Two jobs for one phrase
A search for a headshot with a resume can mean two things. For an office job, US applicants send a text resume without a photo, and our guide to the US resume headshot question covers that case, including the few exceptions. Actors work the other way round: the headshot is the main document and the resume is its back page.
This guide is about the second case. It gathers what a Boston headshot photographer, a talent agent, an acting school and a university theatre handout say about the printed packet, and where they contradict each other.
The packet, part by part
Most physical rules are shared by every source we read. The table names who said what.
| Part | What the sources say | Source |
|---|
| Headshot size | 8x10 inches. Any other size, 8.5x11 included, signals that you are not well informed. | Boston headshot photographer |
| Border, name, paper | White border optional, name at the bottom centre or in a corner, matte or semi-matte stock of 165 gsm or heavier. | Boston headshot photographer |
| Resume size | One page, trimmed or set up at 8x10 so it fits behind the photo. Do not make the headshot 8.5x11 to solve the fit. | Talent agent; acting school; theatre handout |
| Resume paper | Plain white paper, black ink, a plain readable font. | Talent agent |
| Name | Large on the resume, and identical to the name on the headshot. | Talent agent; theatre handout |
| Contact | Email and cell phone near the top. No home address. If you have an agent, their details and logo instead of or beside yours. | Talent agent; acting school |
Where the advice disagrees
Four details split the sources. Each reflects a different office, city or agent, so follow written instructions from your representation or a casting notice whenever you have them.
| Question | One answer | Another answer |
|---|
| How to staple | All four corners, flat side of the staple on the headshot (acting school; talent agent). | One staple centred at the top and one at the bottom, or both top corners (replies in an actors' forum). |
| Print the resume on the back of the photo? | Fine, according to a university theatre handout, which also allows trimming a printed sheet. | Not advised by the talent agent: the resume changes often, and casting likes to detach it and view both sides together. |
| Small photo on the resume | The acting school lists a thumbnail headshot at the top, so the two sheets can be matched if separated. | The talent agent calls it optional and does not recommend it, since it needs good colour printing. |
| Hair and eye colour | The acting school says leave them out when a photo is attached. | According to the same agent, they are optional and harmless. |
Paper clips are a firm no in the agent's guide, while a forum reply suggests one when staples were not requested. Staples are the safer default, and the theatre handout warns that casting offices may not have a stapler, so staple before you arrive.
Fitting an 8.5x11 resume onto an 8x10 back
The answer is mechanical. The theatre handout says to set the document size to 8x10 when you create it, because standard paper is 8.5x11. The talent agent says you can either adjust margins and font sizes or shrink the whole document. Shrinking has a cost, since the same handout asks for body text of 10 to 12 points. A rebuilt layout stays readable where a scaled one does not.
- Create a custom page size of 8 by 10 inches in your word processor before you type anything.
- Put your large name, contact line and union or agent details at the top, then credits, training and skills below.
- Print on ordinary 8.5x11 paper. Trim the margins to 8x10 with a paper cutter, or ask a print shop to do it.
- Hold the sheet behind the headshot against a window. Edges should line up, and no text should sit within a few millimetres of the cut.
- Staple the way your agent or the casting notice asks, then check that both sheets show the same name.
Print a handful at a time, since the resume changes after every booking.
Digital submissions
Online casting profiles take a headshot file rather than a print. We could not read a current platform help page with upload limits, and blog posts that quote pixel and file-size limits disagree, so we give no numbers. Export a large master JPEG, keep the resume as a separate PDF at 8x10 page size, and let the upload field tell you what it accepts.
Why an AI portrait is the wrong audition headshot
Casting wants the photo to match the person who walks in. We could not confirm a published rule from the big casting platforms about AI-made images, and studio blogs arguing against them are selling photography. Still, if the print shows someone you are not, the audition starts with a mismatch. For the 8x10 in your packet, book a photographer who works with actors.
Profilfoto KI is not that. It turns your own selfies into a photorealistic portrait in a style such as Business Studio or LinkedIn Modern, with no studio visit. It suits the rest of an actor's working life, such as a LinkedIn photo for a day job. Your first photo is free and carries a watermark, so you can judge the likeness before paying. Packages are one-off payments, not a subscription: 2 photos for €4.99, 12 for €29 and 40 for €79. Uploaded selfies are stored in Frankfurt and deleted automatically after 90 days at the latest.
If the day job needs a LinkedIn picture, our notes on AI photos for LinkedIn and on headshot size and resolution cover the details.
Questions actors ask about the headshot and resume
Does the resume go on the front or the back of the headshot?
On the back. The resume is attached behind the photo, and the two travel as one sheet.
Can I print my resume on regular 8.5x11 paper?
Print it on 8.5x11 if you like, but trim it to 8x10 before attaching. The Boston photographer says a full-size sheet signals that you are not well informed.
Staples, tape or glue?
Sources agree on attaching the sheets, not on how. An acting school and an agent say to staple all four corners; a photographer uses double-sided tape or a glue stick. Staple when nobody has told you otherwise.
Should my name be on the headshot?
Yes. The photographer puts it in the bottom centre or a corner, and the talent agent wants it to match the large name on the resume.
Do I put this headshot on my normal job resume?
No. A normal US job resume goes without a photo. The audition headshot belongs to the acting packet and to casting profiles only.
Can I use an AI headshot for auditions?
We could not verify a platform rule either way. The safe course is a photographer's session that looks like you on the day, and a Profilfoto KI portrait for LinkedIn or a personal page instead.
Sources (retrieved 6 November 2026)
