Katy O’Brian is known for her commanding screen presence, having fought her way through the post-apocalyptic world of The Walking Dead and held her own in action-heavy films like Love Lies Bleeding. However, when it came to a simple task on the set of her new romantic comedy, Maintenance Required, the star admitted to feeling intense, almost paralyzing fear, not of the cameras, but of permanently injuring her co-workers.
In a candid conversation with host Gayety alongside co-star Matteo Lane, O’Brian revealed she was deeply paranoid about accidentally blinding someone while practicing welding for the film.
Welding on Set: A Sight for Sore Eyes – Literally
The topic came up while discussing the mechanics and car jokes central to the plot of Maintenance Required. The three quickly joked about the common stereotype that queer men, like Matteo Lane, are not typically skilled mechanics. “I guess as a true homosexual man, the stereotype is like we are just racing down the streets with an ice coffee and I don’t even have a car,” Lane quipped. O’Brian added her own dry humor, noting, “I don’t know that if you’re walking that fast, why you even have to get into one.”
The conversation quickly shifted to what O’Brian learned about mechanics on set, specifically the complex, dangerous process of welding. Lane impressively recounted some of the key safety details O’Brian had shared previously on set including: the extreme brightness requiring a special mask, the need for additional eye protection, and the fact that hot sparks can remain on the floor for up to 12 hours, necessitating a dedicated safety person with a fire extinguisher.
O’Brian confirmed most of Lane’s account was accurate but added a crucial detail about the safety gear. She explained that a proper welding mask is designed to be completely too dark until the actual arc-welding light begins. This is because looking at the light directly can cause permanent damage, emphasizing, “you can go blind looking at the light.”
The Pressure to Protect the Crew
It was this realization of the risk of blindness that caused O’Brian serious anxiety on set. Despite the safety measures in place, the actress felt a deep personal responsibility for the well-being of the crew and her fellow actors.
“I don’t understand how people successfully weld anything, given how blind I was,” O’Brian admitted, referring to the difficulty of seeing anything even with the mask down. Her own difficulty seeing combined with the knowledge of the light’s danger heightened her anxiety about the people around her.
She confessed to giving strict, urgent warnings to everyone nearby. “I was so paranoid that everyone else was going to go blind. I was like, ‘Everyone stop looking over! You look only in the camera! Do not look at me!'”
O’Brian’s fear was rooted in a deep sense of personal consequence. She was focused on the potential lifelong impact of an accident, stating that if “anyone goes blind, I’m going to just ruin my life.” She emphasized the emotional toll an injury would take on her, even if it wasn’t her fault. “I’ll take it so personally, yes. I would be so upset that you went blind.”
Ultimately, the star, who is comfortable with staged fights and elaborate choreography, found her biggest on-set challenge to be an everyday mechanical task due to her profound concern for others’ safety. “I was so nervous that I would injure someone. I’m always nervous about that,” she concluded.
Maintenance Required is now steaming on Prime Video.
