(a) Actin networks in cells interact with the plasma membrane to form a variety of different structures. (b) Recreating these structures in reconstituted systems can be achieved through the assembly of actin filaments on a planar lipid bilayer or on the outside or inside leaflet of a giant unilamellar vesicle (GUV). (c) A key design consideration is the anchoring of the actin network to the membrane which can be achieved through a range of strategies, in order of approximate physiological accuracy: electrostatic interactions, the ligand receptor pair biotin-streptavidin, reconstituted transmembrane proteins and the anchoring protein ezrin. (d) Changes in actin network architecture can be achieved through a range of actin-binding proteins, the most commonly used of which are: the cross-linker α-actinin, the branching complex arp2/3, various capping proteins, the bundling protein fascin and motor proteins of the myosin-II family which induce contraction through sliding actin filaments past one another.