The CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful resumed taping today, three months after the coronavirus pandemic shut down production in Hollywood. A spokesperson for the production company says it's the first scripted series in the country to resume work on set.
The cast and crew of the daytime drama are back shooting in Los Angeles, following safety protocols set by union, city, county and state guidelines. That includes regular coronavirus testing of the cast and crew, fewer crew members on set and a COVID-19 coordinator to monitor compliance on set at all times. Actors are required to wear face masks when the cameras are not rolling and they will have to stand eight feet apart.
"We're so excited to get back to work," says actress Heather Tom, who plays the character Katie Logan. "And we were just positioned to go back as soon as they gave us the green light," as the show's producers and writers have been planning for safely resuming work on set for months. Tom says they've come up with creative ideas for taping all those love scenes that are such a staple of the genre. "We are used to... playing romance without having to be all over each other," she says. "I think we can do lots with the smoldering look and the slow burn."
CBS has been airing reruns of the daytime drama since production shut down on March 13 and the well of fresh episodes ran dry in April. On the last episode taped before lock down, Penny had knocked Flo unconscious and she and Sally dragged her outside in a panic, just as Wyatt returned home. Fans of The Bold and the Beautiful, which premiered in 1987, may have to wait until July to find out what happens next.
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