If you’re building out casting profiles, you’ve probably noticed something confusing fast: every platform wants a slightly different photo, in a different format, for a different price. Central Casting will actually reject a polished headshot. Actors Access charges you to fix a mistake. Backstage won’t let you submit to anything until you pay.

Here’s exactly what each platform requires and charges, pulled straight from their own current pages.

The quick comparison

Central Casting: the one platform where a professional headshot works against you

This is the one that trips people up. Central Casting isn’t looking for your marketing photo — it’s looking for you, right now, unaltered. Their own photo guidelines state plainly that headshots “do not need to be taken professionally,” and that “altered photos cannot be used when considering you for background work, including professional headshots.”

What they actually want:

• A current headshot (head to mid-torso, straight-on, shoulders in frame) and a full-body shot (head-to-toe, straight-on)
• Shot against a plain white or light, uncluttered background
• No hats, sunglasses, props, filters, or edits of any kind
• Clothing that covers your torso (swimwear/costume shots come later, after onboarding)

Registration is free, and there’s no charge to upload photos. The catch is entirely about style, not cost: if your photo looks retouched, it can get flagged as unusable for booking, because you’re expected to show up on set looking exactly like it.

Worth noting: Central Casting is sometimes confused with Casting Networks (which owns Actors Access competitor platforms like Casting Frontier and Cast It Systems) — they’re actually separate companies with different owners, not the same business under two names.

Actors Access: where your headshot is your product, and mistakes cost $10 each

Actors Access is the opposite philosophy — this is where your real, professional headshot belongs. The free Starter membership gets you 2 free photo slots (swappable as often as you like), a resume, size card, and Role Match notifications. Plus membership ($9.99/mo or $68/yr) unlocks full-profile responses to projects and access to media from your representation.

The financial trap: once you go past your 2 free photos, each additional one is $10 — and it cannot be swapped out for free afterward. That makes your first upload decision expensive to get wrong. Their own spec calls for 500×700 pixels as the optimal size, JPG format, matching the standard 8×10 headshot ratio.

Practical takeaway: get your primary headshot right before you upload it here. A properly cropped 8×10-ratio image saves you from paying twice.

Backstage: free to browse, paid to actually work

Backstage’s model is different again — you can create a full profile and browse thousands of casting notices for free, but you can’t apply to anything until you’re a paid member. Current plans run $24.95/mo month-to-month (with a discounted first month), $19.99/mo billed twice a year, or $16.66/mo billed annually.

Once you’re a member, photo and video uploads are unlimited at no extra charge. They accept JPEG, PNG, or GIF, and — notably — Backstage doesn’t publish a strict pixel requirement the way Actors Access does. That’s a double-edged sword: nothing technically stops you from uploading a low-quality photo, but nothing about their system enforces quality either. The standard 8×10 headshot ratio still serves you best here.

What this actually means for your headshot strategy

1. One professional headshot session covers Actors Access and Backstage. Both expect a real, polished actor headshot — get it shot once, cropped to the 8×10 ratio, and it works everywhere except Central Casting.
2. Don’t submit your professional headshot to Central Casting. Use a current, unedited phone photo instead — it’s not just allowed, it’s required.
3. Get your Actors Access upload right the first time. At $10 per do-over with no swaps, sloppy cropping is an avoidable tax.
4. Backstage rewards testing. Since uploads are unlimited once you’re a member, it’s the cheapest place to try multiple looks (business, casual, wardrobe) side by side.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a professional headshot for Central Casting?

No — and using one can actually count against you. They want a current, unretouched photo that matches exactly how you’ll look on set.

What photo size does Actors Access require?

500×700 pixels is their stated optimal size, in JPG format, matching a standard 8×10 headshot crop.

How much does Backstage cost?

Creating a profile is free. Applying to casting notices requires a paid membership, currently $16.66–$24.95/mo depending on the plan length.

Can I use the same headshot on Actors Access and Backstage?

Yes — both expect a professional actor headshot in the same 8×10 ratio. Central Casting is the exception.

A properly shot, properly cropped headshot from our 4-Look Package covers your Actors Access and Backstage submissions in one session. Just remember to shoot a separate casual, unedited photo on your phone for Central Casting — it’s the one place a great headshot won’t help you.