He plays a tiny part that may be superfluous (5)

I believe the answer is:

extra

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'be superfluous' is the definition.
(synonyms)

I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.

(Other definitions for extra that I've seen before include "someone acting in a crowd" , "small-time actor" , "Minor actor in crowd scenes" , "Small part actor" , "Minor actor in crowd scene" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.

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