Would-be Harrys and Hermiones: Snag an Acting Gig at the New Universal Theme Park
Universal Studio's new Beijing resort is coming down the pipeline faster than you can imagine: May 2021 is the forecasted opening date. Not only will the experience include all manner of mechanical rides and digital wizardry, but it'll also feature live actors, musicians, and dancers.
And if you’ve got the chops, you too could change your career from Obscure Kindergarten Performing Monkey to Major Hollywood Theme Park Performing Monkey!
Thanks to COVID-19 you need not even leave the squalor of your unaffordable Beijing cubbyhole of an apartment … as auditions are submitted digitally.
By the time it’s fully operational, Universal's Beijing outpost will have seven themed zones including the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Jurassic World, Transformers, and Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness.
There are six performer types up for grabs: Parade Performer & Dancer, Animated Character & Puppeteer, Singer, Actor, Voice Actor, and Wushu Performer. Simply fill out an application, upload a resume, and a professional portrait, and if they like you they’ll ask for a video of you performing. Then, get ready for the Jul 23 online pre-screening (registration is accepted up to that date).
An audition site that Universal Beijing shares with its Japanese cousin in Osaka offers some more details on specific roles (though in some cases it is unclear if the roles are for Beijing or the Japanese park). You could be the conductor of the Hogwarts Express, a Wandkeeper at Ollivanders, or simply a Hogwarts student. Non-Potter roles include Marilyn Monroe and Terminator lookalikes, performing ape Johnny and hedgehog Ash from the animated feature film Sing!, Frankenstein and Dracula, just to name a few.
Positions start in early 2021, and the Beijing jobs pay in RMB. In addition to a salary, you get housing and a per diem, travel insurance, round trip airfare, mobile phone, and a gym membership. Not too shabby! Mandarin language skills, the site says, are a plus but not required.
So break a leg, Beijingers – go score yourself a glamorous new gig.
BTW if you’re talented in other ways, less glamorous but equally as important positions (pest control supervisor, forklift driver, etc.) at Universal can be found here.
READ: Universal Studios Beijing Still Plans on a 2021 Opening Despite COVID-19 Outbreak
