The Quiet (and Ignored) Struggles of Film Set Personal Assistants

The unique experience of the only non-unionized job on set

Crew members prepare for a moody scene on a film set. (photo by author)

You get a daily flat rate while every other film role is hourly plus overtime. When the director yells cut everyone wraps up and goes home, except for you who might need to make a late night delivery of specialty facial cream to your actor’s home. Your coworker went to the dentist because their union has coverage, but you don’t so you’re praying you don’t have a cavity.

Oh, and you might get fired for buying the wrong type of pillow for your actor, who never really specified the exact item they wanted anyway.

This is the reality of life as a personal assistant on a film set. No protections, no guidelines, no glory. Being hired as a personal assistant can be a fun job if you work for an actor, director, or producer that is great, but if they’re not it can be incredibly difficult.

After working as an assistant director for a couple of years, I took a gig as a personal assistant to an actor for a film shoot. Working alongside other personal assistants opened me up to the often tough realities of taking on this type of role. between my own experience and a mountain of stories from others, it became clear that this role is misunderstood, under appreciated, and…