Hacker News Reader

Well, the actors were getting paid, just not in money. The actors obviously decided it was worth the experience and publicity to invest their time.

That's why the acting trade is so hard to get in to. There are thousands of people willing to supply their skills for free. The supply vastly outweighs the demand.

Actors sometimes do work for free on small projects. They get an opportunity to add to their acting portfolio/resume. A friend in film school received over 600 responses to an ad looking for actors who would work gratis on his short film. Typically they would get a copy of the film for their portfolio.

I'm running a business where aspiring talented people pay a small fee to take part in a show, in hopes of gaining exposure.

And that, is the American dream.