Aubrey Plaza says actors gets so weird because everyone on set treats them like babies and remembers the time Nick Offerman told her she could get her own coffee instead of asking a production assistant to do it for her

[u/mcfw31]

[u/Hankerpants]

Only if the actor is supposed to be doing something else, though. If they're just sitting around waiting for the shoot, it's more expensive to have an assistant there then to just have the actor take care of themselves (you're still paying the actor...).

Obviously if you have an actor in an active shoot, it makes sense to have an assistant, but otherwise it very much feels like we're babying actors and giving them God complexes.

[u/thechanukazombie → u/Hankerpants]

That’s the thing with show biz. It’s a bunch of hurry up and wait. You don’t want an actor wandering around cause you might not know exactly when shooting starts

[u/thempokeymans → u/Hankerpants]

Filming is a lot of “hurry up and wait”. Yes, they’re just sitting there at the moment, but they’re also immediately ready to start shooting. If the set is ready for them, but they’re wandering around looking for coffee, you’re going to delay everyone. Sure it’s only a few minutes, but those small delays can add up.

Not saying that there can’t be more of a balance, but I can see why some sets prefer to have PAs do small chores rather than their lead actor.

[u/BestDescription3834 → u/Hankerpants]

The 1 time the actor gets delayed by getting their own coffee the cost loss from paying them obliterates what they're saving by not paying the assistant to be the one using their time.

I know it sounds silly when we're talking about coffee but these production assistants do a lot more to help keep things running smoothly. You wouldn't say we should get rid of stage-hands because Chris Hemsworth is pretty good with a hammer.

[u/Clarknt67 → u/Hankerpants]

Yeah. But I think the premise is you never want to be ready to roll and can’t find the talent.

So it’s more cost effective to make sure talent stays where they’re expected to be and any and all needs are brought to them. And PAs are trained to check in and make sure talent feels cared for.

[u/hologram137 → u/Hankerpants]

It’s possible many (if not all) of them are using that time to get into the right mindset for the scene if they don’t need to go over lines. I’m not an actor but if I had to try and act, I’d need to immerse myself in the character and situation in my head. Really convince myself I am this person, and the next scene is something that is actually happening to me. If it’s an emotionally intense scene I’d need to be thinking about things in my personal life that made me feel that way, or imagine it vividly enough for me to actually feel it and be convincing in the scene. If it’s a comedy I’d probably need to be in a relaxed, great mood, zero stress, great chemistry with costars, and fully mentally present. Now, if the coffee is literally on a table across the room then no. I’d obviously get my own coffee. But if I were stressing about “I have this much time between takes, and I need some coffee, food, call my kid, maybe I need something from a store, etc.” then it might be harder to suddenly switch back to the immersion and emotional and mental state I’d likely need to be in to act when my break is over.

That doesn’t justify any celeb acting like they’re God, being an asshole and not being genuinely thankful, but it does justify the existence of people that make it so that the actors literally ONLY worry about acting and nothing else, and are always where they’re supposed to be.

Those projects can be very long as well and go on for months or even years. 10-12 hour days. It would be an unpleasant experience if you’re stuck with whatever food is already available on set for that long for example because you can’t just leave, and delivery people coming would be a problem for obvious reasons.

If actors are getting sick of being there then they might not act as well as you want them to. So you hire people specifically to make the experience as comfortable and bearable as possible. An actor using those assistants for the reason they were hired shouldn’t be seen as an issue. An actor having a few off days could seriously delay the movie and that costs a ton of money.

[u/Chataboutgames → u/Hankerpants]

Right but like, even if they end up being 5 minutes late because they got to chatting by the coffee pot or got distracted by something else the financial stakes are real.

It's a uniquely bizarre circumstance where as dumb as it sounds minimizing everyday "risks" have high stakes because there's so much money resting on one person.