How 'Bold and the Beautiful' Will Handle Love Scenes & When New Episodes Will Air
The Bold and the Beautiful may be ready to resume production, but things will be different moving forward in order to ensure the safety and health of its cast and crew.
It was announced Monday that today will be the first day of production, and executive producer and head writer Bradley Bell has detailed for The Hollywood Reporter how they're handling filming due to the coronavirus pandemic. (L.A. County did issue a "Reopening Protocol for Music, Television, and Film Production" that must be followed.)
One aspect of the soap that will obviously be affected are romantic scenes and any which require cast members to be close to one another. Per the protocols put in place, actors have to be eight feet apart during filming, and The Bold and the Beautiful will adhere to those guidelines. "We'll shoot one side of the couple in a romantic scene alone in the room, but looking at a spot very close to them, and then shoot the other side alone," Bell said. They'll make the characters look "nose to nose" in editing.
Furthermore, they're going to use actors' real-life partners as "love-scene doubles," for moments where you see "actual touching," he revealed. Again, editing will come into play to make it look like an in-show couple.
Bell also said they'll use "some of the classic, old-fashioned tricks of soap opera, where when things heat up, we pan to the fireplace or pan to a candle to indicate things are getting hot."
In addition to the changes for filming scenes, they've made adjustments to the sets and studio as well. That includes testing everyone on Mondays while filming will be done the rest of the week, relocating or using plexiglass to divide crew members, and limiting how many people are around.
As for when fans will see new Bold & the Beautiful episodes again—the last one aired Thursday, April 23, with the schedule filled with reruns since—Bell plans for that to be soon. "After a week or so of filming, we're going to turn it around and be on the air within a few weeks," he said.
While some scripted shows—especially medical dramas—may include at least a mention of the pandemic, the soap likely won't. "We've always been about providing some escapism," the EP explained. "We're telling stories about families and romance, love stories and staying clear of diving into the pandemic."
And there's much more to come for these characters. Last month, The Bold and the Beautiful was renewed through 2022 (Season 35)
The Bold and the Beautiful, Weekdays, 1:30/12:30c, CBS