Everyone can remember the first time they witnessed a kiss between two characters that was so desired. Sometimes, it comes out of nowhere. Other times, the scene is building up to the moment and you know that it's going to happen! A lot of the time, the kiss was supposed to happen, but it never did...
There are a lot of different things that go on behind the scenes when it comes to onscreen kisses and love scenes, which includes some drama! These are the most iconic onscreen kisses along with their fascinating backstories...
The X-Files
In fact, the creator of the show strictly stated that they will only ever have palpable chemistry, and that's it. That's why it was so shocking to see Mulder and Scully kiss while they were in an alternative universe. So, technically, it's non-canonical, but it did give the fans what they wanted!
Jurassic World
On their last day of filming, the director told Pratt to kiss Howard in the final take of the scene. The director did not say anything to Howard to let it be a surprise. It ended up working and it was left in!
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Mark Hamill placed an impromptu kiss on Carrie Fisher's forehead. Their characters, brother and sister duo Luke and Leah, didn't have that sweet sibling moment in the film, but Hamill said that it just felt right at the time. The moment was much more important than anyone could have realized...
Carrie Fisher passed away before the film could be released. Hamill has admitted that he cannot watch the scene because his emotions are too strong. It's almost as if he was saying goodbye to her for real.
ER
Even though this scene was always meant to happen, viewers were still shocked (in a good way!) The constant romantic tension between Dr. Doug Ross (George Clooney) and Nurse Carol Hathaway (Juliana Margulies) was one of the most noteworthy parts of the show. Fans were distraught when Clooney left the show before Dr. Doug Ross and Nurse Carol Hathaway could have their moment...
Fast forward a few seasons and it was time for Margulies to depart from the show as well. The writers decided to do something big for her departure and bring Clooney back for one big scene... their kiss. Fans were ecstatic to see it come to fruition!
Lost in Translation
Lost in Translation tells the story of an old Hollywood actor named Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and a young college graduate named Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) who is just trying to find her way. The two develop a friendship while visiting Tokyo, and they say goodbye in an unexpected way.
Johansson had no idea that Murray was going to kiss her. Murray didn't even really plan on kissing her, but he said that it felt right in the moment. It was a quick peck, nothing crazy, but director Sofia Coppola loved it. She was able to keep it in since Johansson's honest reaction fit perfectly with the scene.
The Office
A good amount of The Office is improvised, and this kiss sure was. Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nuñez) and Michael Scott (Steve Carell) had a particularly hilarious moment when Michael is trying to prove how cool he is with Oscar after Oscar came out as gay. In true Michael Scott fashion, it was cringe and hilarious.
During the meeting, Michael decides to give Oscar a hilariously awkward kiss on the lips. Michael and Oscar were originally supposed to hug, but Steve Carrell decided to go the extra mile and plant an awkward and tension-filled kiss. Nuñez said that he realized that Carell was going to kiss him and did his best to stay in character despite how hilarious it was going.
Edge of Tomorrow
The filmmakers had always planned a kiss between the two but weren't sure where to fit it in. Blunt decided to take matters into her own hands and kiss Cruise at a very crucial part of the film, which surprised Cruise and the directors! Luckily, it worked, and they kept it in.
Orange Is The New Black
This kiss surely shocked the viewers. There were tons of hints that Piper and Alex may never get together again due to their history, but this quick kiss in the chapel changed that! It was certainly a surprise to viewers and the writers did a great job of crafting the storyline.
New Girl
The improvised kisses didn't always make it to the episode, but it finally did near the end. In the scene where Schmidt finds out that Nick has a medical condition, he goes and aggressively kisses Nick all over the face and mouth. Greenfield said that Johnson didn't like it at first but has gotten used to them!
Gilmore Girls
Finally, at the end of season four, the fans got what they wanted. Lorelai and Luke shared a kiss that no one saw coming. Their relationship continued to grow after that fateful scene, but nothing could ever beat it.
Passengers
Jim, Pratt's character, and Aurora fall in love on the ship and everything is great. A lot of fans pointed out that this was a bizarre way to go about the film since they are now trapped on the ship for at least 90 years until they reach the destination and Jim basically stole Aurora's life. So yeah, that kiss was not wanted!
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
In fact, Woody Harrelson admitted that he had a minor crush on Elizabeth Banks while they were filming. He may or may not have used his character to give her a kiss. He told her that and they had a good laugh about it! At least it worked in the film.
Friends
The two were never on good terms. They were arguing, competing, or acting shady around one another. The good times did not outweigh the bad times! Most audiences just liked the toxicity of the relationship since it provided drama, especially when Ross said Rachel's name at his own wedding... to another woman!
Top Gun
The conversation between the two was supposed to come to a conclusion and not a kiss. In reality, Tom Cruise forgot his lines! Instead of starting the scene over, he decided to kiss McGillis instead. The director liked it, so he chose to keep it in. Quick save!
Stranger Things
In fact, this kiss was the opposite of easy. It was never in the original script, but the folks in charge decided to suggest a kiss the day of filming the scene. The idea stressed out Sink just because kissing a boy in front of so many people is terrifying! Fans were a bit upset to hear that Sink seemed pushed into it. However, Sink said that she was uncomfortable but easily could have said no.
Gigli
Oddly enough, Gigli was the reason that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez even got together in the first place. This film was gory and gross and didn't need a romantic aspect to it, but the directors did it anyway. Viewers were simply not interested in a romantic subplot and didn't care for the kiss whatsoever.
Frasier
Game of Thrones
Sure, Game of Thrones had a lot of twists and turns, but no one really saw this one coming! This kiss between Yara Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan) and Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma). The scene was only supposed to convey some light flirting between the two frenemies, but it escalated quickly on set and they decided to roll with it. Honestly, it just worked in the grand scheme of things!
Room With a View
Lucy (Helena Bonham Carter) and George (Julian Sands) are chatting in the garden when the two share an unexpected kiss! Carter was only 18 at the time of filming and hadn't had much experience with kissing, so she was nervous. In fact, she didn't think that there would be any kissing when she signed on for the film, but the director suggested it on set and she went with it!
The Good Wife
Although her kiss on ER was certainly notable, Julia Margulies gave fans another surprising smooch on her hit television series The Good Wife. When Margulies’ Fans knew that a kiss was coming between Julia Margulies' character and Josh Charles' character. Once viewers knew that the characters were old flames, the deal was sealed. It took two full years for the relationship to progress and fans actually started to lose hope! In the season two finale, the two shared a passionate kiss in the elevator, which was a surprise to everyone.
Love Actually
One of the most notable moments of Love Actually is when Andrew Lincoln's character confesses his feelings to Keira Knightley's character, who happens to be his best friend's wife. This is the cue card moment, which is actually quite weird in reality but it seemed to have worked out in the film. Andrew Lincoln himself even said this was weird for him!
American Hustle
Con artist Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), his partner and mistress Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), and his wife Rosalyn Rosenfeld (Jennifer Lawrence) are crazy characters in American Hustle. There's never a dull moment in this film, and the scene where Sydney and Rosalyn share a kiss took viewers off guard! How many times do the mistress and the wife get together, anyway?
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Teen Wolf
The Mummy
The Mummy is a pretty popular movie, but most fans can agree that Tom Cruise and Annabelle Wallis didn't quite have the chemistry that the directors probably desired. Their relationship in the movie was painful and almost unwarranted. Most viewers were surprised to see their kiss unfold as it didn't seem like it would happen for obvious reasons.
The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club is a classic teen cult film that warranted a big kiss at the end, but viewers were surprised to see who kissed who. Claire, who is notoriously a goody-two-shoes, developed a crush on bad-boy Bender. Somehow, they coupled up by the end. Opposites attract, but these two didn't...
Cheers
Sam (Ted Danson) and Diane (Shelley Long) had a bitter relationship at the beginning of Cheers. They butted heads quite often, but that made fans only want more. Even though their love-hate relationship made for great chemistry that fans desired, their big kiss at the end of season two was definitely a surprise! It was only fitting that they shared a kiss during an argument.
Pretty Woman
The relationship between Edward and Vivian is truly the definition of opposites attract. Vivian is airy and fun while Edward is cold and distant. Honestly, that's probably why fans were so interested in them and wanted to see them succeed. The kiss was well warranted!
Gone With The Wind
These two characters are so toxic that it's shocking they kissed instead of broke up! Maybe back in the day, they were considered romantic, but in 2020... not so much. After all, Scarlett loves someone else throughout the entire film, so the kiss was most definitely a surprise.
Grease
The Pelican Brief
Fans were shocked to learn that Denzel Washington chose to not kiss Julia Roberts in the 1993 film The Pelican Brief. He didn't do it because it disliked her, though, but it was more for the principle of it all. He didn't want to push away his audience for kissing someone who is the perfect idea of beauty in Hollywood.
The Hunger Games
This one is a bit of a doozy! Everyone wanted the Katniss and Gale kiss... except Liam Hemsworth. Fans noted that the kiss was really lackluster and kind of awkward, which is probably because it was! Jennifer Lawrence purposefully made her breath smell bad to troll Hemsworth in the scene. It really transpired in that final shot...
I Love Trouble
In the 1994 movie I Love Trouble, Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte had a horrible relationship. In fact, their bickering and fighting got so bad that they began to film their scenes in separate rooms. No one was excited about that kiss in the end, which was less than remarkable.
Six Degrees of Separation
Scary Movie 5
In the filming of Scary Movie 5, Lindsey Lohan was adamant about not kissing Charlie Sheen. For any of the kissing scenes, they subbed in Lohan's body double, so it wasn't even her!
Fuller House
Candace Cameron Bure is a devout Christian who isn't afraid to talk about how onscreen intimacy makes her feel, especially with her role on Fuller House as she's stuck between two men. She's been married for years and has had to kiss other men in her line of work, but she gets more and more uncomfortable each time. She wants to put an end to them sometime in the future.
Spring Breakers
Poetic Justice
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Lyon’s Den
Rob Lowe was adamant about casting Jewel to be his love interest on the show The Lyon's Den. Jewel agreed to star in the show but was also hesitant about the kissing scenes... She said it felt weird. She eventually agreed to kiss him even after asking for them to be scrapped altogether.
Fireproof
Kirk Cameron was notorious in Hollywood for never wanting to do a kissing scene. He took a vow to his wife that he would never kiss another woman again and has stuck to his word. For Fireproof, the filmmakers had to come up with a solution to this problem. They actually disguised Cameron's wife as Erin Bethea's character for the kiss. So, he did kiss the character, but it was actually his wife!
How I Met Your Mother
Despite being an onscreen couple for years, Alyson Hannigan could not stand kissing Jason Segel. Apparently, Hannigan hated Segel’s breath because he was smoking cigs on the daily. At one point, she refused to kiss him until he quit. Segel initially had to pay Hannigan $10 for every cigarette he had, but eventually just quit!
The Spectacular Now
Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley both had some issues pulling off their kissing scenes. For starters, Teller hated the way Woodley's herbal supplements made her breath smell. Woodley said that she hated the Gatordate that Teller drank. Obviously, these things were said in jest, and they costars didn't dislike each other, just each other's breath!
Camille
In an interesting twist, Sienna Miller had some hang-ups about kissing James Franco, but for very odd reasons! She's always had issues with her teeth and those problems would flare up from time to time. Unfortunately, the day of filming the kiss, she was having those undisclosed issues. Instead of telling everyone what was happening, she just decided to try and nix the scene altogether.
RocknRolla
Gerard Butler showed up to set for RocknRolla sick with a cold. His costar, Thandie Newton, refused to kiss him. Why should she risk herself getting sick for some kiss? She told Director Guy Ritchie that and they ended up reconfiguring the scene. It ended up working out way better than expected!
The Vampire Diaries
Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder broke up right in the middle of filming The Vampire Diaries. After they broke up, the two refused to do kissing scenes. They somehow managed to pull off the epic love story between Damon and Elena without the kissing.
Scoundrels
Neal McDonough refuses to kiss anyone but his wife despite his choice of work. This decision has caused some problems in his professional career. In fact, he was fired from the show Scoundrels when he refused to film a love scene with Virginia Madsen. He's very devoted to his wife!
The Get Down
Herizen F. Guardiola was excited to star in The Get Down but she had no idea that she'd be kissing costars! The showrunner told her to kiss Justice Smith, Guardiola refused. She said that she didn't kiss people she didn't know. That's showbiz!
Water for Elephants
In Water for Elephants, Reese Witherspoon actually declined to kiss Robert Pattinson. It wasn't because she didn't like him, but more so because he was sick with a nasty cold. For some reason, they still made them go through with the scene, snot and all!
Martin
