Participating in the filming of a series or movie is hard work since celebrities have to get into the skin of their characters to achieve an authentic interpretation. But that doesn’t mean that actors don’t have real lives behind the scenes. Sometimes, actresses decide to become mothers and already have contracts with production companies. This presents a challenge for them, because of their pregnancy, and for the filmmakers who have to decide whether to incorporate the belly into the plot or simply let the actress cover her belly.
Bright Side made a list of 11 celebrities who played during pregnancy (some of them had to hide their belly) and is revealing what these kids that made things complicated for their mothers and producers look like today.
1. Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Seinfeld
During the shooting of the third season of the popular sitcom, Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus became pregnant with her first child, Henry Hall. Baby Henry was born in July of 1992. However, the actress’s pregnancy was never really a problem for the producers of the series. The simple solution writers came up with was to put her character, Elaine, in baggy clothes and any large garments to hide her belly. Henry is currently 29 years old.
2. Claire Danes in Homeland
You probably know actress Claire Danes because of the amazing performance she delivered as the CIA agent, Carrie Mathison, in the television series, Homeland. However, what’s not often talked about is the fact that she was 8 months pregnant when she completed the filming of the second season. Her pregnancy could not be introduced in the plot due to her character, so they decided to use digital retouching to hide her belly. Her son, Cyrus, was born in December 2012, and he’s now 9 years old.
3. Ellen Pompeo in Grey’s Anatomy
During the filming of the sixth season of one of the most popular drama series ever created, Grey’s Anatomy, producers decided to hide Ellen Pompeo’s pregnancy from the cameras. This was done because, for the writers, this was not the right time for her character, Dr. Meredith, to have a baby, and they wanted to keep that for a later moment. In September 2009, Stella Luna, now 12 years old, was born.
4. Zooey Deschanel in New Girl
Zooey Deschanel was 7 months pregnant when season 5 of the hit series, New Girl,was shot. As you probably remember, the actress had to be momentarily replaced by Megan Fox since producers were only able to hide her belly for no more than a few episodes. Deschanel also had to stay off the series until she returned from postpartum rest. Zooey gave birth to her daughter, Elsie, in August 2015, and today the little girl is 5 years old.
5. Holly Marie Combs in Charmed
Holly Marie Combs, who plays Piper, one of the main characters of the series, Charmed, announced during the shooting of the sixth season that she was pregnant. The producers thought it was better to hide her pregnancy at first. However, after a while, they decided that it was better for her character to actually have a child in the story as well. Apparently, Piper’s pregnancy was planned before the actress knew she was expecting a baby, so that came in handy. Combs gave birth to her first child, Finley Arthur, in 2004, and he’s now 17 years old.
6. Amaia Salamanca in Velvet
Amaia Salamanca’s pregnancy was well-planned when she rejoined the set of Velvet, a show about the compelling Spanish story of a fashion house in Madrid in the late ’50s. Because of this, production had no choice but to make Barbara, her character, pregnant as well. At the age of 28, she gave birth to her first child, a girl named Olivia Varo, in April 2014.
7. Kerry Washington in Scandal
Kerry Washington’s pregnancy happened right in the middle of the shooting of the series, Scandal, in which she played the main character. This unforeseen event forced producers to reduce the number of episodes to hide the actress’s pregnancy that couldn’t fit the schedule of the series. Currently, her daughter, Isabelle, is 7 years old.
8. Kristen Bell in House of Lies
The star of the House of Lies TV series, Kristen Bell, was about 6 months pregnant with her first daughter when the second season of the show was about to be shot. In order to actually film some episodes, the producers had to hire a body double for the scenes in which Bell would have had to show her belly. Her first daughter, Lincoln Bell, is now 8 years old.
9. Cobie Smulders in How I Met Your Mother
Actress Cobie Smulders brought her character, Robin, to millions of small screens thanks to the sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. After fellow actress Alyson Hannigan told the show-runners that she was pregnant, Cobie Smulders discovered that she was also pregnant and told the producers who had to camouflage both of their pregnancies. To disguise Smulders’ belly, producers asked the costume designers to use garments and objects that could hide her abdomen, and they had the character remain seated for most of the scenes that she appeared in. In May 2009, the actress gave birth to her daughter, Shaelyn.
10. Madonna in Evita
Madonna, also known as the Queen of Pop, made the controversial 1996 film in which she played the wife of Argentinian dictator Juan Domingo Perón, Eva Perón. However, Madonna was pregnant with her daughter, Lourdes Leon, back then. It was because of this that the crew of Evita cleverly used costumes and camera shots so that it was not noticeable that Madonna was pregnant with her eldest daughter who is now 24 years old.
11. Lisa Kudrow in Friends
When Lisa Kudrow played Phoebe Buffay on one of the most famous sitcoms, Friends, she became pregnant. This was right about when they started filming the fourth season. The producers decided to include her pregnancy in the story by having Phoebe lend her womb to her brother to conceive triplets because he and his wife couldn’t have kids on their own. Today, her only son, Julian, is 23 years old.
What is your favorite family series? What do you think of women who work while pregnant?
Preview photo credit Friends / Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, and, co-producer, lisakudrow / Instagram
Meg Ryan Drops the Hammer: Kicks Meghan Markle Out of Festival Over Shocking Drug Claims
The 2024 Sarajevo Film Festival was meant to be a big moment for Meghan Markle. It was her chance to come back into the spotlight after years of staying away from the public eye. This time away came after her dramatic exit from the British royal family.
Meghan Markle was invited as a special guest to the 2024 Sarajevo Film Festival. She was set to introduce a documentary she produced, hoping to revive her fading fame in Hollywood. However, the night took a surprising turn. Before she could walk the red carpet, security guards removed her from the event, shocking everyone. The crowd gasped as the former actress was escorted out.
The incident was shown live on TV and quickly became a major topic in Hollywood. Supporters of Meghan called the event disrespectful, while critics claimed it showed that Hollywood had turned its back on her.
So, what caused this situation? Meghan’s popularity has decreased in recent years. Her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, where she made serious allegations against the British royal family, stirred up a lot of controversy. While some felt sympathy for her, others thought she was being opportunistic and ungrateful. Her later projects, like the Spotify podcast with Prince Harry, didn’t get much attention either.
Hollywood insiders have said that Meghan’s relationships with important people in the industry have worsened. She hoped her royal background would help her career, but many now see her as more trouble than she’s worth. One film executive anonymously said, “There’s a sense that Meghan is more hassle than she’s worth. She brings a lot of baggage, and studios prefer less drama.”
Meghan Markle’s invitation to the Sarajevo Film Festival was seen as her last chance to regain public attention. She planned to showcase her documentary about the refugee crisis, a project that could help improve her image. However, things went wrong as soon as Meghan arrived. Sources say she made several demanding requests, such as a private jet, a luxury hotel suite, and a team of personal assistants.
One festival representative said, “It was just too much for us to accommodate.” Tensions rose on the red carpet when security guards surrounded Meghan, leading her away from the event. Witnesses reported that she was visibly upset, shouting, “You can’t do this to me! I’m the Duchess of Sussex!” Unfortunately, her protests didn’t help.
The fallout from this incident has been significant. Festival organizers released a short statement saying security concerns were the reason for Meghan’s removal, but they didn’t give more details. This event has caused controversy, with some people accusing Hollywood’s elite of trying to humiliate her.
Many people believe that the way Meghan was treated at the festival was a clear attempt to publicly shame her. One royal commentator said, “This was a way to knock her down a peg.” Others think that Meghan’s behavior and her security demands made her presence difficult to manage. A film critic mentioned, “They had to do what they had to do to keep everyone safe. Meghan brought this on herself with her outrageous requests.”
The aftermath has been tough for Meghan. The incident quickly went viral, with many memes and jokes appearing on social media. Late-night TV hosts have also made fun of the situation, and even some of Meghan’s former Hollywood friends have distanced themselves from her. This event has reinforced the idea that Meghan is not welcome in Hollywood. With her reputation damaged and her celebrity status declining, she faces a challenging path if she wants to regain her place in the industry. One industry insider said, “Meghan wanted a big comeback, but instead, she got the ultimate humiliation. Hollywood has spoken, and the message is clear: they don’t want her here.” It remains to be seen if Meghan can make a comeback, but for now, she finds herself struggling in a town where she once hoped to rebuild her life.
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