The show must go on, as the old adage goes, and the entertainment industry has had to install a raft of new procedures to be able to get back to work. From draconian disinfecting protocols to entire casts and crews forming "quarantine bubbles" together, Hollywood has had to get even more creative than usual.
But one procedure on the set of The CW's teen soap Riverdale seems unique: Before any make-out scenes on the show, the stars swish with mouthwash, apparently to kill any virus that may be lurking in their mouths.
Riverdale's K.J. Apa posted a video to his Instagram this week of him and co-star Camila Mendes performing the procedure.
In his caption, Apa described what has become an everyday occurrence on the set of the show.
"[O]ur new normal is washing our mouths before every take of a make-out scene..."
In the video, Apa and Mendes shared a toast with their little cups and then began swishing as a production staffer timed them.
The staffer gave them time markers as they go―30 seconds, then 10 seconds remaining and then, finally, the finish line at a full 60 seconds of swishing. The stars then spit their mouthwash into a bag.
And it didn't appear to be particularly easy! After all, true antibacterial mouthwash, which is presumably what they used, burns pretty intensely. So it only makes sense that Apa and Mendes went from jokingly trying to chat using only a series of grunts, to struggling not to laugh and spit out their mouthwash. Talk about dedication to your craft!
On social media, people were more focused on the questions this procedure brought up. Shouldn't mouthwash before a make-out scene already be the standard?
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But some were left wondering how this can possibly be keeping anyone safe. After all, the virus lives in far more places than mouths, right?
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For some fans, though, none of that mattered. They were just glad that Apa and Mendes' chemistry didn't seem to suffer, despite the awkward and lengthy swishing.
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Whether it works or not, perhaps Hollywood should change the old saying to "lights, camera, mouthwash, action." You can't be too careful these days!
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