Starting out as an Extra, is it true that if you get three vouchers you can move up to a speaking role part and get in the union?

We’ve never heard of this voucher system. What we do know is that usually when you are in a union commercial, television show, or film, and you are given one line to speak, you can get Taft-Hartleyed and become eligible to join SAG (Screen Actors Guild).  There is an annual fee to join the union but it also comes with benefits such as health insurance and of course, they would look out for your rights as a working union actor. We encourage you to contact SAG to inquire about membership or any other area questions related to acting in front of the camera. You can find them at sag.org.  And by the way, if you are ever on a set and you have a good rapport with the producer, you may want to ask him/her about giving you one speaking line so that you can qualify to join the union. This piece of information isn’t highly publicized, but we have known it to happen.