Dill, lactose, saline: how to replace drugs and alcohol on the screen
Often, actors in films have to drink or even use illegal drugs. And if all these substances were real, given the number of takes, many of them would not even live to see the end of filming.
Therefore, especially for them, drugs and alcohol are replaced with something else. What exactly? Read in our article.
Cocaine
Cocaine in movies and TV shows is usually replaced with a similar color and structure of crushed inositol. This is an absolutely safe substance, in addition, it contains vitamin B, so the actors, you can say, are charged with a dose of"useful high".
In addition to inositol, lactose is sometimes used in the form of a powder, which also does not pose any danger to humans. The only problem associated with the use of "drugs" on the set is irritation of the nasal mucosa. To avoid this, the tube or bill through which the actors inhale "cocaine" is pre-lubricated with vaseline. So the substance settles inside and does not get into the nose.
Heroin
With heroin, it's a little more difficult, because it needs to be injected into a vein and do it as plausibly as possible. Of course, the injection of saline (which is most often substituted for heroin) is quite safe for a person, but if the actor has 5, 10 or 15 such takes, the task becomes more complicated.
Therefore, the cunning filmmakers came up with a special device for these cases: a syringe in which the needle "hides" inside the case, creating the impression of inserting the needle under the skin. If this moment is taken in close-up, artificial leather is used. Therefore, in such cases, the actor does not even have to be present when shooting the double.
Cigarettes
Not all celebrities agree to smoke in movies. No wonder this moment is negotiated in advance and rewarded with additional bonuses to the fee. However, if the principles of the actor are not sold even for a lot of money, the directors have to make concessions.
To do this, instead of the usual cigarettes with tobacco during filming, herbal cigarettes are used. They can be smoked by absolutely anyone, but, again, you should take into account the number of duplicates. For example, it is rumored that Jon Hamm smoked about a hundred of these cigarettes during the shooting of one episode of "Mad Men", which eventually hit his health hard. I wonder how much Cillian Murphy smoked when he played in The Peaky Blinders.
Alcohol
Replacing alcohol is the easiest way. Usually, it is used instead of plain water with the addition of dye or other soft drinks that are close to the "original" in color.
But sometimes even such scenes are given to actors with difficulty. For example, in the TV series "DMB" Sergey Artsibashev, who played the role of an ensign, had to drink about 2 liters of water for shooting one episode (where he sits in a restaurant). And imagine if it was real vodka!
This is what Hollywood stars actually drink, smoke, and inhale. Did you ever guess?
Keywords: Actors | Alcohol | Director | Secrets | Stage | Shooting | Movies | Tricks