Extra

In drama, an extra is a character who has no role or purpose other than to appear in the background, ie: for an audience scene, or a busy street.

Extras often require little to no acting experience, and are hired en masse with little formality. Usually, all extras are paid, but not much. Some movies have featured literally thousands of paid extras.

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In journalism, an extra is a special printing of a newspaper containing important news that has occurred since the last scheduled run. In modern times, with the availability of radio, television, and the Internet, extra editions are not very common.

The term has bled into other forms of journalism. There is even an American tabloid television program called Extra.

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In the sport of cricket, an extra is a run scored by a means other than a batsman hitting the ball. See extra (cricket).