Getting Fired for Acting?

I am watching Breaking Bad for the first time. I am on about season 3 and there is this prostitute that was giving blowjobs to many different, professional looking males. I was wondering if any of you have any experience or knowledge of people getting fired from their "real" jobs because they were an extra in a scene where they received a blowjob from a prostitute who was using the money for her crystal meth.

This question stems because I am just getting into making videos, and I am very hesitant acting in them because if my HR department ever found out, I am afraid I would be fired. Do you think this is a valid concern? I work at a company that struggled to maintain a positive public image.
 
I've heard of people getting fired for being in... certain kinds of films. But that's not really what you're talking about.

I'd say there's no one answer - it's going to depend too much on your particular circumstances. What is the film, what is the role, how 'controversial' is the scene, how recognizable are you, how widely is the film disseminated and publicized, how closely related is it to issues the company has faced with their image in the past, etc. If it's that serious a concern for you I'd talk to someone in HR and get a better feel for what their concerns would be.
 
yes it happens. teachers get fired just for having a racey picture in a bathing suit on their Facebook. it depends on what field you work in
 
yes it happens. teachers get fired just for having a racey picture in a bathing suit on their Facebook. it depends on what field you work in

I think this is a bit different than that, though. The racy photo on Facebook is them not thinking and being an idiot posting racy things online, whereas having a role in a professional production is a bit less racy, I would think? (Professional, if it is actually is a reputable company shooting the video, like Breaking Bad & AMC. A porno? Probably not.)

I really can't imagine anyone has been fired from their day job for being an extra in a fake scene on TV. Not unless they're driving the company car and wearing a company T-shirt whilst doing it. I'd actually think you'd have a pretty firm case in court for wrongful termination if they did.

There's a line between 'Being an extra and getting blown on Breaking Bad' and there being a random video of you actually being blown by a meth addict, you know? That's two separate worlds.

Unless the videos you want to act in involve some pretty racy sexual stuff, or something really offensive or racist, I can't imagine they'd fire you over it. Though, if the content even raises the 'Should I do this?' flag, then the answer may be no.

Ask your HR department - be open with them about it - that'll sort out any issues before they even arise.
 
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There are reputable NC-17 movies, like blue valentine.
There are also plenty of reputable actress that take off their shirt on camera.

What if it's a teacher 'pretending' to be a crackwhore giving blow job? Even if it's reputable, it's not something parents will be able happy about. It's definitely something that could endanger certain types of jobs.

I'm just saying.. tread carefully.
My sister-in-law is a teacher. I didn't want to include her in one of my videos because there was 'drug' use going on and girls dancing in bikinis.

Why ask her for a favor that could screw up her life ?
 
What if it's a teacher 'pretending' to be a crackwhore giving blow job? Even if it's reputable, it's not something parents will be able happy about. It's definitely something that could endanger certain types of jobs.

I'd agree with that. I think that's fairly specific to the teaching profession, though, or at least, a profession that involves you interacting with children. I'd think a regular 9-5 job would probably have less of an issue with someone acting in a reputable film, though.

Maybe at the end of the day, it's entirely situational, depending on your job and what you'd be doing on camera.
 
I'd agree with that. I think that's fairly specific to the teaching profession, though, or at least, a profession that involves you interacting with children. I'd think a regular 9-5 job would probably have less of an issue with someone acting in a reputable film, though.

Maybe at the end of the day, it's entirely situational, depending on your job and what you'd be doing on camera.

Yes I don't think most companies would mind.
Then again most companies don't "struggle to maintain a positive public image."
 
No experience. Just chiming in anyway.

Passing it by your HR department seems like a sensible thing to do. Though it may also be easier said than done. If you were leery of calling attention to yourself by doing so, I would be empathetic. Even if you were leery of doing so, you may just have to buck up and do it anyway, though.

It doesn't sound like you're a teacher. But if you were, yeah, I would also guess that you'd want to proceed with mucho caution.

Maybe acting in your films is something you just really want to do. Or maybe you can't afford or find other actors. But, is just using actors other than yourself an option?

I'm not familiar with the laws regarding "wrongful termination" or with how they play out in the courts of the real world. But as a not very knowledgable person I have a few questions or thoughts.

One would be: I don't suppose that actors who perform in films with mature content, as a group, are considered a "protected class."

Another: if your company is very keen to protect their image, then they may in fact care (very much) what their employees get up to in their personal lives. Notice how I didn't refer to their lives outside of work as "private?"

And: your very sensitive company may have a code of conduct. Check your Employee Manual, if there is such a thing. And that might be another good argument for, in any case, passing it by HR, like IDOM and BF1225 suggested.

It's funny. I have worked for the company I'm working for now for a little over a decade. I've always remembered something the orientation person said. He/She said something like, the company couldn't care less about what you do in your personal lives. And yes, he/she may have actually said your "private" lives.

Anyway, I'm sure it was then, and I'm certainly sure it is now the case that that statement was bunk, or at least far from being entirely true.

Actually, I can think of a real world example (nothing to do with the filmmaking world, though). It's not like I somehow had this substantiated or corroborated. But I also have little (really no) reason to doubt its veracity. I overheard a supervisor/manager (I'm not certain what his/her title is precisely) saying something like, 'Hey, did you hear about So-And-So? Yeah, He/She posted a comment on Facebook that the company did not like. They demoted him from such-and-such position to such-and-such position for it.'

One more thought. The recent Hobby Lobby decision. I've heard in the news that it may have opened a can of worms, a slippery slope. Just wondering, if there's any truth to that, how much, if at all, the consequences of that decision might muddy the waters for matters such as these.
 
I am watching Breaking Bad for the first time. I am on about season 3 and there is this prostitute that was giving blowjobs to many different, professional looking males. I was wondering if any of you have any experience or knowledge of people getting fired from their "real" jobs because they were an extra in a scene where they received a blowjob from a prostitute who was using the money for her crystal meth.
You know, of course, that neither the "prostitute" or the many different,
professional looking males were giving or receiving blow jobs.

This question stems because I am just getting into making videos, and I am very hesitant acting in them because if my HR department ever found out, I am afraid I would be fired. Do you think this is a valid concern? I work at a company that struggled to maintain a positive public image.
It's very simple; do not take an extra or acting job that you feel may cause
concern. You can (for example) take a job as a patron in a restaurant having
breakfast. Or be in an airport scene walking to catch a plane. Do not take a
job of a prostitute or a professional looking male getting a blow job.
 
Based upon the kind of responses I received, maybe this topic should have been posted in the law section :D. I am a recent graduate from college and my marketing professor told our class that business professionals "are not allowed to have an opinion." He was talking about people getting fired for taking a political stance on Facebook and being fired for it. That kind of thing lines up with what some of you guys were saying. Because of this, I have more or less stopped all social networking websites and I am very careful of what I put on those sites.

Because of this, I am also weary about being fired for acting in a drama. Perhaps my example was too overboard because I am not thinking about actually acting in a scene where I receive a sexual act. That was just the scene that sparked my interest in this topic. My interest is actually directing with less of a focus on acting, but if I can't find any actors I will of course be in the video. I do live in an "At Will" state and I am familiar with those laws.

Even if I wanted to make a satire video about the government I do not think I would want to appear it in. It goes with the same thing about Facebook. If I am not allowed to have an opinion on Facebook, why would I be allowed to have an opinion in other mediums? My first video I am planning to make is a sort of satire on drug commercials. As such, it could offend people with those conditions that the video is addressing. This is not very sexual at all, but again, I am expressing an opinion that I am not suppose to have.

I do feel comfortable with my HR and will definitely take your advice about having a discussion about it. I am interested in knowing what "Extras" jobs normally are. In the instance of receiving a blowjob from a prostitute on the number one show, even if he didn't get fired I am sure he would be nicknamed the "blowjob guy" with everyone at work. With as many people who watch Breaking Bad, there is no way that someone wouldn't recognize them at a small or large company.

However, this could be a two-edged sword for my company. My company, as with many companies, struggle to maintain a positive public image. If they fire me acting in a role for a show, the story could get out on the media which would reflect very negatively on the company.
 
I warned the HR department, sent them the footage and had the discussion beforehand. The way I did this was in phases: Initially warm them up a little and eventually lead up to footage involving swearing, violence and elements which would have been unacceptable.

My boss has footage of me performing a violent act in a music video (which I directed).

My rationale is that if I warn everyone upfront in a controlled, phased way then everything generally works itself out.
 
It depends on the work place and type of business they conduct. There are some where it could jeopardize your working future with them, most aren't like that. It often does depend on how important image is to your position, level of responsibility and company. Some companies are more encouraging of activities outside work than others.

Talk with HR.
 
I was wondering if any of you have any experience or knowledge of people getting fired from their "real" jobs because they were an extra in a scene where they received a blowjob from a prostitute who was using the money for her crystal meth.

That's a pretty specific scenario :lol:

A story from an exploitation/comedy film we shot a while back - During early production, we shot some scenes, with Ron Jeremy making an appearance as a fictional character. That was the highlight of the shoot, for everyone. Cast & crew photos with him afterwards, great time had by all.

Fast-forward a few months, and we hired a well-known female, retired from the same biz as Ron, to make an appearance. Well, good lord - did people flip out, or what! One of our producers quit on the spot. Wanted nothing to do with her. One of our leads quit, too, after his friends were teasing him that maybe he was doing porn. Another actor quit, on the advice of his agent, that it would reflect poorly on him. The crazy part was, every single one of them could name a half-dozen films the lady had done. :bag:

People get hung up on the weirdest things... but maybe they're just looking out for their reputations? I dunno.
 
Ah, yes I forgot to add a "similar" experience haha.

That's a real interesting story, basically on the flip side of what I was talking about. I never would think people would quit because of that, but I guess I can understand the negative connotation that porn has mixing with film.
 
These days, big businesses have employees sign a code of conduct agreement. See if there is a clause about being on film away from the job in suggestive sexual situations.

Corporate image is important. So, read carefully before looking for such jobs. Even then, think of yourself as the decision maker who discovered you employee was in such a video. What would you do?
 
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