The Proposal gave Betty White her fourth wind as she flourished in the years following the rom-com’s success. While Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds were the stars, it was White who had everyone in awe on the set. Of course, being around the television legend would do that to anyone. But it was her actions during the hilarious stripping scene that amazed one co-star.
The infamous scene featured Oscar Nunez’s Ramone doing a funny but cringe-worthy striptease to Bullock’s Margaret Tate. Of course, the Golden Girls star was a huge part of the scene even egging on the cringe inappropriateness. As fun as the final scene is, it was one of the harder ones to film, according to Nunez. Long hours and multiple takes caused morale to wain for the cast except for White. The Proposal co-star recalled to Yahoo! how Betty White’s behavior turned into a life lesson.
On my first day of shooting The Proposal, it was my strip dance scene. It was the most fun I had shooting a scene in a movie. And it was also a very long day. At the end of the day, we were still shooting that same scene, and we were all feeling very tired, but Betty White was the consummate professional who didn’t complain, who was positive and focused. She was ready to go again. And I thought, ’If Betty White, who is in her 80s, can do this with such grace, so can I. Part of me hated her because I really wanted to complain. I love you, Betty White.
As Nunez pointed out, White had more energy than her cast, who was less than half her age at the time. That stamina seemed to come from years of starring in iconic multi-cam sitcoms like Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls. Filming television required long hours on the set, so the Hot in Cleveland star was used to scenes taking time to film. In true Betty White fashion, she was able to keep up morale on The Proposal. Thankfully, her cheerful outlook helped to make an iconic scene from a beloved movie.
The Office alum was touched by White’s tenacity despite being in her 80s at the time. With any long shoot, the television legend wanted to go home, but she knew the sooner they finished the scene the higher her chances of making that happen. Sometimes you just grin and bear it, especially if your bed is calling your name. She was able to change Oscar Nunez’s mindset about completing the work without having an on-set meltdown.
Nunez was just the latest star to share a story about working with the belated TV icon. Of course, the world has continued to celebrate White as her documentary premiered on Jan. 17, which would’ve been her 100th birthday.
To see Betty White’s best scenes, including Nunez’s stripper moment, you can watch The Proposal on Prime Video.
