuffy building, crammed to capacity with all sorts of people. I finally had a job! Now I just had to wait until a posting came that I fit and get through in time to be booked!