# The actress is pregnant, but her character is not. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 23, 2014, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-actress-is-pregnant-but-her-character-is-not/702247 "2014-10-23T13:22:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-actress-is-pregnant-but-her-character-is-not/702247/61 "2014-10-27T19:29:06Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > The main gimmick was, when Susan Saint James was pregnant, they had her fall down a flight of stairs > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > And for three or four episodes thereafter, they had her in a hospital bed in traction, with the bed tray always in place to cover her belly. Heavens, I congratulate you both on remembering Kate & Allie far better than me 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-actress-is-pregnant-but-her-character-is-not/702247/62 "2014-10-27T20:01:42Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Except in the episode “The Killing Game” in which the Hirogen trapped the crew in a holodeck simulation and made them believe they were French freedom fighters resisting the Nazis in World War II. They wrote in Dawson’s pregnancy, having B’Elanna believe that she was pregnant, down to having the holodeck simulate the appearance of pregnancy. Dawson said it was fun being able to “let it all hang out” in that episode. B’Elanna also had a line about how the hologram was so realistic it even kicked. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-actress-is-pregnant-but-her-character-is-not/702247/63 "2014-10-27T20:24:24Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#): > > I recall reading that when Marian and Harold were embracing (I believe it was after the picnic), young Mr Cassidy let loose with a kick that caught Robert Preston pretty solidly in the gut. They had to reshoot. I’ve read that story, as well – I believe it happened during the scene on the bridge (where she sings “[Till There Was You](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLDsLeVxOaU)”). ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-actress-is-pregnant-but-her-character-is-not/702247/64 "2014-10-28T12:24:30Z")
Trying to figure out whether or not Julia Roberts counts for _Ocean’s 12_… ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-actress-is-pregnant-but-her-character-is-not/702247/65 "2014-10-28T13:36:36Z")
> [@kstarnes](#): > > I want y’all to ponder this: If your life choices hurt a production. Shouldn’t they be allowed to ax you? If they should be allowed to do this in entertainment, why not in any job? We already have experience living in a society in which women can get fired for making lifestyle choices like getting pregnant, getting married, or even just dating. Even now, the unavailability of flexible arrangements and on-site child care hampers many women’s ability to develop their careers. And we all suffer as a result. > [@](#): > > They may very well make the decision not to because you’re incredibly valuable but why should there be a legal prohibition against it? > > . Because it amounts to gender-based discrimination. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-actress-is-pregnant-but-her-character-is-not/702247/66 "2014-10-28T16:53:05Z")
I think I understand **kstarnes** ’s point, though. An actress’s appearance is usually highly relevant to her carrying out the job for which she’s been hired. I could understand the producers of a show not wanting to go through all the tired old baby-bump-concealment tricks. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-actress-is-pregnant-but-her-character-is-not/702247/67 "2014-10-28T17:00:28Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I think I understand **kstarnes** ’s point, though. An actress’s appearance is usually highly relevant to her carrying out the job for which she’s been hired. I could understand the producers of a show not wanting to go through all the tired old baby-bump-concealment tricks. There’s a hell of a lot of things that employers might not want to do that we tell them they have to do. Getting pregnant is not the same type of decision as getting a haircut that changes your appearance too much. It’s a basic life choice that shouldn’t be subject to an employer’s whims. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-actress-is-pregnant-but-her-character-is-not/702247/68 "2014-10-28T18:08:28Z")
It’s not a whim if it’s material to the job performance of the employee, and explicitly provided for in an employment contract. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-actress-is-pregnant-but-her-character-is-not/702247/69 "2014-10-28T19:11:57Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > It’s not a whim It depends on the situation. The words used were that they “didn’t want to” do it. That’s whim language. It’s different from saying “it can’t be done in any practical sense.” > [@](#): > > if it’s material to the job performance of the employee, That also depends on context. What is the nature of the production? Is it a three-camera sitcom that has the potential to go on for years, essentially covering an actor’s likely child-bearing years? These things have been accommodated frequently in the past. It doesn’t seem to me that “don’t want to” is an adequate response. Is it an action movie with a role like Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft or Scarlett Johanson as Black Widow? In that case you might have a better argument that accommodation is less reasonable — … but not necessarily, because feature film productions are frequently delayed for years at a time. It might not be unreasonable to accommodate a year’s delay. It depends on the circumstances. Also the use of better and better CGI might make it more plausible. On the other hand, is it a live song and dance Broadway show that has no guaranteed run? In that case, accommodation would seem to be a huge burden. The consideration must be context-dependent. Laying out a blanket rule that any entertainment business can just fire a woman for getting pregnant is a very backwards rule. > [@](#): > > and explicitly provided for in an employment contract. The law heavily regulates employment and employment contracts. Just because you wrote it down doesn’t mean you get to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-actress-is-pregnant-but-her-character-is-not/702247/70 "2014-10-29T04:19:18Z")
Bree Turner from _Grimm_ was out from action for a few episodes of Season 2 because she had a baby. The in-show explanation for the absence was that she went to care for a sick aunt. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2014, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-actress-is-pregnant-but-her-character-is-not/702247/71 "2014-10-29T23:56:08Z")
Sometimes, I actually wonder how often the actress isn’t pregnant when the character is visibly so. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2014, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-actress-is-pregnant-but-her-character-is-not/702247/72 "2014-10-30T12:02:01Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Sometimes, I actually wonder how often the actress isn’t pregnant when the character is visibly so. Almost always. If they still look like a skinny actress with a salad bowl under their shirt, it’s almost certainly a prosthetic. If people are getting up in arms about whether or not an actress gets in trouble for getting pregnant when her character isn’t scheduled for that, can you imagine how upset people would be if a studio told an actress to get pregnant because her character will be? Yikes almighty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-actress-is-pregnant-but-her-character-is-not/702247.md?page=3)