Betty White's Saucy Go-To Move When Co-Stars Forget Their Lines [Exclusive Video]
We went to "Hot in Cleveland's" Season 5 premiere table read to give you the behind-the-scenes scoop.
"Hot in Cleveland" is on fire as it revs up for its Season 5 premiere. And it's not just any premiere; it's the series' first live episode! Yahoo! TV was on set with the fab foursome — Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick, and Betty White — and the episode's big-time guest stars (William Shatner, Brian Baumgartner, who played Kevin on "The Office," and Danny Pudi, who plays Abed on "Community") as they sat down for the table read.
As you can see in our behind-the-scenes exclusive, this cast is tight-knit and ready for anything, but that camaraderie doesn't mean there aren't any nerves. "I've had butterflies now for a couple weeks just thinking about it," Bertinelli says. No worries, though! White's got a surefire best practice to overcome the "deer in the headlights" look an actor gets when forgetting a line: "I unbutton my blouse. Works every time."
[Related: What Does Betty White Eat for Lunch Every Day?]
From the sound of it, though, these lines will be hard to forget, because the script seems hilarious. One highlight is Pudi's villainous storyline: "When I lose business, I get angry. When I get angry, I burn things. When I burn things, I get happy. You don't want me to be happy, do you?" Pudi says in character.
Baumgartner's heroic character proves that size doesn't matter. "I'm the big guy who's nervous, and you're the little guy who's more bold," he says to Pudi. What's "The Office" alum's reaction to working on a televised live episode? "How often do you get the opportunity to do scripted television in a live format?" His and Pudi's answer: never.
[Related: 'Mary Tyler Moore Show' Ladies on 'Cleveland' Stint: 'We Don't Have to Fake It']
Shatner, on the other hand, is used to performing live in front of an audience: "Well, I've been on tour as a one-man show for the last couple years, actually. So appearing in front of an audience is welcome. The only troubling aspect of being live on TV is you can't forget a word." But White's not concerned about it. "Everybody's got everybody's back. If all of a suddenly something goes to hell in a handbasket, somebody jumps in," says the "Golden Girl" icon.
Did you miss White's takeover of Yahoo! TV's Instagram this week? If so, we'll forgive you, as long as you check out our favorite snapshots in the exclusive photo gallery below. Be sure to follow Yahoo! TV on Instagram!
Tune in to the live "Hot in Cleveland" Season 5 premiere Wednesday, 6/19 at 10 PM on TV Land, where Yahoo! TV will be tweeting from the audience and backstage.
