Many films go down in history not for their plotlines, but for their steamy make-out sessions between some of Hollywood's best actors. You know the scenes: when the music is gently playing in the background, the lights are dim, and it’s raining outside... two subjects with amazing chemistry come together to seal their feelings for one another with a tender kiss. These moments can leave the audience breathless, but what happens behind the scenes is often a different story.
When done correctly, passionate movie moments produce some of the most intense emotions known to man — whether it's lust, love, envy, or joy — and help set the precedent for universal ideas of romance and intimacy. However, there are many magical movie scenes that took much more determination, dedication, and patience to complete than most theater-goers could have probably imagined. Get ready to feel like your entire existence was a lie as we go through 17 actors who hated kissing their co-stars, including everyone from Will Smith to Kirsten Dunst.
From awkward moments to downright repulsion, these actors have shared their experiences that reveal the often-unromantic side of on-screen romance. So, let’s dive into the world of cinematic kisses that actors wished they could forget!
Table of Contents
- Will Smith and Eva Mendes
- Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe
- Joanna Lumley and Leonardo DiCaprio
- Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Aniston
- Rupert Grint and Emma Watson
- Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie
- Dane Cook and Kate Hudson
- Helena Bonham Carter and Woody Allen
- Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio
- Thandie Newton and Tom Cruise
- Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel
- Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt
- Orlando Bloom and Zoe Saldana
- Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst
- Kirsten Dunst and Brad Pitt
- Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson
- Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams
Will Smith and Eva Mendes
The thought of a truly intimate, movie-style kiss with a strikingly handsome hunk has the power to make anyone weak in the knees, including Eva Mendes. Such was the case when she had to shoot love scenes with Will Smith for the 2005 romantic comedy Hitch, and the only way Mendes could quell the butterflies in her stomach was by indulging in her favorite comfort food: a tuna fish sandwich with crushed Doritos and extra onions. The dish made her breath smell extra bad, which turned the Independence Day actor off completely.
Luckily for Smith, Mendes swallowed an entire box of Altoids to help get rid of the stench left behind from the "stank breath special," and they went on to shoot the scene successfully. When reflecting on their experience during an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005, Smith told Mendes that the kiss "was absolutely wonderful." Still, we think he was probably just being polite.
Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe
Although Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe allegedly had an affair before filming their 1959 flick Some Like It Hot, when he was asked what it was like to kiss the blonde bombshell in the film, he reportedly said it was like "kissing Hitler." Curtis backpedaled on the comment in a 2008 interview with the Daily Mail, telling the publication, "I said it as a joke. I mean, it was such a darn stupid question, so I gave a stupid answer." But his justification apparently only applied to the "Hitler" comparison itself, not about how much he actually despised kissing his co-star.
When talking about the film's infamous yacht scene, where the two romance each other on a sofa, Curtis told the outlet that Monroe was way too aggressive for his liking. "[The kiss] was awful," he said. "She nearly choked me to death by deliberately sticking her tongue down my throat into my windpipe." Yikes.
Joanna Lumley and Leonardo DiCaprio
