An Under-Five, also known as, an under-5, or a (U/5): is an AFTRA-only

American Federation of Television and Radio Artists

The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is a performers' union that represents a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, as well as radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording artists , promo and voice-over announcers and other...

 contract term for an American soap opera

Soap opera

A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 actor whose character has under five lines of dialogue in an episode.

Under-Five work

Under-Five work is regarded as both desirable and undesirable. Getting an Under-Five can be a stepping stone to bigger roles. Some however, see it as mere grunt work or beneath their standing as an actor. One year after performing Under-Fives in the capacity of a recurring character

Recurring status

In the U.S. soap opera world, recurring status is a term used to describe the status of a performer who consistently performs in less than three episodes out of a five-day work week, and is therefore let out of their multi-year contract in order for the show to save money...

, as a member of AFTRA

American Federation of Television and Radio Artists

The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is a performers' union that represents a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, as well as radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording artists , promo and voice-over announcers and other...

, the actor becomes eligible for SAG

Screen Actors Guild

The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...

 membership. This is a backdoor for getting the difficult to obtain SAG

Screen Actors Guild

The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...

card.

AFTRA pay rate rules

According to AFTRA union rules a speaking part exceeding five lines in a day triggers a substantial rise in pay. An Under-Five, however, need not have any spoken lines at all provided they are spoken to in furtherance of the plot, as in addressing a police officer, or a nurse for assistance. To remain an Under-Five the total number of words in the five lines or less must be below 50. Under-Five roles have therefore been an integral consideration in script development, especially in regards to episodic budgeting.

As of 11/16/2009: The minimum pay rate for a day player on a soap opera was $913.00 for a 1-hour show, and $683.00 for a 1/2 hour show. The minimum pay rate for an under-5 actor on a soap opera was $397.00 for a 1-hour show, and $324.00 for a 1/2 hour show. The minimum pay rate for a background actor on a soap opera was $144.00 for a 1-hour show, and $111.00 for a 1/2 hour show.

Decline

With the general decline of American soap operas, the number of under-fives, extras, and even day players employed has declined, due to reductions of production budgets.