Early Mornings

A soap opera star starts his day very early. Usually the star will report to his dressing room by 6:30 a.m. on days he's scheduled to work. A star won't work every weekday. Some weeks he might work every day and some weeks he might work one day, depending on the script and whether he has a light or heavy storyline. The soap star will be reviewing and memorizing his lines in his dressing room, eating a light breakfast and will report to the set for a dry rehearsal for actors around 7:00 a.m. The actors will go over basic blocking and script changes with the director, then head to hair and makeup. The star will start the hair/makeup duties until he is called to the set for camera rehearsal. Sometimes, he may be halfway through hair or makeup and will have to return to finish after rehearsal.

Rehearsal, Hair, Makeup and Wardrobe

The soap star will report to the set for camera rehearsal at around 9:00 a.m. A director will take the cast and cameramen through the scenes to be shot that day in each set. They probably won't rehearse their dialogue again unless it's tricky or new, si usually the rehearsal is for the camera, actor blocking and for special notes from the director. Depending on the director or the day, rehearsals can be tedious or lighthearted times for the soap cast. After rehearsal, the soap star makes the finishing rounds for hair and makeup and sometimes receives wardrobe, although he won't dress until after lunch. Hopefully he has memorized his dialogue, especially any new script changes. Sometimes he will visit the production office to pick up mail or fan letters.

After Lunch and Calling it a Day

After lunch, the star gets dressed in his wardrobe and reports to the set as taping of the days' scenes commences. This will take several hours of the afternoon. The taping has stops and starts, but is fast-paced and reckless in comparison to television or movie shoots. A soap star may have to do a pick-up shot or scene from a previous day's taping. The soap star is usually dismissed after taping, and will leave his wardrobe in his dressing room, sometimes choosing to go home in full makeup. Days are generally finished by 6:00 p.m. A soap star will usually be asleep by 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. because of the very early wakeup calls the next day.