Short answer
Acting is not haram in itself, since everyone knows a role is not a lie, but most film and TV acting involves things that are: music, mixing, immodest dress, romance scenes and filming of faces. Many Hanafi muftis therefore forbid it as a career. Acting in a clean play or educational role-play, without these problems, is allowed by many scholars.
Portraying a character is not lying when everyone knows it is a performance. It becomes haram when it involves music, non-mahram contact or romance, immodesty, men imitating women or the reverse, playing prophets, or speaking words of kufr. Traditional Deobandi muftis also object to filming living beings.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Telling a story by acting it out is old and natural. Teachers use role-play, and the Quran itself tells stories with dialogue. Scholars agree that playing a part is not lying, because the audience knows it is a performance. So the ruling depends on what the acting involves.
Things that make acting haram:
- Romance and intimacy: touching, kissing or flirting with a non-mahram, even 'just acting'.
- Immodesty: roles that require showing awrah or removing hijab.
- Cross-dressing: the Prophet ﷺ cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men.
- Words of kufr: the Hanafi jurists say that saying words of disbelief jokingly or playfully is itself disbelief, so muftis forbid speaking them even in a role.
- Playing prophets or the Companions: forbidden. See why you cannot draw the Prophet.
- Music, mocking religion or promoting sin.
The camera is a further question. Traditional Deobandi muftis treat filming people as image-making and so forbid screen acting in general. Many later scholars treat digital video as permitted for a valid purpose, which opens the door to clean educational and dawah films.
What is usually allowed: school plays and nasheed skits with no music, mixing or forbidden roles; training role-plays at work; children acting out stories for learning. As a career, the film industry makes it very hard to stay within these limits, so think carefully and ask a scholar about specific roles. The Prophet ﷺ warned that a person may say a word carelessly that sends him far into the Fire.
Ask a mufti about your own case. This answer explains the general ruling. When the details of your situation matter, as they do here, ask a qualified mufti and give them the full facts. Where to ask a scholar.
The evidence
Quran, Surah An-Noor 24:31
وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَٰرِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ ۖ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ إِخْوَٰنِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِىٓ إِخْوَٰنِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِىٓ أَخَوَٰتِهِنَّ أَوْ نِسَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَٰنُهُنَّ أَوِ ٱلتَّٰبِعِينَ غَيْرِ أُو۟لِى ٱلْإِرْبَةِ مِنَ ٱلرِّجَالِ أَوِ ٱلطِّفْلِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَمْ يَظْهَرُوا۟ عَلَىٰ عَوْرَٰتِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ ۖ وَلَا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِن زِينَتِهِنَّ ۚ وَتُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٣١﴾
And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.
Roles that require immodesty are not allowed.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5885
Sahih... لعن رسول الله المتشبهين من الرجال بالنساء ...
"The Messenger of Allah cursed men who imitate women."
Cross-gender roles are forbidden.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6478
Sahih... إن العبد ليتكلم بالكلمة من سخط الله لا يلقي لها بالا يهوي بها في جهنم ...
"A servant may say a word that angers Allah without giving it a thought, and it drops him into Hell."
Words spoken in a role still carry weight.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Kitab al-Siyar, chapter on the rulings of apostates. Whoever says words of disbelief jokingly or playfully is judged by his words.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.