Why do actors not want production to yell cut when they are laughing/fumbling their lines?

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When I watch blooper reels of TV shows, if an actor keeps dropping a prop or messing up a line, and is laughing, they all say something to the effect: “Don’t cut!! Keep rolling!! Don’t cut!! I’ll get it right.” Why do they care so much about this? I can only assume it adds a lot more time to their day if they keep having to “cut” and restart…. But why?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Most movies are filmed digitally now. There’s no “film” to waste so unless there is a lot of action and moving parts in the set, often it’s better for the actor to just recompose themselves and start over without interrupting the recording. They can easily edit it later. Working through the laughs/goofs can help them relax more in the scene too, and regain their composure. (Edit: and not cutting/resetting for small errors may help with continuity, like mugs not switching hands or hair being tucked behind a different ear)

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