‘General Hospital’: Lisa LoCicero Reassures Fans Her Recent Kiss Scene Was Filmed Before Shutdown
General Hospital has returned with new episodes this week after the show shut down production back in March amid the pandemic. Much of these new episodes have been filmed in mid-July when the cast and crew resumed work, though fans noticed that there was one scene in which social distancing guidelines were not being followed. However, one of the stars of said scene, Lisa LoCicero (Olivia Falconeri), reassured fans that it was actually filmed before lockdown measures were in place.
Lisa LoCicero had a recent kiss scene with on-screen husband Wally Kurth
When General Hospital returned on Monday, August 3, one of the first scenes fans saw was of Olivia and her husband, Ned Quartermaine (Wally Kurth). Olivia and Ned were at home and feeling very lovey-dovey. They shared a kiss, but Ned suddenly got interrupted with work-related matters, which ended up upsetting Olivia.
Of course, kissing is highly discouraged under social distancing guidelines, so many fans were rightly confused to see the LoCicero and Kurth locking lips.
However, LoCicero reassured fans on Twitter that it was not actually filmed in July. She said, “To those asking, the kiss was filmed before we broke.”
What precautions are the cast and crew of ‘General Hospital’ taking?
The other scenes this week involved characters standing or sitting far apart from each other as they talked. For example, when Sam McCall (temporarily played by Lindsay Hartley) went to see Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) at the hospital, the two of them did not hug as usual. Instead, they maintained distance as they spoke about the problem at hands.
It’s clear that the cast and crew of General Hospital are trying their best to social distance and keep each other safe. Executive producer Frank Valentini also told Soaps.com about more precautions that are taken on set.
“In addition to regular testing and distancing measures — we have hired a dedicated Health & Safety Manager to be on set to supervise all health and safety protocols and answer any questions as they arise,” Valentini said. “It’s important that every member of the cast and crew feel safe and confident.”
Meanwhile, actress Laura Wright (Carly Corinthos) also told Soaps.com, “We are all being regularly tested and are continuing to do our part on and off set – being mindful to practice proper distancing and most importantly wear our [face coverings] when we’re not filming.”
How are other soap operas filming with social distancing guidelines in place?
On the set of The Bold and the Beautiful, which resumed filming earlier than other soap operas, love scenes that require close proximity between actors are being tackled in creative ways.
As reported by Forbes, producer Bradley Bell shared that the actors on his show can use blow-up dolls to film love scenes.
“We have some life-like 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 said. “We’re dusting off the dolls and putting new wigs and make-up on them and they’ll be featured in love scenes.”
Additionally, an actor’s real-life significant other can be brought in as well, especially if they have a similar look and build to the on-screen love interest.
Ultimately, filming amid a large-scale pandemic is something quite unprecedented in Hollywood, and soap operas seem to be doing the best they can with the circumstances they are given.
