Things aren’t all sunshine and slow-motion rescues on the set of the new “Baywatch” reboot, shining a bright light on some the dangers brought on by SoCal’s homeless population.
Hassie Harrison and the “Baywatch” cast were on set filming a scene in Venice Tuesday that included a homeless man approaching Harrison’s character, Nat, with a knife.
The homeless actor, dressed in torn up clothes, held a massive knife while standing only inches from Harrison’s face.
Harrison, dressed in the show’s iconic bright red one-piece lifeguard swimsuit, is eventually saved by Stephen Amell’s character, Hobie, who rushed in to intervene.
The chiseled lifeguard engages in a fight with the homeless man, taking him down before paramedics jump in to help the fallen attacker.
The scene made it hard to tell where television drama ended and real-life issues at one of California’s most famous beaches began.
The dramatic sequence is a far cry from the sun-soaked image that made “Baywatch” a global hit, instead reflecting a complicated reality of modern-day Venice Beach.
Production on the reboot has been underway in Venice, bringing a new generation of lifeguards to the same stretch of sand that helped make the original series famous.
Venice Beach is famous for its lively boardwalk, Muscle Beach, street performers, and surf culture.
However, it has spent years grappling with homelessness, open drug use, and crime — issues that have sparked calls for crackdowns and larger police presences.
While city leaders have made efforts to improve conditions, the beach remains one of Los Angeles’ most visible examples of the challenges public spaces face.
For a show known for California’s beautiful coastline, the unsettling moment is a reminder of the realities Angelenos and tourists are met with daily.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
