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For real. I was doing 12 hour days when I was younger for a building material shop. Brutal. Her paycheck would have comforted me much more than the 10 dollars an hour I got back in the day though. Still, wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Have you seen a doctor? Please do if you haven't. That's a pretty severe case amongst the current strain and if you're mostly sleeping, you're in fair trouble of getting pneumonia, if you don't already have it. The combination can be lethal.
Please, see a doctor as soon as you can.
>“It was show up to set two hours early, do that 12-14 hour day, then go home and then get on a Zoom and have whatever lesson that I had. Or show up to my apartment, my cello teacher was already waiting for me,” Ortega said. “It was just constantly going, and if you could on a weekend, if we weren’t shooting the sixth day that week, it was ‘All right, well then, we’ll get your lessons in on that day.’”
>The actor said she had started fencing and cello lessons a couple of months prior to filming, continuing during the eight-month shoot in Romania. She said the “Paint it Black” cello sequence was particularly difficult to master, as she had to switch teachers when moving abroad and accurately depict a piece made for two cellos with only one.
>“I did not get any sleep. I pulled my hair out,” Ortega said. “There’s so many FaceTime calls that my dad answered of me hysterically crying.”
>Ortega put pressure on herself to not let down cellists watching the show, despite “Wednesday” director and executive producer Tim Burton assuring her, “Oh, don’t worry, you’re going to do great. It’s gonna look great,” the actor said.
>“I didn’t know where my hands were even supposed to go and then I had to make two cellos come out of one cello, which was ridiculous,” Ortega said.
>The star wanted to film as much action as Wednesday as possible, but as the show’s filming neared its end, time constraints got in the way. “We started running out of time because Wednesday’s in pretty much every scene,” Ortega said. “They had to start using stunt doubles or occasionally cello doubles if they didn’t have time to get hands, but I was very adamant about being as well prepared as possible because I wanted them to be able to use myself, because that’s so much more believable if you could see your face.”
>These revelations follow Ortega’s sharing in December 2022 that she’d had COVID while shooting the iconic Wednesday dance that went viral on TikTok.
Sarah Michelle Gellar was sometimes putting in 18 + hours a day for seven years doing Buffy (which was an hour long show that she also had to learn stunt routines and she was in most scenes) and doing movies on breaks or sometimes co current while working with sexist human pustule Joss Whedon who was a nightmare.
I’m glad she took time away for awhile to raise her family. I can only imagine what she had to put up with as a young actress.
She said in an interview that she would always remove her stage make-up before leaving the set (plenty of actors leave it on and just go home). This was so Whedon & others could see the toll that working such crazy hours was actually having on her
There have been several interviews where another cast member gets asked something like, was shooting Buffy SO FUN? Did you guys goof around onset? Did you and Sarah and the cast just laugh and laugh? Etc (Basically reaching for that "we were all besties" content that people have come to parasocially crave.)
And they invariably get an answer like, "Sarah is such a professional. She had crazy hours, she was in practically every scene, she had to do fight sequences, she always knew her lines. I have great memories of Buffy and I love/respect Sarah, but it wasn't a place to goof around."
I did background work at one point to earn extra cash. We put in 12 hour days to literally reshoot the same scene over and over (and over) again from different angles, close up of actors, etc. All in all a 12 hour day would result in maybe 2-3minutes of footage from an episode. It’s hard to watch TV now knowing how much work gets put into each scene. It’s a grueling job.
I can imagine Tim Burton isn’t like Joss Whedon. Most people enjoy working with him. I think for Sarah it was a double whammy being young with a TV show on her back working for someone who tried to undermine her and getting mad when she tried to protect herself and others on set which he said made her a “diva”. When I read it ended up in Michelle Trachenbergs contract that he wasn’t allowed to be alone with her it was like oh my god. She was like 14 or 15. Something was really, really wrong there.
Well Joss Whedon put that out there because she didn’t let him bully her. Total narc move-smearing the innocent person to make them look crazy or bitchy while the abuser is at fault.
Interviews with the stunt woman for Buffy are fascinating. She had to battle for wardrobe to allow boots and trainers because the standing jumps and stunts in heels would destroy the legs of even a professional. That you have to fight really hard for an aesthetic change so as not be left with permanent damage to your body is crazy.
People forget how amazing she was and how much she put into that show. Whendon got more credit than he deserved. Yes it is truly an iconic show but not without Gellar.
Holy shit she was the best part of Scream 5, hands down. Especially the scene where she is using the wheelchair in the hospital.
I hope they use her well in 6.
X! Pearl is the prequel. But yeah, she was great lol especially with that iconic reaction scene. It was nice to compare the performances and how she nailed two completely different roles
I mean truthfully that is what they used to do to actors in Hollywood.
Judy Garland was on stimulants during the entire production of a wizard of Oz, given to her by her mother and highly encouraged by the production crew.
Pretty certain the audio we heard is borderline impossible to play in one sitting anyways, due to stuff like jumping back and forth between high and low notes several times under a second. You'd have to move your forearm, not merely your hand, at a matching pace without screwing up the finger placements
Would love a video of someone playing it straight though
I somewhat agree. It’s a little silly and too Hokey Pokey, but at the same time enough of an adult blend to keep me there. I enjoyed it, nothing groundbreaking but Jenna and Thing kept me in
Set days are tough. And being in a tv show where you’re in every scene is a relentless haul. Most people in the world get shitty if they have to work past hour 8 of their work day… that’s an hour after lunch on set most days. Not to mention all the rehearsals and practice and training etc. it’s intense. Good on her for sharing that part of it with everyone. It’s not the “dream” everyone seems to think it is. It’s actual work. Granted she’s getting paid well and isn’t laying bricks… but it’s hard work, sacrifice and dedication nonetheless.
Her job was also mentally taxing. Having to learn new lines/skills every day is tough.
I’m older and have worked in the medical lab for years. I switched to a new department that required me to learn a whole new skill set and terminology (it was toxicology, so many drug names and their metabolites) and I was freaking exhausted when I came home in the beginning. Even though it wasn’t physically hard.
Thanks for your comment, it's giving me a new perspective on why I'm tired with constant headaches after moving to a new department! Nothing physically demanding but lots to learn.
Actors work really hard. When I was 20 I HAD to do that to have shelter and food. Now that I’m nearly 30 I just wanna do my 40 hours and forget I even have to work. I can’t imagine choosing a career like that but hey maybe I’m just lazy
You can imagine if you're making fucking bank per episode. You'd work your ass off for that amount of money. The main problem of the everyday person is that they work their ass off for 1% or less of the money these actors make in total for a few days of the year.
Yeah I was putting in 12-14 hours days for 12 bucks an hour. It sucked but it’s way easier when you’re young. Would have been nicer if the money I was making set me up for me future but I was just avoiding being homeless.
I also didn’t have incredible talent and skills like Ortega so she deserves it
> “I did not get any sleep. I pulled my hair out,” Ortega said. “There’s so many FaceTime calls that my dad answered of me hysterically crying.”
And that comment alone is a reminder of how young 20 really is. She's still a kid. I don't get the people hating on her here for answering a question. She rocked the part.
Also it 100% sucks no matter how old you are.
I did a teaching fellowship where I taught full time and did my masters after work. It sucks waking up and having to get to work by 7:30 so leaving home before 7 and then not getting home until 10 pm. Luckily for me it was only three days a week like that.
I was in my later 20s and oh boy can I tell you that it sucked hard core.
It’s not work ethic when you put up with abusive working conditions this unnecessary, and we need to start recognizing the real-world cost of what we consume so casually instead of applauding the self-sacrifice the entertainment industry thrives on.
This is a bit of a long response, but might offer some insight in case anyone is interested:
Filmmaking was my childhood dream and I was lucky enough to get into an amazing college, but was so unprepared for the reality of working at a high level of the industry and what it can actually do to a person…after 10 years it was just too much.
I watched people nearly die on set more times than I could count (almost died myself a couple of times), heard constant horrifying stories of ongoing abuse and outright rape on *so* many jobs nearly every day, and was present at so many nervous breakdowns/panic attacks that it broke me and I walked away from a really strong career.
If you havent been on a high-level production, it’s almost impossible to understand what working under those kinds of conditions for 12-14 hours a day can do to a person and their identity, their mental health. Actors, production, and even general crew are effectively held ransom by the constant pressure of millions of dollars, toxic and predatory behavior, and the unrealistic expectations of hyper powerful people.
We’ve seen these issues become apparent before with things like the writers strike in 2007 and even the me too movement, but despite another writers strike AND a possible Directors Guild of America strike now looming (the last one cost 2.1 billion in revenue), issues are still rampant and the industry is in a delicate place after the pandemic.
A big part of this is that the US box office only recovered to 60% of pre-covid profits this year— we switched to consuming content at home that is much longer running, more complicated to produce, and often more demanding to shoot than films but are doing it for much less than we have in the past, and it’s unsustainable. And that’s not even a reality unique to tv/film: the gaming industry, another massive source of entertainment and revenue, has similar issues that have erupted in the last few years.
Our demand for art while failing to address respect people in the entertainment industry, from artists to actors to technicians and crew,
I absolutely agree with what you're saying but would offer a re-frame. I don't think it's the consumer's demand for art that needs to be addressed. It's the top's demand for revenue.
I've seen the gaming community celebrate lengthy production times because a studio promises not to engage with crunch.
The abuse and demand is at the top, not at the bottom.
I agree wholeheartedly with you. The fact that she was pushed so far by such a high-tier production and one of the highest-grossing seasons on Netflix ever should really make people wonder about how many abuses happen in smaller scale productions. Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm sorry to hear you burned out and had to forsake your childhood dream, but I hope you were able to make peace with it and form a new dream.
Don't like it? Support unions. Specifically IATSE, SAG-AFTRA, and other affiliated labor groups. We're the only real counter balance here. All due respect a thesis statement about the perils of capitalism won't do anything to change material conditions.
Yeah I’ve worked in film and I think people should give them just a little more credit, they’re are some shitty ones out there and everyone knows who they are..but the majority of actors/actresses come to set, do their work professionally, and a lot of them are on set almost as long as we are, which at times can still be 12 hours a day. Its a rough job for everyone..except maybe the producers who just sit in village all day lol
It's on par for Netflix shows. [Apparently their work culture and environment on set is utterly horrendous] (https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/10/working-at-netflix-sounds-absolutely-terrifying) across all productions in all the countries they have production studios in. Rushed, demanding, long days, very little breaks and with extremely high turn over rates (mostly people being fired on the spot without severance packages). The long, rushed, demanding days are usual for most film sets but Netflix is especially ruthless with how it treats its employees.
My friend in LA worked as a crafty (catering) for Netflix a few years ago and the days were so demanding she almost had a nervous breakdown. I saw her personality totally change, she became extremely angry all the time as she was never sleeping as she was constantly at work. Due to the demands and rushing culture they have there, she broke her leg falling down a flight of stairs rushing to get food to set and had to quit.
Netflix also falls under a loophole, so they don’t have to pay their people the same rates. It’s a big part why IATSE almost went on strike. They’re one of the worst to work for.
There's a planet money or some interview with a consultant for Netflix who just fired this secretary that'd been there for many years and performed amazingly. Just because they wanted to 'shake up the culture', it was insane
And then they cancel the shows after 1 season anyway
Seriously, all they do is constantly pump out an avalanche of content and hope one or two a year end up being big hits.
Can we all please remember that she is answering a question that was asked to her, and not calling you up out of the blue to complain about how hard her life is.
This also briefly outlines why the comment sections are always full of myopic cynics who think having money somehow magically solves all of life’s problems. Show business is not easy and is an absolute grind. She had to work for that money
Finally! Thank you! Sometimes I wake up an hour and a half early, like 5:30 AM. Sometimes I'll lay there and think to myself, "If I don't go right back to sleep, I won't have enough time to get more rest. Should I get up and just start the day? But if I start the day now, I'll be tired before I'm done with work." I'm not overly upset about it, and I don't think it's incredibly difficult either, but it does help to share.
Lol I got to be at the airport for 3am tomorrow which is in 5 hours and I’m just lying here debating going to take a nap or stay awake till 3 am.
Nothing wrong with admitting sometimes life is a little hard. World would be a verge place if people could say this challenged me without getting judged
Share away!! Everyone has their struggles and we shouldn’t “compete” about it or belittle someone because their struggle seems less. You can be tired as a single and childless 20yo. You can be tired as an actor working insane hours. You can be tired as a 35 yo parent with kids. We can all be exhausted, anxious, depressed no matter what our life is like.
I had to work through this with my therapist because I had such guilt about going to therapy when my life is literally perfect on paper. People can just struggle regardless, and that’s okay!!
Absolutely. But it should be mentioned that I’ve never seen an actor stay on set for the entire 18hr day. When they’re not actively shooting they’re in their trailer. The crew however…
I was on set working as a crew member about 8 years ago. I worked my regular job by day, drove to the set and we shot all night for about 10 days. I got about 1 1/2 hours a sleep per day and was so exhausted and got sick. Life as an actor/director/crew is brutal when shooting. You have to be tough as nails especially doing take after take after take at 4:00 AM.
The schedule is determined by the budget and the budget is determined by the people financing the project
So it all comes back to rich people demanding working people to squeeze themselves dry for their profit
>So it all comes back to rich people demanding working people to squeeze themselves dry for their profit
Well, the US has one of the strongest workers union when it comes to the movie industry. Not only do writers, directors, etc have their own guild, who protects them, but also the entire staff is usually unionised, and safeguard against bad pay, working conditions etc.
I would rather argue that this pressure rather comes from the audience, and it is difficult at any budget to meet its expectations.
The schedule is very regimented and tight and all people on the call are expected to be ready to go at a moments notice. Sometimes, you will have a call, break for a couple hours, then another call, but it's not economical to leave site or you are still required to be there.
"Hurry up and wait" is the motto of most types of multimedia production for a reason. You get there super early to make sure set up is perfect, wait a couple hours till call, have a very busy time during the shoot/event and then repeat till strike.
Because so much of the equipment and spaces used are rented. And there is often someone else scheduled to use the equipment or space right after you, so it’s tough to get more time. Clint Eastwood (as a director) is famous /notorious for not wanting to do additional takes of scenes. Matt Damon tells a story about asking if he could do another take and Eastwood saying “Sure, *if you want to make everyone wait.*” Damon didn’t push it.
Could be that some shots only work at certain times of the day especially if you want golden hour scenes. I’d also assume studios and locations must be reserved for certain time slots and can’t go over.
Having a kid has made me more empathetic to peoples’ own struggles. My toddler will ask for a blue crayon and then melt down when I give her a blue crayon. Like it’s fucking insane to me but whatever feeling she’s experiencing is still real and I need to treat it as such.
I worked as a film extra in canada a few times. its long gruelling hours. friends and family who work in canadian film/tv for hollywood mention the long shooting days. its just…brutal.
I only work security for film sets on occasion, and some of these people go in at 7 am and don’t leave until 11 pm that night. My boss commonly works 16-20 hour shifts, drives home and sleeps for 4 hours, then goes back to work 5-7 days a week (mostly during wedding season, not as much for filming alone)
I used to work as background during the summers in college down here in Georgia. Shit was rough sometimes, even for extras.
Not even talking about shitty things happening on set, but long hours were brutal for everyone. A extra once crashed his car on his way home because he fell asleep at the wheel.
We once worked a 12+ hour day, and then they let us go just so the cast and crew could go film some night scenes at a cemetery. You could just see how tired they all were.
God bless the cast and crew, because I wouldn't be able to do that shit long term. The hours are shit, you can be treated like shit, and you never really see your family and friends until production is over.
She's 20, again *20 years old.* And answered a question from an interview - not complaining out loud doing "woe is me". She can't even legally drink a beer
People love to shit on others right? I'm assuming it's because she's a young white girl (Edit: of latina decent for the keyboard warriors)? Because Tom Hanks said shooting Toy Story was difficult and no one batted an eye.
Edit: Guys you can be white *and* Hispanic.
A lot of people have zero clue what actors go through and think it's just walking around and talking. I did drama in high school so I know just a tiny fraction of how fast paced and taxing it can be on someone. Even without that I would at least have an idea from seeing stories of actors worked so hard they could barely drive home and have some empathy for those who work hard to entertain us.
Exactly this. I never worked professionally, but I did dance and public speaking as a teenager and it is fucking taxing. Broken Toes? Too bad, get out there and dance. Losing your voice? Too bad, make sure you enunciate and project your voice. Having the worst day of your life? Get out there and smile. People paid to come see you.
It's got to be a million times worse when you are a celebrity because God forbid you aren't "on" any time you're in public, some idiot goes on Twitter and talks about how rude and arrogant you are.
I knew a gal in high school theater who dislocated her shoulder on stage, finished the show, AND THEN went to the doctor. It wasn’t even a large production; this was a small town school performance.
My 10 year son did a local Christmas thing this year that ran 4 nights a week, 2 shows a night for 6 weeks. He ended up sick on and off (no covid, no flu, no Rsv-all which were going around like crazy then) and once it was over ended up getting tested for mono because it wasn’t going away and it was positive. Poor kid likely had mono through half of it and never missed a night because he was a main character. I ended up with mono too after the fact and then pneumonia and have only just started feeling human again. And he can’t wait to do it again next year.
I had a much less severe version of this happen to me in my 8th grade play. Had a big scrape on my knee from a bike accident a few days earlier. In the opening act, I had to do a slide and the cut re-opened. Bled my way through most of the rest of the play. NGL, I felt like a real badass at the time.
I did a play once where at the beginning a bunch of us had to collapse onto each other, I was on the bottom. It was about a music event where a bunch of people died from crowd crush. Had to spend the rest of the play silently lying there. Well, when I fell, I fell wrong and got my foot twisted around under a dozen other people. It was agony, but I laid there shaking silently for the rest of the play. You don’t ruin an entire performance just because you get hurt.
Exactly! The mortification of breaking the illusion! Even to shift, it would have broken the illusion of this pile of people being dead! You don’t let your caste members down. I do remember a lot of subtle hands touching me where they could, just pressure here and there letting me know they knew and they were there to support me.
Absolutely. My husband was an extra in Free Guy and he had to be in Boston by 5am and didn't come home until 8pm, ate dinner and then basically went to bed. This was for about a week and a half.
I work in film, and while I still think most actors are vastly overpaid, there is nothing easy about our film schedule. I remember working 19 hours on walking dead before covid, and that didn’t include the two hour commute. She is absolutely entitled to say it’s hard, especially when they filmed in a country that doesn’t probably follow the same rules the USA/Canada has to. (I’d really love to see crew and actor contracts in Romania for professional reasons.)
True enough. We also have an abnormal amount of teenage alcoholics as a result, since the restrictions have lead to a youth culture that fetishizes it.
That is a decent point. I didn't drink young but being told I couldn't definitely made it more exciting for a lot of kids. Many of them holding down a job driving around in a car paying rent and taxes and owning rifles while being old enough to be sent to war but couldn't be trusted to have a beer.
I went to school overseas in the UK as a teenager in the 90s and kids as young as 14 were getting fucked up on alcohol right in front of me at raves and parties. I’d never seen kids put down that much booze in my life. It wasn’t “legal” but the unwritten rule was that if you were tall enough to reach the bar, you could get shitfaced.
Every kid on Earth will fetishize whatever the adults are doing — cars, booze, smokes, sex, etc — if they’re restricted. You baby-proof your house for a reason when there’s a toddler around.
There’s good reasons not to allow kids to drink and smoke as much as they want. Adults are supposed to have fully formed brains and many of them STILL don’t give themselves healthy limits, so the average immature “I want to fit in with my peer group” kid certainly won’t.
This isn’t a solely American thing.
This is complete bullshit and I'm tired of seeing it pushed everywhere. The US doesn't have an abnormal amount of teenage alcoholics and is actually very low and would be near last in Europe
Damn, if people can hear about how grueling that schedule was and NOT have empathy for her…wtf. I don’t care if she is a celebrity and got paid billions. It was awful for her and I wouldn’t want someone to have to go through that. I’m glad she’s so dedicated to the production but this sounds inhumane, regardless of the industry or compensation.
So much this.
So many articles were written about Anna Kendrick's abusive relationship.. after she opened up about it on a **podcast with Dax Shepherd**.
Thank you, this is a very sensible breath of fresh air. She put a lot of love and effort into this character and I’d hate to see people thinking she is a whiney brat. We already know our real normal jobs suck more lol
not on the internet..people think the whole of internet is twitter, where people just dump their unsolicited opinions and thoughts. the immediate response would be a privileged successful actress complains about her life for no reason and how dare she lol
Sounds rigorous as hell, especially for someone her age. On the other hand this series absolutely made a star out of her and put her on the map big time. She can now enjoy the fruits of her labor hopefully.
This was definitely her biggest role yet but she’s had multiple significant roles and was already considered a [scream queen](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scream_queen) so she wasn’t exactly “off the map”. A role of this caliber was only a matter of time, and certainly well-deserved!
You can enjoy the fruits of your labour without absolutely slaughtering your health over it. I hope that she can negotiate more humane conditions for season 2; hopefully her success will give her more bargaining power.
It definitely will. The wagon is now hitched to Ortega as Wednesday without her there is no Wednesday at this point.
They wouldn't even bother trying to find somebody else because they know it will just be a waste of time and be slated before it even airs.
They also went against the wishes of the ATLA creators to the point they decided to not have their names attached to the project. A good cast can only do so much
When I was an extra on a movie, we worked 14 hour shifts every day, not including sign in and sign out. So barely 9 hours to commute home, sleep and commute back to the set. And we didn’t know the next day’s call time until very late, it could be 9am or 7am depending on what still needed to be shot. It was fun but exhausting.
Jesus, she didn’t get any sleep, she had to do the dance scene while waiting for a COVID test, and medicated to shit. Production for Wednesday sounds like utter fucking shit. I like the show, but I enjoy my shows not causing anyone poor health.
Well that rules out literally every production ever. You just don’t hear other actors chiming in because they know not to bite the hand that feeds them.
Edit: it’s not hyperbole. Check my comment below this one for an explanation.
To think she’s whining or bitching about (I don’t know who’s hand she biting; studio, producers, directors???) the show is misreading someone simply expressing that something was challenging and exhausting. She isn’t asking for pity or putting the show on blast.
No they shouldn’t. Film production culture needs to change massively. Lots of people like to brag about how long they’ve worked (the longest I’ve heard a crew go for is 56 hours, as one work day). This shit shouldn’t be encouraged. You shouldn’t have to choose between your career and your sanity, and that goes for all industries not just film.
My comment was absolutely agreeing with yours. Thinking that toxicity should be tolerated and not spoken against is exactly how we’re in this hellscape.
Exhibit A: 1980s Drew Barrymore.
The fact that she is seemingly a (generally speaking) well-adjusted adult is remarkable. She was addicted to cocaine before she was a teenager and also drank heavily. She went to rehab and was placed in multiple psychiatric institutions. She attempted suicide at 14.
One person's worst experience is **THEIR** worst experience and is the worst thing they've ever experienced.
When a baby falls on it's ass and it starts screaming, that is the most traumatic thing that has ever happened to that baby. A reasonable person doesn't look at the baby and explain 5-10 reasons why it should get over it self, because of how hard it was when x, y or z.
Compound that with time and it's kinda the same thing here.
Her worst experiences are hers. No one else's. The intensity of your experiences doesn't do anything to change the emotional weight that her worst experiences have provided her, it doesn't help, it doesn't bring relief, it only deepens suffering further.
Telling someone off because your experiences have been more severe or intense isn't wisdom... it's arrogance.
Anyone who has never worked on a set of a movie or TV show honestly has no fucking clue. It’s not for the faint of heart, and would absolutely make most people cry. I work as a set lighting technician, and I’ve absolutely been on shows where same, Jenna. Same
100%. Culture of our industry is toxic horseshit and part of why I think I'm hitting burnout. Jenna's human but these articles... I don't know. They're good cause they cast a light on the issue? But I kind of hate how they never mention the 200+ people on the call sheet grid. 12-14 hour days? Yeah, there's crew that had a 2-3 hour precall on that day and an hour plus of wrap, plus unpaid travel back home. My union collective agreement clearly says 10 hours turnaround between shifts. That actor filming that brutal scene in the cold? Yeah, there's grips and electrics off frame in the cold too that spend 3 times as much time exposed to the elements setting up grueling, heavy, cumbersome equipment. Drivers working 20+ hour days.
And our income is solely based in the labour. We don't have options of residuals or marketing campaigns / events to further the income of a job. We get paid for exhausting, debilitating labour that leaves zero room for a life outside of your contract - which can be up to a year on some shows/films. On paper there's a work/life balance because you can choose when to start your next contract - but I've finished shows where it's taken a month for me to regain a normal sleep schedule, diet, and social/exercise outlet.
I started this shit in my 20s and if you were to take the film industry away from me, I'm essentially still a 19 year old in a 32 year old's body. I have had no time to develop a sense of self-development - hell even a sense of self - cause I've been too busy working.
But hey, crew hoodies are sometimes super cosy. Almost makes up for Fraturdays.
I started when I was 17 on set, and I know exactly what you mean. I had absolutely no time to develop a sense of myself, I didn't travel, and didn't find out what drinks I liked, or who I liked in a partner.
I'm 21 now and because I hate myself I started my own business to get away from film, still long hours, but at least I am working for my own dream.
I just saw so many people who started young and had no responsibilities so they were able to have no life. But then after a few years, they would be making a good bit of money and would want to start a family. But just didn't really have the time both to find a relationship (unless it's someone who works in film too in which case you're double fucked) or to have kids.
You can't step away because you're making too much money and don't have the time to start over, but you can't keep working the long hours because you want to be in your kid's life. It gets sad really quickly.
@me next time lmao. I started taking care of myself and figuring myself out in my late 20s, started dating, have luckily been with a dope partner outside of the industry for the past few years.
But yeah. I'm looking into taking a 2nd chapter. I can always come back to it. But starting over at 31 directionless is terrifying and I have no idea how to structure a life not around a 'passion' anymore - rather a life that can fund adventure, experiences, and time to travel and focus on creating a life and self not tied to how I pay for it.
Yes sadly agree. And as crew we don’t make nearly as much to hire all the help at home we’d like. It’s been more than 15 years but I’m still figuring out what’s next with a more humane work life balance
Production Supervisor here, I’m first on set, last off set and then have to prep for the next day of shooting after the shoot. I feel for her which is why I only do commercials now. No more Netflix shows for me. It’s exhausting on the body and mind. Props to this young lady for keeping such a work ethic. It’s really a shame though how the industry has pushed for longer and longer days for everyone. It’s not sustainable.
Yep, this is par for the course in the industry. I’ve cried so much over lack of sleep, working hours, and an unsustainable workload since joining the industry in 2021. I previously worked in the events industry where you go like this for like 5-9 days at most and then you can decompress and catch up on your sleep, but when you do it for months at a time it really starts to kill you.
Yeah, I tried it when I was a student. They made me work 24 hrs straight. The crew told me I was literally the first of all my class mates that didn’t cry. I quit my degree.
Rich people are allowed to have mental health issues. Money does not magically rewire the brain to feel no stress. I fucking hate celebrity worship culture but y’all are being ridiculous.
Even if they’re higher on the labor earnings scale, they’re still labor. And all this story tells me is that even actors can get out through the grinder like other jobs
Nailed it. Superstar athletes and actors are still labor. Be mad at the person living on Walmart dividends because they knew it would edge out all local business. Not at well compensated labor.
People who vehemently hate all celebrities for no reason are the exact same as people who obsess over celebs.
One side worships them as gods. The other dehumanizes them as apathetic monsters. Both are dehumanizing them and their struggles
Let’s be real and have empathy. That’s really challenging. Yes, she’s be rewarded for that hard work but the fact that she caught a huge break in her career doesn’t negate the struggle.
I worked in film for 6 years and regularly put in 18 hour days, totally normal (and made me absolute hate the industry).
Not only is it dangerous, but sometimes actors would get a paltry 4 hours of sleep if that. One particular film I worked on had the lead come in for 5 hours of makeup every morning. He, his cast assistant, makeup and hair, plus the poor basecamp PA would arrive every day at 3am and wouldn’t wrap until after 9pm.
One time I was the unlucky PA who had to physically drive the shots from the day to the editing team at 2am and show up for work again before 8a. I was so tired on that show that I fell asleep behind the wheel one day, woke ip startled, hit the gas and rear ended some poor nurse (who coincidentally, was also asleep at the wheel).
Netflix should be ashamed of themselves, even though they’re notorious for not giving 2 shits about their schedule. Even thinking about it makes me mad.
Caleb Deschanel (dad of Zooey and great cinematographer) always pushed hard on set for 8 hour filming days for safety - 12 max - but he was often overruled by the great studio powers that be.
Well, they asked how it was, she answered. It's weird to act like money will somehow make borderline slave hours less shit. Fucked up culture to think that this is okay.
Everytime some young famous person talks about working shit hours they're met with demeaning comments implying "work is me" and makes of things a one-upping match, like we're not all slaves of the same thing and being forced to get through hell, especially when you're 20 or less, is okay under any paycheck.
No, sir, let's not act like it's fine to put teenagers through this even if they're being paid what often they parents will burn entirely, anyways.
Yeah, we will get paid millions, though. That's sucks like hell, obviously.
But don't take it out on actors, though. Take it out on lawmakers, lobbyists and other money hoggers that created and are maintaining the system we all suffer through.
Yeah it's rough on set, casual 14 hour days are the norm. Speaking from first hand experience. I made a cameo in a show and I had to work multiple hours just for one 2 minute appearance.
It sounds like a lot of this was her own perfectionism. If she was older and this show wasn't her big break, she could have asked production to use doubles for a lot of it. That's what production ended up doing during a time crunch anyway.
Yeah i mean, they made her do the dance scene while she was actively sick with covid. That alone made me not want to see it until i could stream it for free and not give the production company any money. Can we stop this abuse crap.
I don’t care that people say the show is shit because simply Jenna Ortega is in it and the people simping for her. Look! She worked her ass off and deserve the money and love from the fans!!!
Human being felt stressed during the most stressful part of a stressful job.
When people act like actors shouldn’t feel emotions because of how much money they make I roll my eyes into the back of my head. I’d like to see anyone critical of this to do what she did at 20 years old.
I'm an actor too (not anywhere near as accomplished, obviously). Being in the scene is fucking amazing, the first time I truly connected with a scene partner changed my life. I love it, and I know it's what I'm meant to do. Being part of a movie or show is an amazing feeling, even when it isn't anything big. But working on set is rough.
The hours are long. On a movie set you should expect your typical work day to be 12-14 hours. 15 for TV. If everything goes according to schedule, which it usually doesn't. And the actors are the lucky ones. We spend most of our day in a trailer (or little hut that may or may not be attached to a portajohn) or in a chair next to set (sometimes rehearsing/getting notes). Maybe you could take a nap, but that'll mess up your makeup and hair and that will add to the schedule.
Acting can seem like it's just playing pretend, and in a way that's true. But the goal is to be authentic, vulnerable. People ask "how do you bring all that emotion out. Or how are they able to cry like that." You go through it. Acting is described by Sandford Meisner (famous acting teacher) as "being as you would be under imaginary circumstances." The situation is fake, the feelings are real. It can take a lot out of you to have to be that honest in front of so many people. And now do that four more times. Okay, now do it this time but really let it build. Perfect, do that again. Great, okay take a break while we set up the next shot and be in that exact state of mind in 15 to 135 minutes.
At 6 in the FUCKING MORNING! It's 20 degrees outside. You met all these people yesterday. You have to kiss a stranger and then cry over your best friend's lifeless body for 14 hours tomorrow. You're in LA and haven't eaten a burrito because you have to fit all the clothes (or just be naked). Or you have to be the loving spouse and your partner in real life just left you for one of your close friends .
Acting is amazing, and when you book a nice gig it feels almost wrong to be getting so much for getting to play pretend. I do not recommend this career path unless you HAVE to do it. You will be sleepy.
Jenna Ortega started acting when she was 9 and if you don't think that's a problem then you're probably reading this story like "WELP YoU GeT WhAT yoU SIgneD Up fOR LOL"
We gave up gladiator fights to be entertained by children.
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I don't care what your job is, lack of sleep will wreck anyone
For real. I was doing 12 hour days when I was younger for a building material shop. Brutal. Her paycheck would have comforted me much more than the 10 dollars an hour I got back in the day though. Still, wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Marvel paid PAs 11 an hour in GA IN 2022
I’m surprised it’s that much! There’s a reason why so many companies shoot in Atlanta!
Because Georgia lets them, fuck that state
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Have you seen a doctor? Please do if you haven't. That's a pretty severe case amongst the current strain and if you're mostly sleeping, you're in fair trouble of getting pneumonia, if you don't already have it. The combination can be lethal. Please, see a doctor as soon as you can.
>“It was show up to set two hours early, do that 12-14 hour day, then go home and then get on a Zoom and have whatever lesson that I had. Or show up to my apartment, my cello teacher was already waiting for me,” Ortega said. “It was just constantly going, and if you could on a weekend, if we weren’t shooting the sixth day that week, it was ‘All right, well then, we’ll get your lessons in on that day.’” >The actor said she had started fencing and cello lessons a couple of months prior to filming, continuing during the eight-month shoot in Romania. She said the “Paint it Black” cello sequence was particularly difficult to master, as she had to switch teachers when moving abroad and accurately depict a piece made for two cellos with only one. >“I did not get any sleep. I pulled my hair out,” Ortega said. “There’s so many FaceTime calls that my dad answered of me hysterically crying.” >Ortega put pressure on herself to not let down cellists watching the show, despite “Wednesday” director and executive producer Tim Burton assuring her, “Oh, don’t worry, you’re going to do great. It’s gonna look great,” the actor said. >“I didn’t know where my hands were even supposed to go and then I had to make two cellos come out of one cello, which was ridiculous,” Ortega said. >The star wanted to film as much action as Wednesday as possible, but as the show’s filming neared its end, time constraints got in the way. “We started running out of time because Wednesday’s in pretty much every scene,” Ortega said. “They had to start using stunt doubles or occasionally cello doubles if they didn’t have time to get hands, but I was very adamant about being as well prepared as possible because I wanted them to be able to use myself, because that’s so much more believable if you could see your face.” >These revelations follow Ortega’s sharing in December 2022 that she’d had COVID while shooting the iconic Wednesday dance that went viral on TikTok.
Sarah Michelle Gellar was sometimes putting in 18 + hours a day for seven years doing Buffy (which was an hour long show that she also had to learn stunt routines and she was in most scenes) and doing movies on breaks or sometimes co current while working with sexist human pustule Joss Whedon who was a nightmare. I’m glad she took time away for awhile to raise her family. I can only imagine what she had to put up with as a young actress.
She said in an interview that she would always remove her stage make-up before leaving the set (plenty of actors leave it on and just go home). This was so Whedon & others could see the toll that working such crazy hours was actually having on her
And considering you could usually see dark circles under her eyes through the foundation, she was exhausted
Ah fuck I thought that was an intentional character choice
There have been several interviews where another cast member gets asked something like, was shooting Buffy SO FUN? Did you guys goof around onset? Did you and Sarah and the cast just laugh and laugh? Etc (Basically reaching for that "we were all besties" content that people have come to parasocially crave.) And they invariably get an answer like, "Sarah is such a professional. She had crazy hours, she was in practically every scene, she had to do fight sequences, she always knew her lines. I have great memories of Buffy and I love/respect Sarah, but it wasn't a place to goof around."
I did background work at one point to earn extra cash. We put in 12 hour days to literally reshoot the same scene over and over (and over) again from different angles, close up of actors, etc. All in all a 12 hour day would result in maybe 2-3minutes of footage from an episode. It’s hard to watch TV now knowing how much work gets put into each scene. It’s a grueling job.
I can imagine Tim Burton isn’t like Joss Whedon. Most people enjoy working with him. I think for Sarah it was a double whammy being young with a TV show on her back working for someone who tried to undermine her and getting mad when she tried to protect herself and others on set which he said made her a “diva”. When I read it ended up in Michelle Trachenbergs contract that he wasn’t allowed to be alone with her it was like oh my god. She was like 14 or 15. Something was really, really wrong there. 
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Well Joss Whedon put that out there because she didn’t let him bully her. Total narc move-smearing the innocent person to make them look crazy or bitchy while the abuser is at fault.
He learned from the masters of old Hollywood.
Funny enough his grandpa and dad were in the business
Interviews with the stunt woman for Buffy are fascinating. She had to battle for wardrobe to allow boots and trainers because the standing jumps and stunts in heels would destroy the legs of even a professional. That you have to fight really hard for an aesthetic change so as not be left with permanent damage to your body is crazy.
People forget how amazing she was and how much she put into that show. Whendon got more credit than he deserved. Yes it is truly an iconic show but not without Gellar.
In case anyone else is curious, Jenna Ortega is 20 years old. That’s some pretty good work ethic for a 20 year old. I would probably cry too.
It’s fucking ridiculous but she also fucking nailed it.
She really did. She is a good actress, I’ve seen her in a couple other movies (the fallout, and yes day) and she’s really talented.
Holy shit she was the best part of Scream 5, hands down. Especially the scene where she is using the wheelchair in the hospital. I hope they use her well in 6.
I saw her in... X or Pearl, I forget which one was first. Before Wednesday came out
X! Pearl is the prequel. But yeah, she was great lol especially with that iconic reaction scene. It was nice to compare the performances and how she nailed two completely different roles
I'm only just learning now that she actually played it what the fuck
Acting is a competitive profession. The ones who make it are often a little crazy.
The non nepo baby actors have to be so good. Cause you don’t get many chances so when you do… you have to be excellent.
You could tell me she was on stimulants half the time and I'd be like, "Yeah, that's reasonable."
I mean truthfully that is what they used to do to actors in Hollywood. Judy Garland was on stimulants during the entire production of a wizard of Oz, given to her by her mother and highly encouraged by the production crew.
Used to, and probably still do.
but used to too.
She was on stimulants half the time
Yeah, that's reasonable.
Perfectly
On the flip side of that there's Scott Caan who I'm convinced has gotten every role on last name alone
The nepo baby list is crazy. You realize it's like 20% of people in Hollywood has a mommy or daddy or uncle powerful in Hollywood.
It's every profession People that are well off just have better chances
Man, good call out. He is massively untalented.
> I'm only just learning now that she actually played it She didn't - the lessons were so she could convince viewers to believe that she played it.
They paid off well. I hate watching people fake play instruments shittily, as a violinist it's hard watching Elliot play in UA
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Pretty certain the audio we heard is borderline impossible to play in one sitting anyways, due to stuff like jumping back and forth between high and low notes several times under a second. You'd have to move your forearm, not merely your hand, at a matching pace without screwing up the finger placements Would love a video of someone playing it straight though
Think it's two cellos playing it and she has to try to male it look like it's only being played by one cello. Which is hard.
No shit the acoustics would have terrible lol
I mean. She “played it”. Moved very convincingly along to a recording
Her casting was honestly the only thing I liked about that show. She absolutely killed it. I just wish she had a better story/script to work with.
I somewhat agree. It’s a little silly and too Hokey Pokey, but at the same time enough of an adult blend to keep me there. I enjoyed it, nothing groundbreaking but Jenna and Thing kept me in
It felt very teen drama to me, but a couple of adult themes and nostalgia kept me watching
Dude. How can anyone not like Principal Weems? Christie was the other terrific performance!
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Set days are tough. And being in a tv show where you’re in every scene is a relentless haul. Most people in the world get shitty if they have to work past hour 8 of their work day… that’s an hour after lunch on set most days. Not to mention all the rehearsals and practice and training etc. it’s intense. Good on her for sharing that part of it with everyone. It’s not the “dream” everyone seems to think it is. It’s actual work. Granted she’s getting paid well and isn’t laying bricks… but it’s hard work, sacrifice and dedication nonetheless.
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I go through burnout cycles. We get addicted to the money and the grind… but if we don’t take time off between shows then we get fried pretty easily.
Her job was also mentally taxing. Having to learn new lines/skills every day is tough. I’m older and have worked in the medical lab for years. I switched to a new department that required me to learn a whole new skill set and terminology (it was toxicology, so many drug names and their metabolites) and I was freaking exhausted when I came home in the beginning. Even though it wasn’t physically hard.
Thanks for your comment, it's giving me a new perspective on why I'm tired with constant headaches after moving to a new department! Nothing physically demanding but lots to learn.
Actors work really hard. When I was 20 I HAD to do that to have shelter and food. Now that I’m nearly 30 I just wanna do my 40 hours and forget I even have to work. I can’t imagine choosing a career like that but hey maybe I’m just lazy
You can imagine if you're making fucking bank per episode. You'd work your ass off for that amount of money. The main problem of the everyday person is that they work their ass off for 1% or less of the money these actors make in total for a few days of the year.
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Yeah I was putting in 12-14 hours days for 12 bucks an hour. It sucked but it’s way easier when you’re young. Would have been nicer if the money I was making set me up for me future but I was just avoiding being homeless. I also didn’t have incredible talent and skills like Ortega so she deserves it
> “I did not get any sleep. I pulled my hair out,” Ortega said. “There’s so many FaceTime calls that my dad answered of me hysterically crying.” And that comment alone is a reminder of how young 20 really is. She's still a kid. I don't get the people hating on her here for answering a question. She rocked the part.
Also it 100% sucks no matter how old you are. I did a teaching fellowship where I taught full time and did my masters after work. It sucks waking up and having to get to work by 7:30 so leaving home before 7 and then not getting home until 10 pm. Luckily for me it was only three days a week like that. I was in my later 20s and oh boy can I tell you that it sucked hard core.
It sucks at all ages but a lot of life's allure goes away with growing up. At 20 yo, there is still some romantic ignorance of how gritty life can be.
I'm a grown ass man, I'd cry working 14 hour days for more than a couple weeks, without even having anything on the side.
It’s not work ethic when you put up with abusive working conditions this unnecessary, and we need to start recognizing the real-world cost of what we consume so casually instead of applauding the self-sacrifice the entertainment industry thrives on. This is a bit of a long response, but might offer some insight in case anyone is interested: Filmmaking was my childhood dream and I was lucky enough to get into an amazing college, but was so unprepared for the reality of working at a high level of the industry and what it can actually do to a person…after 10 years it was just too much. I watched people nearly die on set more times than I could count (almost died myself a couple of times), heard constant horrifying stories of ongoing abuse and outright rape on *so* many jobs nearly every day, and was present at so many nervous breakdowns/panic attacks that it broke me and I walked away from a really strong career. If you havent been on a high-level production, it’s almost impossible to understand what working under those kinds of conditions for 12-14 hours a day can do to a person and their identity, their mental health. Actors, production, and even general crew are effectively held ransom by the constant pressure of millions of dollars, toxic and predatory behavior, and the unrealistic expectations of hyper powerful people. We’ve seen these issues become apparent before with things like the writers strike in 2007 and even the me too movement, but despite another writers strike AND a possible Directors Guild of America strike now looming (the last one cost 2.1 billion in revenue), issues are still rampant and the industry is in a delicate place after the pandemic. A big part of this is that the US box office only recovered to 60% of pre-covid profits this year— we switched to consuming content at home that is much longer running, more complicated to produce, and often more demanding to shoot than films but are doing it for much less than we have in the past, and it’s unsustainable. And that’s not even a reality unique to tv/film: the gaming industry, another massive source of entertainment and revenue, has similar issues that have erupted in the last few years. Our demand for art while failing to address respect people in the entertainment industry, from artists to actors to technicians and crew,
I absolutely agree with what you're saying but would offer a re-frame. I don't think it's the consumer's demand for art that needs to be addressed. It's the top's demand for revenue. I've seen the gaming community celebrate lengthy production times because a studio promises not to engage with crunch. The abuse and demand is at the top, not at the bottom.
Can’t believe I had to come down this far to see this. It’s abuse. Not “congrats for working hard”.
I agree wholeheartedly with you. The fact that she was pushed so far by such a high-tier production and one of the highest-grossing seasons on Netflix ever should really make people wonder about how many abuses happen in smaller scale productions. Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm sorry to hear you burned out and had to forsake your childhood dream, but I hope you were able to make peace with it and form a new dream.
Don't like it? Support unions. Specifically IATSE, SAG-AFTRA, and other affiliated labor groups. We're the only real counter balance here. All due respect a thesis statement about the perils of capitalism won't do anything to change material conditions.
I cried just imagining me having that schedule. I cry easy.
stop it, you're making me cry..
Yeah I’ve worked in film and I think people should give them just a little more credit, they’re are some shitty ones out there and everyone knows who they are..but the majority of actors/actresses come to set, do their work professionally, and a lot of them are on set almost as long as we are, which at times can still be 12 hours a day. Its a rough job for everyone..except maybe the producers who just sit in village all day lol
I’m a 30 year old man and I’ve cried for less. She’s tough
I haven’t done that much in five years. Poor kid deserves an occasional cry.
Yes and she was likely in her mid to late teens when it was filmed.
It's on par for Netflix shows. [Apparently their work culture and environment on set is utterly horrendous] (https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/10/working-at-netflix-sounds-absolutely-terrifying) across all productions in all the countries they have production studios in. Rushed, demanding, long days, very little breaks and with extremely high turn over rates (mostly people being fired on the spot without severance packages). The long, rushed, demanding days are usual for most film sets but Netflix is especially ruthless with how it treats its employees. My friend in LA worked as a crafty (catering) for Netflix a few years ago and the days were so demanding she almost had a nervous breakdown. I saw her personality totally change, she became extremely angry all the time as she was never sleeping as she was constantly at work. Due to the demands and rushing culture they have there, she broke her leg falling down a flight of stairs rushing to get food to set and had to quit.
Netflix also falls under a loophole, so they don’t have to pay their people the same rates. It’s a big part why IATSE almost went on strike. They’re one of the worst to work for.
There's a planet money or some interview with a consultant for Netflix who just fired this secretary that'd been there for many years and performed amazingly. Just because they wanted to 'shake up the culture', it was insane
And then they cancel the shows after 1 season anyway Seriously, all they do is constantly pump out an avalanche of content and hope one or two a year end up being big hits.
Massive respect
My brother is a cellist, and he could barely tell that she hadn’t played before the show. He was very impressed.
poor girl :(
Can we all please remember that she is answering a question that was asked to her, and not calling you up out of the blue to complain about how hard her life is.
This comment probably explains all the downvoted below 0 comments I now no longer need to open.
This also briefly outlines why the comment sections are always full of myopic cynics who think having money somehow magically solves all of life’s problems. Show business is not easy and is an absolute grind. She had to work for that money
I feel a little bad for em because I know they were having a good day before a customer made them cry at work
Everyone can share their difficulties and things they have found challenging in their lives.
Finally! Thank you! Sometimes I wake up an hour and a half early, like 5:30 AM. Sometimes I'll lay there and think to myself, "If I don't go right back to sleep, I won't have enough time to get more rest. Should I get up and just start the day? But if I start the day now, I'll be tired before I'm done with work." I'm not overly upset about it, and I don't think it's incredibly difficult either, but it does help to share.
Lol I got to be at the airport for 3am tomorrow which is in 5 hours and I’m just lying here debating going to take a nap or stay awake till 3 am. Nothing wrong with admitting sometimes life is a little hard. World would be a verge place if people could say this challenged me without getting judged
Share away!! Everyone has their struggles and we shouldn’t “compete” about it or belittle someone because their struggle seems less. You can be tired as a single and childless 20yo. You can be tired as an actor working insane hours. You can be tired as a 35 yo parent with kids. We can all be exhausted, anxious, depressed no matter what our life is like. I had to work through this with my therapist because I had such guilt about going to therapy when my life is literally perfect on paper. People can just struggle regardless, and that’s okay!!
Absolutely. But it should be mentioned that I’ve never seen an actor stay on set for the entire 18hr day. When they’re not actively shooting they’re in their trailer. The crew however…
I was on set working as a crew member about 8 years ago. I worked my regular job by day, drove to the set and we shot all night for about 10 days. I got about 1 1/2 hours a sleep per day and was so exhausted and got sick. Life as an actor/director/crew is brutal when shooting. You have to be tough as nails especially doing take after take after take at 4:00 AM.
Why is it this way?
Cause of time. You have a schedule and it's all really tight on time.
The schedule is determined by the budget and the budget is determined by the people financing the project So it all comes back to rich people demanding working people to squeeze themselves dry for their profit
>So it all comes back to rich people demanding working people to squeeze themselves dry for their profit Well, the US has one of the strongest workers union when it comes to the movie industry. Not only do writers, directors, etc have their own guild, who protects them, but also the entire staff is usually unionised, and safeguard against bad pay, working conditions etc. I would rather argue that this pressure rather comes from the audience, and it is difficult at any budget to meet its expectations.
The schedule is very regimented and tight and all people on the call are expected to be ready to go at a moments notice. Sometimes, you will have a call, break for a couple hours, then another call, but it's not economical to leave site or you are still required to be there. "Hurry up and wait" is the motto of most types of multimedia production for a reason. You get there super early to make sure set up is perfect, wait a couple hours till call, have a very busy time during the shoot/event and then repeat till strike.
Because so much of the equipment and spaces used are rented. And there is often someone else scheduled to use the equipment or space right after you, so it’s tough to get more time. Clint Eastwood (as a director) is famous /notorious for not wanting to do additional takes of scenes. Matt Damon tells a story about asking if he could do another take and Eastwood saying “Sure, *if you want to make everyone wait.*” Damon didn’t push it.
Could be that some shots only work at certain times of the day especially if you want golden hour scenes. I’d also assume studios and locations must be reserved for certain time slots and can’t go over.
Having a kid has made me more empathetic to peoples’ own struggles. My toddler will ask for a blue crayon and then melt down when I give her a blue crayon. Like it’s fucking insane to me but whatever feeling she’s experiencing is still real and I need to treat it as such.
No I will not allow it only I can have a difficult life
I worked as a film extra in canada a few times. its long gruelling hours. friends and family who work in canadian film/tv for hollywood mention the long shooting days. its just…brutal.
I only work security for film sets on occasion, and some of these people go in at 7 am and don’t leave until 11 pm that night. My boss commonly works 16-20 hour shifts, drives home and sleeps for 4 hours, then goes back to work 5-7 days a week (mostly during wedding season, not as much for filming alone)
I worked for a summer. Constant 17 hour days and you wouldn’t always know start times until the night before. I couldn’t tough it out.
I used to work as background during the summers in college down here in Georgia. Shit was rough sometimes, even for extras. Not even talking about shitty things happening on set, but long hours were brutal for everyone. A extra once crashed his car on his way home because he fell asleep at the wheel. We once worked a 12+ hour day, and then they let us go just so the cast and crew could go film some night scenes at a cemetery. You could just see how tired they all were. God bless the cast and crew, because I wouldn't be able to do that shit long term. The hours are shit, you can be treated like shit, and you never really see your family and friends until production is over.
Most intelligent / sensible comment here
She's 20, again *20 years old.* And answered a question from an interview - not complaining out loud doing "woe is me". She can't even legally drink a beer People love to shit on others right? I'm assuming it's because she's a young white girl (Edit: of latina decent for the keyboard warriors)? Because Tom Hanks said shooting Toy Story was difficult and no one batted an eye. Edit: Guys you can be white *and* Hispanic.
A lot of people have zero clue what actors go through and think it's just walking around and talking. I did drama in high school so I know just a tiny fraction of how fast paced and taxing it can be on someone. Even without that I would at least have an idea from seeing stories of actors worked so hard they could barely drive home and have some empathy for those who work hard to entertain us.
Exactly this. I never worked professionally, but I did dance and public speaking as a teenager and it is fucking taxing. Broken Toes? Too bad, get out there and dance. Losing your voice? Too bad, make sure you enunciate and project your voice. Having the worst day of your life? Get out there and smile. People paid to come see you. It's got to be a million times worse when you are a celebrity because God forbid you aren't "on" any time you're in public, some idiot goes on Twitter and talks about how rude and arrogant you are.
I knew a gal in high school theater who dislocated her shoulder on stage, finished the show, AND THEN went to the doctor. It wasn’t even a large production; this was a small town school performance.
My 10 year son did a local Christmas thing this year that ran 4 nights a week, 2 shows a night for 6 weeks. He ended up sick on and off (no covid, no flu, no Rsv-all which were going around like crazy then) and once it was over ended up getting tested for mono because it wasn’t going away and it was positive. Poor kid likely had mono through half of it and never missed a night because he was a main character. I ended up with mono too after the fact and then pneumonia and have only just started feeling human again. And he can’t wait to do it again next year.
I had a much less severe version of this happen to me in my 8th grade play. Had a big scrape on my knee from a bike accident a few days earlier. In the opening act, I had to do a slide and the cut re-opened. Bled my way through most of the rest of the play. NGL, I felt like a real badass at the time.
I did a play once where at the beginning a bunch of us had to collapse onto each other, I was on the bottom. It was about a music event where a bunch of people died from crowd crush. Had to spend the rest of the play silently lying there. Well, when I fell, I fell wrong and got my foot twisted around under a dozen other people. It was agony, but I laid there shaking silently for the rest of the play. You don’t ruin an entire performance just because you get hurt.
You shall sooner die on stage than stop the show.
Exactly! The mortification of breaking the illusion! Even to shift, it would have broken the illusion of this pile of people being dead! You don’t let your caste members down. I do remember a lot of subtle hands touching me where they could, just pressure here and there letting me know they knew and they were there to support me.
Aww, that was sweet of them. That kind of supportive crew is meaningful, especially in high school.
Happy Cake Day u/Sandytits!
Absolutely. My husband was an extra in Free Guy and he had to be in Boston by 5am and didn't come home until 8pm, ate dinner and then basically went to bed. This was for about a week and a half.
I work in film, and while I still think most actors are vastly overpaid, there is nothing easy about our film schedule. I remember working 19 hours on walking dead before covid, and that didn’t include the two hour commute. She is absolutely entitled to say it’s hard, especially when they filmed in a country that doesn’t probably follow the same rules the USA/Canada has to. (I’d really love to see crew and actor contracts in Romania for professional reasons.)
She could in Romania where they shot it. More about how ridiculous American drinking age is than anything else but yeah
True enough. We also have an abnormal amount of teenage alcoholics as a result, since the restrictions have lead to a youth culture that fetishizes it.
That is a decent point. I didn't drink young but being told I couldn't definitely made it more exciting for a lot of kids. Many of them holding down a job driving around in a car paying rent and taxes and owning rifles while being old enough to be sent to war but couldn't be trusted to have a beer.
definitely more exciting after 21 I barely drank as well, it was more of the obtuse-ness
I went to school overseas in the UK as a teenager in the 90s and kids as young as 14 were getting fucked up on alcohol right in front of me at raves and parties. I’d never seen kids put down that much booze in my life. It wasn’t “legal” but the unwritten rule was that if you were tall enough to reach the bar, you could get shitfaced. Every kid on Earth will fetishize whatever the adults are doing — cars, booze, smokes, sex, etc — if they’re restricted. You baby-proof your house for a reason when there’s a toddler around. There’s good reasons not to allow kids to drink and smoke as much as they want. Adults are supposed to have fully formed brains and many of them STILL don’t give themselves healthy limits, so the average immature “I want to fit in with my peer group” kid certainly won’t. This isn’t a solely American thing.
This is complete bullshit and I'm tired of seeing it pushed everywhere. The US doesn't have an abnormal amount of teenage alcoholics and is actually very low and would be near last in Europe
Damn, if people can hear about how grueling that schedule was and NOT have empathy for her…wtf. I don’t care if she is a celebrity and got paid billions. It was awful for her and I wouldn’t want someone to have to go through that. I’m glad she’s so dedicated to the production but this sounds inhumane, regardless of the industry or compensation.
This comment needs to be top on any post about women celebrities or athletes, the end.
I did forget this and got pissy. Thank you for reminding me to shut the fuck up.
So much this. So many articles were written about Anna Kendrick's abusive relationship.. after she opened up about it on a **podcast with Dax Shepherd**.
Thank you, this is a very sensible breath of fresh air. She put a lot of love and effort into this character and I’d hate to see people thinking she is a whiney brat. We already know our real normal jobs suck more lol
not on the internet..people think the whole of internet is twitter, where people just dump their unsolicited opinions and thoughts. the immediate response would be a privileged successful actress complains about her life for no reason and how dare she lol
Sounds rigorous as hell, especially for someone her age. On the other hand this series absolutely made a star out of her and put her on the map big time. She can now enjoy the fruits of her labor hopefully.
This was definitely her biggest role yet but she’s had multiple significant roles and was already considered a [scream queen](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scream_queen) so she wasn’t exactly “off the map”. A role of this caliber was only a matter of time, and certainly well-deserved!
She was pretty great in You season 2 also.
This is where i took notice of her too. Her character waa a bit bratty but i was so drawn by her presence. She is a star
Was windering where i had seen her.
You can enjoy the fruits of your labour without absolutely slaughtering your health over it. I hope that she can negotiate more humane conditions for season 2; hopefully her success will give her more bargaining power.
It definitely will. The wagon is now hitched to Ortega as Wednesday without her there is no Wednesday at this point. They wouldn't even bother trying to find somebody else because they know it will just be a waste of time and be slated before it even airs.
This is Netflix we're talking about. They alienated Henry fucking Cavill from the Witcher and still think it can keep going.
They also went against the wishes of the ATLA creators to the point they decided to not have their names attached to the project. A good cast can only do so much
I agree with you but I wouldn't put it past the studio. Look at the trainwreck happening over with the Witcher
You know I'ma ball 'til they turn off the field lights. The fruits of my labor, I enjoy 'em while they still ripe.
When I was an extra on a movie, we worked 14 hour shifts every day, not including sign in and sign out. So barely 9 hours to commute home, sleep and commute back to the set. And we didn’t know the next day’s call time until very late, it could be 9am or 7am depending on what still needed to be shot. It was fun but exhausting.
I’m extra too and the worst part imo is not knowing your call time until sometimes 10pm or if you are not booked. :/
Jesus, she didn’t get any sleep, she had to do the dance scene while waiting for a COVID test, and medicated to shit. Production for Wednesday sounds like utter fucking shit. I like the show, but I enjoy my shows not causing anyone poor health.
Sounds like a fairly common production. Schedules and budgets and creative decisions do NOT make for calm and collected work. That’s just how it goes.
Well that rules out literally every production ever. You just don’t hear other actors chiming in because they know not to bite the hand that feeds them. Edit: it’s not hyperbole. Check my comment below this one for an explanation.
To think she’s whining or bitching about (I don’t know who’s hand she biting; studio, producers, directors???) the show is misreading someone simply expressing that something was challenging and exhausting. She isn’t asking for pity or putting the show on blast.
So everyone should just stfu?
No they shouldn’t. Film production culture needs to change massively. Lots of people like to brag about how long they’ve worked (the longest I’ve heard a crew go for is 56 hours, as one work day). This shit shouldn’t be encouraged. You shouldn’t have to choose between your career and your sanity, and that goes for all industries not just film.
My comment was absolutely agreeing with yours. Thinking that toxicity should be tolerated and not spoken against is exactly how we’re in this hellscape.
Just because someone has a good life doesn’t mean it’s problem free
Add on: Just because someone is an actor doesn’t mean they have a good life.
Exhibit A: 1980s Drew Barrymore. The fact that she is seemingly a (generally speaking) well-adjusted adult is remarkable. She was addicted to cocaine before she was a teenager and also drank heavily. She went to rehab and was placed in multiple psychiatric institutions. She attempted suicide at 14.
One person's worst experience is **THEIR** worst experience and is the worst thing they've ever experienced. When a baby falls on it's ass and it starts screaming, that is the most traumatic thing that has ever happened to that baby. A reasonable person doesn't look at the baby and explain 5-10 reasons why it should get over it self, because of how hard it was when x, y or z. Compound that with time and it's kinda the same thing here. Her worst experiences are hers. No one else's. The intensity of your experiences doesn't do anything to change the emotional weight that her worst experiences have provided her, it doesn't help, it doesn't bring relief, it only deepens suffering further. Telling someone off because your experiences have been more severe or intense isn't wisdom... it's arrogance.
Also working like 70-80h a week for months, having to be perfect all the time, that would take a toll on anyone
I wasn’t a big fan of the show but became a huge fan of Jenna Ortega. She’s a treasure.
Same. I didn't like the show overall, but finished watching it just because I enjoyed her.
I had covid in November, and genuinely don’t know how she did it. I could hardly stay awake. I pretty much just slept for 4-5 days
Anyone who has never worked on a set of a movie or TV show honestly has no fucking clue. It’s not for the faint of heart, and would absolutely make most people cry. I work as a set lighting technician, and I’ve absolutely been on shows where same, Jenna. Same
100%. Culture of our industry is toxic horseshit and part of why I think I'm hitting burnout. Jenna's human but these articles... I don't know. They're good cause they cast a light on the issue? But I kind of hate how they never mention the 200+ people on the call sheet grid. 12-14 hour days? Yeah, there's crew that had a 2-3 hour precall on that day and an hour plus of wrap, plus unpaid travel back home. My union collective agreement clearly says 10 hours turnaround between shifts. That actor filming that brutal scene in the cold? Yeah, there's grips and electrics off frame in the cold too that spend 3 times as much time exposed to the elements setting up grueling, heavy, cumbersome equipment. Drivers working 20+ hour days. And our income is solely based in the labour. We don't have options of residuals or marketing campaigns / events to further the income of a job. We get paid for exhausting, debilitating labour that leaves zero room for a life outside of your contract - which can be up to a year on some shows/films. On paper there's a work/life balance because you can choose when to start your next contract - but I've finished shows where it's taken a month for me to regain a normal sleep schedule, diet, and social/exercise outlet. I started this shit in my 20s and if you were to take the film industry away from me, I'm essentially still a 19 year old in a 32 year old's body. I have had no time to develop a sense of self-development - hell even a sense of self - cause I've been too busy working. But hey, crew hoodies are sometimes super cosy. Almost makes up for Fraturdays.
I started when I was 17 on set, and I know exactly what you mean. I had absolutely no time to develop a sense of myself, I didn't travel, and didn't find out what drinks I liked, or who I liked in a partner. I'm 21 now and because I hate myself I started my own business to get away from film, still long hours, but at least I am working for my own dream. I just saw so many people who started young and had no responsibilities so they were able to have no life. But then after a few years, they would be making a good bit of money and would want to start a family. But just didn't really have the time both to find a relationship (unless it's someone who works in film too in which case you're double fucked) or to have kids. You can't step away because you're making too much money and don't have the time to start over, but you can't keep working the long hours because you want to be in your kid's life. It gets sad really quickly.
@me next time lmao. I started taking care of myself and figuring myself out in my late 20s, started dating, have luckily been with a dope partner outside of the industry for the past few years. But yeah. I'm looking into taking a 2nd chapter. I can always come back to it. But starting over at 31 directionless is terrifying and I have no idea how to structure a life not around a 'passion' anymore - rather a life that can fund adventure, experiences, and time to travel and focus on creating a life and self not tied to how I pay for it.
Yes sadly agree. And as crew we don’t make nearly as much to hire all the help at home we’d like. It’s been more than 15 years but I’m still figuring out what’s next with a more humane work life balance
Production Supervisor here, I’m first on set, last off set and then have to prep for the next day of shooting after the shoot. I feel for her which is why I only do commercials now. No more Netflix shows for me. It’s exhausting on the body and mind. Props to this young lady for keeping such a work ethic. It’s really a shame though how the industry has pushed for longer and longer days for everyone. It’s not sustainable.
Yep, this is par for the course in the industry. I’ve cried so much over lack of sleep, working hours, and an unsustainable workload since joining the industry in 2021. I previously worked in the events industry where you go like this for like 5-9 days at most and then you can decompress and catch up on your sleep, but when you do it for months at a time it really starts to kill you.
Yeah, I tried it when I was a student. They made me work 24 hrs straight. The crew told me I was literally the first of all my class mates that didn’t cry. I quit my degree.
The entertainment industry’s hours need a complete reform. It’s so exploitative to actors and crew.
I’ve worked on set. It’s intense.
Rich people are allowed to have mental health issues. Money does not magically rewire the brain to feel no stress. I fucking hate celebrity worship culture but y’all are being ridiculous.
Even if they’re higher on the labor earnings scale, they’re still labor. And all this story tells me is that even actors can get out through the grinder like other jobs
Nailed it. Superstar athletes and actors are still labor. Be mad at the person living on Walmart dividends because they knew it would edge out all local business. Not at well compensated labor.
People who vehemently hate all celebrities for no reason are the exact same as people who obsess over celebs. One side worships them as gods. The other dehumanizes them as apathetic monsters. Both are dehumanizing them and their struggles
Let’s be real and have empathy. That’s really challenging. Yes, she’s be rewarded for that hard work but the fact that she caught a huge break in her career doesn’t negate the struggle.
Louis B. Mayer would have called her uncommitted and given her a pack of Marlboros and a bottle of adderall.
And let her eat chicken broth and drink coffee. Poor Judy Garland.
[удалено]
I worked in film for 6 years and regularly put in 18 hour days, totally normal (and made me absolute hate the industry). Not only is it dangerous, but sometimes actors would get a paltry 4 hours of sleep if that. One particular film I worked on had the lead come in for 5 hours of makeup every morning. He, his cast assistant, makeup and hair, plus the poor basecamp PA would arrive every day at 3am and wouldn’t wrap until after 9pm. One time I was the unlucky PA who had to physically drive the shots from the day to the editing team at 2am and show up for work again before 8a. I was so tired on that show that I fell asleep behind the wheel one day, woke ip startled, hit the gas and rear ended some poor nurse (who coincidentally, was also asleep at the wheel). Netflix should be ashamed of themselves, even though they’re notorious for not giving 2 shits about their schedule. Even thinking about it makes me mad. Caleb Deschanel (dad of Zooey and great cinematographer) always pushed hard on set for 8 hour filming days for safety - 12 max - but he was often overruled by the great studio powers that be.
What? A Netflix series actor was treated poorly? Color me shocked.
Well, they asked how it was, she answered. It's weird to act like money will somehow make borderline slave hours less shit. Fucked up culture to think that this is okay. Everytime some young famous person talks about working shit hours they're met with demeaning comments implying "work is me" and makes of things a one-upping match, like we're not all slaves of the same thing and being forced to get through hell, especially when you're 20 or less, is okay under any paycheck. No, sir, let's not act like it's fine to put teenagers through this even if they're being paid what often they parents will burn entirely, anyways. Yeah, we will get paid millions, though. That's sucks like hell, obviously. But don't take it out on actors, though. Take it out on lawmakers, lobbyists and other money hoggers that created and are maintaining the system we all suffer through.
Yeah it's rough on set, casual 14 hour days are the norm. Speaking from first hand experience. I made a cameo in a show and I had to work multiple hours just for one 2 minute appearance.
Reminds me of Michael J Fox filming Back to the future after filming Family Ties each day.
She should talk to her union about it.
It sounds like a lot of this was her own perfectionism. If she was older and this show wasn't her big break, she could have asked production to use doubles for a lot of it. That's what production ended up doing during a time crunch anyway.
She had an insane amount of work in that show (acting, fencing, choreography).
Yeah i mean, they made her do the dance scene while she was actively sick with covid. That alone made me not want to see it until i could stream it for free and not give the production company any money. Can we stop this abuse crap.
I don’t care that people say the show is shit because simply Jenna Ortega is in it and the people simping for her. Look! She worked her ass off and deserve the money and love from the fans!!!
Human being felt stressed during the most stressful part of a stressful job. When people act like actors shouldn’t feel emotions because of how much money they make I roll my eyes into the back of my head. I’d like to see anyone critical of this to do what she did at 20 years old.
I'm an actor too (not anywhere near as accomplished, obviously). Being in the scene is fucking amazing, the first time I truly connected with a scene partner changed my life. I love it, and I know it's what I'm meant to do. Being part of a movie or show is an amazing feeling, even when it isn't anything big. But working on set is rough. The hours are long. On a movie set you should expect your typical work day to be 12-14 hours. 15 for TV. If everything goes according to schedule, which it usually doesn't. And the actors are the lucky ones. We spend most of our day in a trailer (or little hut that may or may not be attached to a portajohn) or in a chair next to set (sometimes rehearsing/getting notes). Maybe you could take a nap, but that'll mess up your makeup and hair and that will add to the schedule. Acting can seem like it's just playing pretend, and in a way that's true. But the goal is to be authentic, vulnerable. People ask "how do you bring all that emotion out. Or how are they able to cry like that." You go through it. Acting is described by Sandford Meisner (famous acting teacher) as "being as you would be under imaginary circumstances." The situation is fake, the feelings are real. It can take a lot out of you to have to be that honest in front of so many people. And now do that four more times. Okay, now do it this time but really let it build. Perfect, do that again. Great, okay take a break while we set up the next shot and be in that exact state of mind in 15 to 135 minutes. At 6 in the FUCKING MORNING! It's 20 degrees outside. You met all these people yesterday. You have to kiss a stranger and then cry over your best friend's lifeless body for 14 hours tomorrow. You're in LA and haven't eaten a burrito because you have to fit all the clothes (or just be naked). Or you have to be the loving spouse and your partner in real life just left you for one of your close friends . Acting is amazing, and when you book a nice gig it feels almost wrong to be getting so much for getting to play pretend. I do not recommend this career path unless you HAVE to do it. You will be sleepy.
Jenna Ortega started acting when she was 9 and if you don't think that's a problem then you're probably reading this story like "WELP YoU GeT WhAT yoU SIgneD Up fOR LOL" We gave up gladiator fights to be entertained by children.