14 DAY TRIAL // As headlines with the swine flu continue to become increasingly worrying, yet another large segment of the Mexican industry is slowly bowing down to the disease. Writers, producers and actors are advised to limit contact with other people as much as possible in all telenovelas, one of the most famous Mexican products, Terra informs.
Televisa, the single largest telenovela channel in the country, which also produces most of them, is reportedly asking writers to limit the number of kisses and hand touches per episode to as few as possible, meaning just the number it takes to convey the right message. This comes in a context in which the stars are already afraid for their health, with some of them even expressing concerns about coming to work in the first place.
“They are taking all the right precautions not to have the actors greet each other with a handshake or a kiss. So far, there has been no case of swine flu on set.” a spokesperson for Televisa says for Terra. Limiting the number of physical contacts – including here the all too famous kissing scenes so characteristic of Mexican telenovelas – is meant to ensure that, should someone be diagnosed with the disease, it won’t spread even further, the Spanish-language publication explains.
As it happens, the production of telenovelas has not been the only one affected by the swine flu outbreak – speaking strictly from the movie/television industry perspective, of course. Just a couple of days ago, 20th Century Fox was forced to postpone the release of this summer’s first blockbuster, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” because it could not afford to have members of the cast and the crew fly all the way to Mexico and be exposed.
“We were not only concerned about Hugh [Jackman]’s welfare – and we would never send anyone into harm’s way – but we also have an enormous office filled with people we care about. There was no point in proceeding under the current conditions.” a spokesperson for Fox announced, just two days before the scheduled premiere. The release has been pushed back indefinitely, with Fox and all the major Mexican distributors waiting for governmental clearance before proceeding.