Betty Gilpin Opens Up About ‘Office Romance’ Birthing Scene and the Prosthetic Vagina That Left Her Shaken

Betty Gilpin has shared unusual and very direct details about filming a birthing scene in the new romantic comedy Office Romance. The film stars Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein, and Gilpin plays the assistant to Lopez’s character.

She spoke about the experience at the Los Angeles premiere of the movie. According to Gilpin, the scene involved heavy prosthetics and a complicated setup that made the shoot feel very strange and uncomfortable at first.

She said, “Honestly, I was pretty freaked out when I first saw the prosthetic vagina.” She added, “I had a nervous breakdown and then I was like, ‘Oh, but I’ll be holding the ultimate working mom’s hand, Jennifer Lopez, so what could go wrong?’”

Gilpin described how the scene was filmed in a very technical way. She explained that her real legs were hidden under a table while fake prosthetic legs were used for the camera. She also said there was a puppeteer involved in the process who helped control an animatronic baby during the birthing moment.

She said, “My real legs were below a table, [I had] fake prosthetic legs, and then a puppeteer was standing at my real legs pushing an animatronic baby out of my prosthetic vagina, and it made it sound like [Gilpin makes a popping sound]…it was insane.”

She went on to describe how detailed and repetitive the process was during filming. After each take, the crew had to reset the entire setup manually. This included adjusting the prosthetics and resetting the animatronic baby for the next shot.

She explained, “The saddest part was when the scene was over and everybody but the puppeteers stayed in the room because the only way to reset was to go under and pull the fake placenta — I think the placenta is not in the movie anymore – but reach up through the prosthetic vagina that I am still zipped into, pull the placenta back and take the umbilical cord and pull it back and then pull the baby back through, and then it was time to do it again.”

Office Romance is a romantic comedy directed by Ol Parker and co-written by Brett Goldstein. Jennifer Lopez plays an airline CEO who falls in love with her company’s in-house lawyer, played by Goldstein. Gilpin’s role as the assistant adds another layer to the story’s workplace setting. The film also features actors including Edward James Olmos, Jodie Whittaker, Tony Hale, Bradley Whitford, Amy Sedaris, and Jackie Sandler. The movie is available on Netflix.

The information about Gilpin’s comments comes from her interview at the Los Angeles premiere of the film, where she spoke directly to reporters about her experience filming the scene.

Outside of Office Romance, Gilpin is also working on other major projects. She will appear in Social Reckoning, an upcoming film directed by Aaron Sorkin. This project is a sequel to The Social Network. In it, she plays an editor at the Wall Street Journal who works with reporter Jeff Horwitz, played by Jeremy Allen White, as they cover the Facebook whistleblower story involving Frances Haugen.

During discussions about that project, Gilpin also made light comments about the pressure of talking about big tech companies. She joked that she was careful with her words because of possible consequences. She said, “I’m scared to get a neck dart.” She then added a humorous line, “I love lamp.”

Gilpin’s recent interviews show a mix of honesty and humor as she talks about both challenging filming experiences and high-profile future roles.

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