Although they’re often electric, on-screen kisses aren’t always planned.
Actors can surprise their co-stars with a kiss during a scene for any number of reasons.
From the tender to the funny to the deeply controversial, here are a few on-screen kisses
that were never supposed to happen.
Found in translation
One of Lost in Translation’s most iconic scenes revolves around the tender moment shared
at the end of the movie between Scarlett Johansson’s Charlotte and Bill Murray’s character Bob.
During filming, Murray famously whispered something in Johansson's ear that neither
actor has ever revealed.
The ensuing kiss wasn’t planned, either.
When asked about the scene, director Sofia Coppola told The Daily Beast,
"I remember sometimes [Murray] would spring things on [Johansson], and it was fun to get
her reaction."
Sparking anger
During Stranger Things 2’s season finale, Lucas and newcomer Max share a kiss at their
school’s winter dance.
In an episode of the aftershow series Beyond Stranger Things, Sadie Sink — who played
Max — explained that the kiss was a surprise and that showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer
sprang it on her the day of filming.
"Oh, Sadie, are you ready for the kiss?
I was like, what?
No, that's not in the script, that's not happening!"
Ross Duffer had previously joked with Sink about her kissing her co-star Caleb McLaughlin
, and the idea had stressed her out so much that he decided to have it happen for real.
It was a decision which sparked outrage online.
In the wake of the controversy, Sink told TheWrap that she had “always felt comfortable”
on set, saying
“[The Duffer Brothers] always create a comfortable space.
And if I felt uncomfortable with anything, I wouldn’t have done it.”
"Anyways, it's great, I can't imagine it without it, thank you!"
"Yeah… you're welcome."
A last kiss
Luke and Leia’s scene towards the end of The Last Jedi is arguably one of the movie’s
finest moments.
It’s an exchange which carries extra weight considering Carrie Fisher’s tragic passing
only months after filming ended.
The scene is punctuated by a forehead kiss from Luke to Leia which was improvised on
Mark Hamill’s part.
"It was just spontaneous.
And, a really momentous for me, because Luke was saying goodbye to his sister forever."
Hamill has been unable to watch the scene since.
“She’ll be forever missed, and she’s irreplaceable.”
Woody's crush
After the home release of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, Woody Harrelson told
Entertainment Tonight that his on-screen kiss with Elizabeth Banks had nothing to do with
the script.
"She didn't know I was even going to do it.
I just kissed her."
Harrelson later told the Associated Press,
“I, personally, always wanted to kiss her.
I don't know if that was the right thing to do."
Although Harrelson denied knowing it, the AP’s reporter claimed she'd heard that Banks
intentionally flubbed takes during the scene so she could keep locking lips with Harrelson.
Krakens, snakes, and stunt doubles
Thanks to the logistical realities of filming a television show, an unplanned kiss between
two actors can often involve more people than initially intended.
That’s what happened after Game of Thrones actors Gemma Whelan and Indira Varma improvised
a kiss between their characters Yara Greyjoy and Ellaria Sand.
“Leave him be.
Seems like you don't need a protector.”
This moment takes place on a ship just prior to an attack by antagonist Euron Greyjoy.
Whelan's back was injured at the time, however, and since she couldn't perform all of her
stunts, her double was brought in to replace her — and also had to kiss Varma.
Varma told Entertainment Weekly that
“I had to start kissing this poor stunt double and she was so terrified.
I don't think she'd ever been put in that situation before.
She's used to falling over and being attacked and all the stunts, but to be kissed by an
actress was a bit beyond her."
Pratt finds a way
According to Bryce Dallas Howard, the kiss between her character Claire and Chris Pratt’s
Owen was never in the script for Jurassic World.
She told Out Magazine,
"We had shot the scene in the way that it was written — there was no kiss.
And then on the last day, that happened — what you see in the movie."
The movie’s director, Colin Trevorrow, however, has since revealed that it wasn’t entirely
spontaneous.
He took Pratt aside and suggested he kiss Howard, but never told her.
On Jurassic World’s commentary, he explained:
"The idea was we're just going to have Chris Pratt surprise [Howard] in front of 200 people,
and that's the take that's in the movie."
Office romance
During the season 3 premiere of The Office, Steve Carell’s character Michael learns
that his employee Oscar — played by Oscar Nunez — is gay.
In a misguided attempt to prove how tolerant he is… this happens.
According to Nuñez, however, the script only called for Carell to hug him.
He told the AV Club,
"We were just supposed to hug, and he kept hugging me.
And that particular take he came in really close, and I'm like, 'Where is he going with
this?'"