10 Times TV Shows Got Too Real

You just never know when an outtake is going to save someone from prison (or worse).

NCIS New Orleans
CBS

Despite a lot of what we see on television in this day and age being largely made-up or heightened in comparison to what we consider normal life, it's important to remember that there are still real people involved in the process. So, there's always a chance that genuine lives, either on-set or watching at home, can be altered for better or worse by the shooting of your favourite hit TV show.

Now, we're not just talking about an actor winning an Emmy for their work on a programme and subsequently going on to become a household name. No, instead we're focusing on those times when actors have lost jobs due to real life issues out of their control, audiences have been terrified by what they thought were legitimate paranormal events and freak accidents have nearly cost humans their lives on-set. We'll even touch upon the time when a seemingly useless outtake saved an individual from prison (and possibly even death).

Sure, television is a welcome escape for most average folks who want to switch off from the sometimes soul-crushing reality of the world outside. But, the guys and gals involved in these particular moments weren't afforded this same luxury when TV shows simply got too real.

10. The People V. O.J. Simpson - Sarah Paulson Gets A Little Too Attached To Cigarettes

NCIS New Orleans
FX

Different actors find different ways of getting into a character's mind-set. Some spend an entire shoot immersed in character, speaking and carrying themselves like the person they're charged with portraying on screen. Others simply find a few things which help them get into that individual's shoes and go from there.

Sarah Paulson found herself in the second group when it came to playing Marcia Clark in The People V. O.J. Simpson, as the actor decided she would take up smoking for the shoot, with Clark being known as something of a chain-smoker in real life.

However, this dedication to authentically bringing Clark to life through inhaling smoke from the ciggies for real soon led to the actor developing a genuine craving for a smoke whilst filming.

Whilst talking to Stephen Colbert about the role and her decision to smoke as Clark, Paulson admitted:

"When we first started I was coughing a lot, eventually I started to be like … I was ready for a smoke. I was like, ‘Hey, hey!’ It got me a little crazy for the ciggies. I also smoke in American Horror Story and I was shooting them at the same time so it was a real situation."

In the end, her decision to embrace Clark's smoking habit helped the actor secure an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. Let's just hope she found a way to put down the packet once her time on set was up.

Contributor
Contributor

Lifts rubber and metal. Watches people flip in spandex and pretends to be other individuals from time to time...