The Bold and the Beautiful, that soap opera that’s always playing when you enter a dentist’s office, will become one of the first television shows to fully resume production on June 17 amid the coronavirus pandemic. This milestone was made possible due to adhering to social distancing protocols, and partly because of the existence of dolls. In an interview with Forbes, executive producer and head writer Bradley Bell outlined his vision for transitioning the show into our new era of uncertainty, which, for starters, means the actors are doing far more sexy solo work. “We were cutting all of the kisses, and the shows weren’t the same,†Bell admitted. “They’ll look like they’re nose to nose, in the throes of passion. But they’ll be shooting scenes all by themselves.â€
Far more ingenious, though, is how The Bold and the Beautiful will deal with its sex scenes beyond clever editing. (And there are a lot of sex scenes.) “We have some lifelike blow-up dolls that have been sitting around here for the past 15 years, that we’ve used for various other stories — like when people were presumed dead,†Bell explained. “We’re dusting off the dolls and putting new wigs and make-up on them and they’ll be featured in love scenes.†Actors’ spouses will also be welcome to join their partners for scenes that require touching, as long as they test negative for the coronavirus prior to entering the studio. “Of course, if there are any red flags or concerns, we’ll stop,†Bell added. “Because safety is first.†But are the dolls SAG eligible?