20 Things You Somehow Missed In The Truman Show
19. Cast Member Time Off Is Worked Into The Plot
It goes without saying that working as a cast member on The Truman Show isn't like a regular acting job, because Truman's life doesn't have lengthy downtime between seasons or even mid-season breaks.
And so, the writers have to contrive reasons for the supporting cast to temporarily exit the show in order to have their own vacations away from work.
This is slyly illustrated during Truman and Marlon's (Noah Emmerich) heartfelt mid-film hang-out, where they mention Marlon staying up all night in Truman's tent as a child, getting pneumonia, and being out of school for around a month.
This was clearly a way for Louis, the actor who plays Marlon, to have some much-needed time off as a kid, and it's pretty safe to assume similar protocols are followed for the other adult actors.
It certainly becomes trickier where Truman's wife Meryl (Laura Linney) is concerned, though, given her intimate proximity to Truman.
One would have to guess she signed a decidedly more committed agreement with the producers, and was paid far more handsomely in return.