When the cameras roll and the sparks fly on screen, audiences often imagine that the chemistry between actors translates into genuine romance. However, for many performers, locking lips with a co-star can be less about passion and more about… well, awkwardness. From the lingering scent of garlic to the discomfort of kissing someone who feels like family, these actors have revealed that onscreen kisses aren’t always the dreamy affairs they appear to be.
Here’s a look at 19 actors who found kissing their co-stars to be a far cry from romantic.
Childhood Friends and Awkward Kisses
For actors who have known each other since childhood, sharing an onscreen kiss can feel incredibly strange. The bond forged through years of friendship can make the transition to romantic intimacy on camera a significant hurdle.
- Rupert Grint and Emma Watson (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2)
- Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who grew up together playing Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, found their first kiss in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 to be a particularly challenging scene.
- Rupert confessed to Attitude Magazine that it felt “unnatural” to kiss Emma, whom he’d known since she was just nine years old. He described it as a process of “putting our friendship aside” to get the scene done.
- Emma echoed his sentiments, admitting to The Huffington Post that the experience was “like **.” She added, “We both wanted it to be over equally as much as the other. He’s like my brother.”
The “Sibling” Kiss and Uncomfortable Dynamics
Sometimes, the issue isn’t just friendship; it’s a feeling of familial connection that makes a kiss deeply uncomfortable.
Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie (The Good Shepherd)
- Matt Damon admitted that kissing Angelina Jolie in The Good Shepherd was “really awkward, and generally awful” because they were old friends, making it feel like kissing a sister.
- Adding another layer of awkwardness, Angelina was dating Damon’s close friend, Brad Pitt, at the time.
- Angelina, however, downplayed the situation, telling ABC News that their partners were unbothered, as they understood the professional nature of the scene.
Kirsten Dunst and Brad Pitt (Interview with the Vampire)
- Kirsten Dunst, who was only 11 when she filmed Interview with the Vampire alongside a 29-year-old Brad Pitt, described the kissing scene as “gross.”
- She told Entertainment Tonight that Brad felt like an older brother on set, making the kiss feel peculiar and uncomfortable. “It’s weird, ‘cause like, he’s an older guy, and I had to kiss him on the lips, so it was gross,” she explained.
Ashley Tisdale and Zac Efron (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody)
- Ashley Tisdale considered Zac Efron her worst onscreen kiss, citing their close, sibling-like friendship.
- She told ELLE that Zac, coming from a different network background, tried to use tongue during the kiss. “I had to kiss Zac Efron on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and it’s the worst because I am so close to him and he’s like my brother,” she revealed. “And so he like, he tried kissing me with his tongue, and I was like, get away from me! I closed my mouth so fast. I was like, ‘This is Disney Channel, we don’t kiss like that on Disney Channel!'”
The “Bad Breath” Blues and Dietary Disasters
Sometimes, the reason for a bad onscreen kiss has nothing to do with the actor’s personality and everything to do with their pre-scene snack choices.
Dane Cook and Kate Hudson (My Best Friend’s Girl)
- Dane Cook labelled Kate Hudson as his worst onscreen kiss. He joked on Watch What Happens Live that he suspected she deliberately ate a large, onion-filled meal before their scene, suggesting, “I think she purposely ate like a feast of onions before our scene. I had to burn her on that one!”
- Kate Hudson later playfully brushed off the comment, calling him “canceled.”
Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey (How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Fool’s Gold)
- Kate Hudson has a recurring theme with uncomfortable kisses, and Matthew McConaughey is another co-star who made the list. She told Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop podcast that their kisses were often marred by unexpected elements.
- “The thing is, every time I kiss McConaughey, it’s like, I mean, it’s like there’s just something happening, and there’s snot or wind, or things are just…like when we were kissing in the end of Fool’s Gold, we’re in the ocean; we, like, had the plane crash,” she recounted with a laugh. “He just had snot all over his face.” She also noted their dynamic could feel “a little sibling-y.”
Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother)
- Alyson Hannigan famously described kissing Jason Segel on How I Met Your Mother as akin to “kissing an ashtray” due to his smoking habit.
- She shared that despite Jason’s efforts with gum and mints, the smell was still overpowering. She even attempted a bet with him, offering $10 for every cigarette he avoided, which temporarily worked for about a year before stress led him back to smoking.
Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgård (Big Little Lies)
- Nicole Kidman had a rather pungent reason for disliking her kissing scenes with Alexander Skarsgård in Big Little Lies. She revealed on the Las Culturistas podcast that Skarsgård ate a falafel sandwich right before they were scheduled to film intimate scenes.
- “When Alexander Skarsgård ate a falafel sandwich before we did the scenes in Big Little Lies, I’m like, ‘No, no, no, Alex. I’m meant to be into you and kissing you — put away the falafel now,'” she recalled. She humorously suggested that he probably never ate falafel again before a kissing scene.
Liam Hemsworth and Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games)
- Liam Hemsworth found kissing Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games to be an uncomfortable experience, largely due to her pre-scene culinary choices.
- He told Jimmy Fallon that Jennifer would intentionally eat “disgusting” foods like garlic or tuna fish and then brag about not brushing her teeth beforehand. “Anytime I had to kiss Jennifer, it was pretty uncomfortable,” he admitted. “She’s one of my best friends, I love her, but, if we had a kissing scene, she would make a point of eating garlic or tuna fish or something that was so disgusting. Right before the scene, she’d be like, ‘Yeah, I had tuna’ or ‘I had garlic, and I didn’t brush my teeth’. And I’d be like, ‘fantastic, I can’t wait to get in there and taste it.'” Jennifer herself confirmed this, telling Graham Norton she’d happily consume “mustard and tuna” before kissing scenes.
Will Smith and Eva Mendes (Hitch)
- Eva Mendes’ pre-kiss preparation for Hitch involved a potent combination of a tuna fish sandwich with onions and Doritos, which Will Smith found overwhelming.
- She recounted to Oprah that the smell caused Will to do a “triple-take.” Fortunately, after Eva downed a box of Altoids, Will declared the kiss “absolutely wonderful.”
The “Icky” and “Wet” Kisses
Some actors have described their onscreen kisses with a visceral sense of unpleasantness.
- Thandiwe Newton and Tom Cruise (Mission Impossible 2)
- Thandiwe Newton described kissing Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible 2 as “slightly icky and sort of wet.”
- She recalled her husband’s concerned whisper after seeing the film: “‘Are you alright sweetheart? It must have been awful doing that scene.’ I don’t know whether he was joking or not.”
The “Creepy” and “Complicated” Kisses
When there are real-world relationships or professional boundaries involved, onscreen intimacy can become fraught with tension.
Orlando Bloom and Zoe Saldaña (Haven)
- Orlando Bloom admitted to “hating” kissing Zoe Saldaña in the 2004 film Haven.
- He told People, “I was like, ‘Take your tongue out of my mouth, please. Your boyfriend is standing right there,'” seemingly referring to her boyfriend at the time. Bloom added, “Most people think kissing beautiful co-stars must be great. But it’s always awkward, man.”
Colin Farrell and Kate Beckinsale (Total Recall)
- Colin Farrell found kissing Kate Beckinsale in Total Recall to be “creepy,” particularly because her husband, director Len Wiseman, was present on set.
- He explained on Conan that it was “moderately uncomfortable” because the director stayed to watch the scene. “Kissing her was a little bit dodgy ‘cause the director, her husband, wasn’t kind enough to leave the room. He stayed and, kind of being a director, had to watch the scene.”
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road)
- Kate Winslet described kissing Leonardo DiCaprio in Revolutionary Road as “weird” because the film was directed by her then-husband, Sam Mendes.
- She told the Mirror that while the kiss itself was fine, the presence of her husband in a directorial capacity added an unusual layer. She recalled a powerful still photo taken on set showing Leo and her kissing, with Sam in the background exhibiting “absolute intensity,” clearly focused on the shot rather than the intimate moment.
Penn Badgley and Blake Lively (Gossip Girl)
- Penn Badgley openly stated that kissing Blake Lively on Gossip Girl became “complicated” after their real-life breakup.
- He told Watch What Happens Live, “I think we should both pat ourselves on the back for getting through it, because, you know, anything is complicated in that way, and we handled it.”
The “Stressed” and “Uncomfortable” Kisses
Sometimes, the anxiety of the scene or personal circumstances can make a kiss feel more like a chore than a moment of passion.
Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried (Jennifer’s Body)
- Both Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried found their onscreen kiss in Jennifer’s Body to be “very stressful.”
- Megan told Variety that they were both horrified by the prospect. “Her more so than me. I was slightly more comfortable being able to do it. She was not excited about having to film that scene at all.”
Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson (Water for Elephants)
- Reese Witherspoon found kissing Robert Pattinson in Water for Elephants to be neither “pleasant” nor “appealing.”
- Adding to the discomfort, Robert revealed to MTV that he was suffering from a bad cold during filming. “I was doing it when I had a really bad cold,” he added. “My nose is running all over the place, and it was in one of the additional photography scenes, and Reese had this wig on, and literally, I was wiping my nose on her wig.”
Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt (Passengers)
- Jennifer Lawrence admitted to getting “really, really drunk” to film love scenes with Chris Pratt in Passengers, partly because he was married at the time.
- She explained to The Hollywood Reporter that the alcohol led to increased anxiety later, as she grappled with guilt. “But then that led to more anxiety when I got home because I was like, ‘What have I done? I don’t know. And he was married. And it was going to be my first time kissing a married man, and guilt is the worst feeling in your stomach. And I knew it was my job, but I couldn’t tell my stomach that,” she shared. She confessed to calling her mother for reassurance, highlighting the vulnerability she felt.
The “Hot and Nasty” Kiss
Even in superhero films, kissing scenes can have their own unique challenges.
- Morena Baccarin and Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool)
- Morena Baccarin found kissing Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool to be an awkward experience, primarily due to his elaborate costume.
- She told Desde Hollywood, “I’m not going to lie to you, looking at that thing was crazy, and the first time I saw it, I said, ‘I got to kiss that?'” Ryan Reynolds also described the conditions as “hot and nasty,” leading to an audible “slight squishing sound” during their kiss.
