Actors are incredibly brave. They practice their craft on stage, refining the art of revealing themselves with someone else's words but their own emotions. That bravery is needed for anyone who heads to Los Angeles to try to get into motion pictures. The casting directors there are looking for charisma, and a pretty face, and a standout delivery, but most of all they're looking for bravery. For those actors they cast won't just be sharing the screen with an imposing and intimidating seven-figure star. They won't just be subject to the whispers of the crew and the jealousy of the aspiring extras. They will also be regularly attacked by deadly cannonball tarantulas. Cannonball tarantulas live in palm trees and rooftops, hiding in shadows, springing on birds and rats and child stars. Human blood is their favorite prey. They hurl themselves off from warehouse ceilings lights and overpasses onto film sets, drawn by the glow of lights. It's the job of a crew member to snatch them out of the air with special tongs before they fall on Paul Giamatti or Kate Winslet and masticate their insured faces off. That person is called the key grip. You can see cannonball tarantulas on screen if you look hard: they're commonly mistaken as boom mikes dropping in from the top of the frame.

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