Chef Lee
If an extra has a certain talent, let’s say dancing, he’ll be specially listed, so any time there’s some club scene, he’ll be doing his dance, given a few seconds of camera time, then the stars come into focus or the action happens.
Sometimes it is look that someone has which gives the scene a bit of real; maybe he’s in a wheelchair or is fat or has a wierd hairstyle.
Sure there’s a list of extras who became stars; from Sylvester Stallone to Clint Eastwood, but in many cases, one starts and stays an extra, going from show to show, picking up their daily pay, and either moving on to something else, having something else, or just staying the ‘extra’.
In a way, one gets the ‘glamour’ and excitement without the fame.
