In the post-pandemic world we’re slowly crawling towards, life – on and off screen – is going to look a little different. And that includes sex. Just ask the people working behind the scenes of soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.
Earlier this week, it was announced The Bold and the Beautiful will resume production, however the question remained: how would intimate relationships play out on-screen in a COVID-safe way? Find out by listening below:
In a recent interview with Forbes, B&B’s executive producer and head writer Bradley Bell said, “we were cutting all of the kisses, and the shows weren’t the same.”
He explained that on-screen kisses will be filmed separately and come together through the magic of editing. “They’ll look like they’re nose to nose, in the throes of passion,” he said. “But they’ll be shooting scenes all by themselves.”
As for sex scenes? Well, that’s where the B&B team have to get a little more creative. Bell told Forbes that they’ll use a combination of stand-ins and blow up dolls to achieve the desired look and feel.
“We have some life-life blow up dolls that have been sitting around here for the past 15 years, that we’ve used for various other stories – [like] when people were presumed dead,” he said. “We’re dusting off the dolls and putting new wigs and make-up on them and they’ll be featured in love scenes.”
Bell also revealed that the cast members’ partners who have tested negative for COVID-19 will also be used as stand-ins for love scenes.
It’s not surprising The Bold and the Beautiful were keen to find a creative workaround for coronavirus restrictions – Kantar Media via Forbes reports that the show brought in $8M USD in ad revenue in the first quarter of 2020, and $36M USD in 2019.
It’s somewhat comforting to know the pandemic isn’t just affecting people’s sex lives in real life – sex on screen is also having a tough time surviving these unprecedented times.
Always be in the loop with our snackable podcast breaking the biggest story of the day. Subscribe to It’s Been A Big Day For… on your favourite podcast app.