A 2012 survey by LinkedIn, acting was in the top 10 list of “dream jobs” tied with an Olympic athlete, and it makes sense. You hang out with celebrities, go to most significant events, and get paid millions to be on TV and movie screens. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be on The Walking Dead.
But, many people fail to understand how terrible it can be to work on set including the demanding work hours of 16 to 17 hours per day for six days a week.
In a recent interview with VICE, film crew workers, actors and stagehands revealed what it is like to work on set and it is pretty exciting.
Set on Fire
One stunt actor revealed what it was like to get set on fire in a stunt that went wrong. “I was on fire for three and a half minutes, and suddenly, for this two or three-second beat, I thought ‘This is the hottest I’ve ever been in my life.’ I ended up with a burn that wrapped around my entire wrist. It was the biggest blister I’ve ever seen in my life. And they’re going ‘Are you OK?’ ‘Yep, fine.’’” He later added, “ I wish I hadn’t said I was OK.’ I mean, it’s not like we’re being cavalier. But if the production is spending $80,000 an hour, do you want to be the guy who’s holding it up?”
The actor that couldn’t stay awake
But, that is not the only horror story. One production assistant revealed an actor that was “totally f-d up.”
The assistant explains, “First off, he showed up 45 minutes late. And in the makeup trailer, he’s a fucking hot mess right from the get-go. So we finally manage to get his hair and makeup done, and he f–k off to his trailer and falls asleep.”
The actor fell asleep so much on camera producers had to call an ambulance to get the actor examined.
“And some actors, they think they’re irreplaceable. Because they’re the face of it, that they can get away with whatever they want. And we let them think that’s how it is. But trust me: people get recast all. The. Time.”
The weird smelling tea
In another story by “Brad” a grip, one A-list actor didn’t even memorize his lines for the movie. “He also didn’t memorize his lines. We had to cue card everything. He had to have his own room where he would just sit and meditate and drink this weird-smelling tea. He wasn’t a primadonna, he just didn’t give a s—t about the production.”
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