Have you ever dreamed about kissing your celebrity crush? You have this image in your head of how amazing it would be, but the chances of it happening in real life are relatively low. However, Hollywood actors get to kiss each other on-screen quite often during romantic scenes.
The connection between them might seem genuine, but things can get pretty awkward behind the scenes. From bad breath to steadfast dedication to their spouse, many actors have refused to pucker up with their co-stars, even if their jobs were on the line. Find out who said, “No way!” to kissing other actors.
Denzel Said No for His Fans
When Denzel Washington filmed the 1993 film The Pelican Brief, he starred alongside Julia Roberts. Most people would have jumped on the opportunity to kiss Roberts because she is a timeless beauty. To be fair, she hasn’t been named People magazine’s most beautiful woman five times for nothing.
Despite her gorgeous looks, Denzel opted out of kissing Roberts on screen to avoid alienating his fans. Instead of playing into Hollywood’s biased beauty standards, he stood up for his fanbase. Denzel said, “Black women are not often seen as objects of desire on film. And they have always been my core audience.”
Lindsay Lohan Felt Guilty
In 2013, Lindsay Lohan filmed Scary Movie 5, where she was supposed to kiss Charlie Sheen three times in one scene. She refused to go through with it because of her concerns over Sheen’s questionable partying history. He was known for having many partners, which made Lohan concerned for her health.
Lohan told the producers she was uncomfortable with the scenes, so the script had to be changed last minute. A body double was used for some parts, and other scenes were written out. Lohan later felt bad about the situation and tried to reach out to Sheen to apologize, but her phone broke.
Will Smith Got Bad Advice
Before Will Smith became a box office legend, he starred in small independent dramas to gain experience. In 1993, he starred in Six Degrees of Separation, inspired by the real story of David Hampton. In the film, Smith’s character was gay, but he refused to kiss his male co-star.
Smith shared that Denzel Washington told him, “Don’t be kissing no man.” He took this advice to heart but later regretted his decision. Smith said his refusal to perform the scripted kiss was immature. He admitted, “I wasn’t emotionally stable enough to artistically commit to that aspect of the film.”
Leona Lewis Said, “No Way!”
If you were a fan of Gossip Girl, you probably had at least one dream about kissing Chace Crawford. The handsome actor stole our hearts, which is why fans wanted Leona Lewis to kiss Crawford in the “I Will Be” music video. However, she said she wouldn’t do it because she was embarrassed.
The 2006 X Factor winner said, “He’s so beautiful; I mean, look at him.” Lewis also felt bad because she was in a relationship with Lou Al-Chamaa and didn’t want him to be jealous. The two eventually broke up, so we wonder if she regretted not kissing Crawford.
Thandiwe Newton Didn’t Want His Germs
In 2008, Thandiwe Newton and Gerard Butler co-starred in Guy Ritchie’s RocknRolla. The two made an attractive on-screen couple, but Newton didn’t want to kiss Butler for good reasons. She said he had a bad cold and didn’t want to get sick from kissing him.
Butler shared that Ritchie’s the-wife, Madonna, gave him a vitamin shot in his butt. He revealed, “She just said, ‘Drop your pants.’ I stood there with my little bottom out, and she gave me a shot in my bum.” It didn’t help, but he appreciated the efforts.
Neal McDonough Won’t Kiss Anyone
Irish-American actor Neal McDonough has been in films like Boon, Apex, and Walking Tall. Although the Hollywood actor knows that kissing a co-star is just part of the job and doesn’t mean anything, he refuses to lock lips with anyone but his wife.
McDonough said he doesn’t like blurring the lines between reality and fiction due to his personal beliefs. Killing people on screen is fine because “that’s fake,” but kissing is off-limits. It has caused issues in his career, and he was even fired for refusing to film love scenes.
Kirk Cameron Is Loyal to His Wife
When Kirk Cameron married his Growing Pains co-star, Chelsea Noble, he vowed never to kiss another woman. He didn’t care if his job depended on it; he was sticking to his word. When he had to film a love scene in 2008’s Fireproof, the producers found a solution.
Instead of opting out of the scene, Cameron’s wife dressed as his love interest, and producers shot the scene in silhouette. Cameron justified his choices by saying he wanted to uphold his vows as much as possible because “marriage is a special and sacred thing to us.”
Fawad Khan Was Uncomfortable
While filming the 2016 film Kapoor & Sons, Fawad Khan refused to kiss his co-star, Alia Bhatt. He didn’t want to compromise his chastity. Bhatt shared how uncomfortable and jumpy Khan acted during their scenes together. She said he agreed to do a “cheat kiss.”
Although it would only look like they were kissing, Bhatt said Khan flinched every time she got close to his face. She had to reassure him she wouldn’t compromise his chastity. However, Khan said he would be open to filming intimate scenes in the future.
Kimberly McCullough Was Too Young
Kimberly McCullough was only 14 when she appeared on General Hospital. She had only had one kiss before that, so she was extremely nervous when she found out she would have to kiss someone on camera. McCullough became more uncomfortable when she learned her co-star’s age.
McCullough’s kissing partner was 22, and she heard him joke that he had condoms ready for a date with her. She voiced her concerns to the producer, who told her she should be grateful to work with such a talented actor. McCullough still refused, so he kissed her on the cheek.
Ben Affleck Had Bad Breath
Ben Affleck might be a Hollywood hunk, but people have had trouble working with him due to his bad breath. When he filmed Forces of Nature with Sandra Bullock, she complained about his breath. It made it challenging for Bullock to film the kissing scenes.
Bullock wasn’t the only one to complain. Many of Affleck’s female co-stars have struggled with his bad breath, but they were contractually obligated to complete romantic scenes. Unfortunately, there was not much Affleck could do because he suffers from halitosis, which causes bad breath.
Liam Hemsworth Complained
Although the two are good friends, Liam Hemsworth hilariously complained about having to kiss Jennifer Lawrence in the Hunger Games. He told Jimmy Fallon that Lawrence would eat foods to make her breath smell bad whenever she had a kissing scene with him.
Some might see it as inconsiderate, but we think Lawrence was trying to be the ultimate prankster. Hemsworth laughed about it when he shared his story, but it didn’t make it any easier to film. Hopefully, Lawrence isn’t doing that to her other co-stars.
Alyson Hannigan Couldn’t Stand the Smell
When Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel were set to play a couple on How I Met Your Mother, one issue was his bad breath. Segel was an avid smoker, and Hannigan couldn’t stand the smell of cigarettes. Given the two had many kissing scenes, Hannigan gave him an ultimatum.
Hannigan said she refused to kiss Segel unless he quit smoking. He revealed, “She left me with no other option. So I quit the day we started working, and I haven’t had a cigarette since.” It helped improve his health and breath.
Janet Jackson Has Kissing Conditions
In the 1993 film Poetic Justice, Janet Jackson and Q-Tip shared an on-screen kiss. It looked great in the final cut but wasn’t easy to film. The scene reportedly had to be reshot 11 times to get it right. Tupac Shakur was also cast to play Jackson’s love interest.
The two were also set to have a kissing scene, but Jackson refused to lock lips with Tupac unless he got a blood test. He was annoyed that Jackson wanted him to take an AIDS test but subjected himself to one in the end.
They Will Never Do This Again
During an episode of Vampire Diaries, Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder’s characters shared a steamy smooch in the rain. Fans were left wanting more kisses in the rain, but Somerhalder and Dobrev refused. They said it was freezing outside, and they both got sick.
Somerhalder said the cold caused his jaw muscles to tense up, and Dobrev had icicles in her hair. The two never had to do another kissing in the rain scene, but Somerhalder recreated the kiss with Chris Wood at Comic-Con in 2015.
Tisha Campbell Refused to Do Love Scenes
While starring on the ‘90s TV series Martin, Tisha Campbell played Martin Lawrence’s on-screen wife. Although audiences loved their dynamic, Campbell struggled behind the scenes because of Lawrence’s unwanted advances. She was so stressed that she had to be hospitalized.
Campbell claimed Lawrence would forcefully kiss her on set even though they weren’t filming or rehearsing. By Season 5, she went to the writers to ask them not to write any romantic bedroom scenes. The writers didn’t listen, leading to Campbell quitting. Years later, Campbell and Lawrence reconciled.
Candace Cameron Bure Is Over Kissing Scenes
Candace Cameron Bure has had to film many kissing scenes throughout her career. Although she hasn’t refused to kiss her co-stars yet, she will probably join the list soon. In 2017, she told Us Weekly that she didn’t like her character on Fuller House being involved in a love triangle.
Bure has also been in several Hallmark movies and has to kiss a different actor in each film. She said, “I’m getting more uncomfortable with it the older I get.” Bure’s husband doesn’t like the kissing scenes and stopped watching her films.
Jewel Didn’t Want to Film the Scene
When Rob Lowe starred in The Lyon’s Den, he begged producers to hire Jewel as his love interest. However, she was not as interested in him as he was in her. There was a kissing scene in the script, and she asked to have it removed, but they didn’t change it.
Since she couldn’t have it her way, Jewel tried to bring her boyfriend to the set for the scene so Lowe would feel awkward. Jewel eventually gave in to film the scene but remained tight-lipped. Lowe found the experience humiliating.
Julia Roberts Made Things Difficult
Although Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte were supposed to play love interests in I Love Trouble, the two actors couldn’t stand each other. There were many scenes where body doubles were used because they couldn’t film together. However, doubles weren’t used for the kissing scene.
Their big on-screen kiss didn’t change their opinions of each other. Roberts told the New York Times that Nolte is “completely disgusting.” Nolte retaliated by calling her a mean person. At least we got a cute movie out of it.
Reese Witherspoon Didn’t Want to Get Sick
Many Twilight fans were Team Edward, but Reese Witherspoon might have been Team Jacob. When she starred opposite Robert Pattinson in Water for Elephants, she didn’t want to kiss her heartthrob co-star. But it wasn’t because she didn’t like him.
Pattinson had a cold the week they were supposed to film their smooch. Witherspoon said it was more than a mild cold, adding, “He was literally snorting and snotting through every second of it, and it was not appealing.” They managed to film the scene in the end.
Brad Pitt Stayed Loyal to Angelina
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s romance started when they played on-screen lovers. Therefore, they knew how easy it would be to fall in love with a co-star. When Pitt starred opposite Cate Blanchett in 2008’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, he refused to kiss her.
Pitt didn’t want to offend Jolie, but director David Fincher was able to persuade him into filming the scene as planned. Everyone was relieved that Pitt went ahead with the kiss. It might have caused problems with Jolie, but the movie turned out great.
They Grossed Each Other Out
In the 2013 film The Spectacular Now, Shailene Woodly and Miles Teller played high school sweethearts. The two were great friends off camera and had no problems starring alongside each other. They also appeared in Divergent together. But they hated kissing each other due to their pranks.
The two would purposely eat and drink things they knew the other person hated before their romance scenes in The Spectacular Now. Woodley would chew up Chinese herbs, and Teller chugged Gatorade right before the cameras started rolling. It must have been hard to kiss like that.
Sean Young Hated His Facial Hair
Blade Runner is often considered one of the best sci-fi films ever made. However, the film wasn’t easy to make, especially for co-stars Harrison Ford and Sean Young. The crew said the two actors didn’t like each other, which made their love scene uncomfortable.
Young often complained about Ford’s facial hair scratching her face. She didn’t like rehearsing their romantic scene, which the crew referred to as their “hate scene.” The two powered through the filming process because it was their job, and we respect that.
Kirsten Dunst Didn’t Want to Kiss a Grown Man
When Kirsten Dunst starred in Interview with the Vampire, she was just 11. She played opposite Brad Pitt, who was much older than her. It’s no wonder Dunst felt so uncomfortable about kissing Pitt due to the 19-year age difference.
However, the script called for a light peck between the two. Dunst said the experience was traumatizing, telling the Huffington Post, “It was horrible, and I hated it. Brad and Tom were like my big brothers on set, so it was like kissing your big brother.”
Their Kiss Wasn’t in the Script
During Season 2 of Stranger Things, Sadie Sink and Caleb McLaughlin’s characters shared a kiss, but it wasn’t in the script. Showrunner Ross Duffer joked with Sink that she would have to kiss McLaughlin, and she freaked out, so he added it to the show to mess with her.
Duffer shared this fact and received backlash because the two stars are only children. However, Sink came to his defense, saying, “I never objected to it or felt pushed into anything. I always felt comfortable, and the Duffer brothers, they do the best job.”
Ryan Gosling Wanted Her Fired
The Notebook is one of the most iconic romantic movies, but there wasn’t much love behind the scenes. While Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling are the ultimate on-screen couple, Gosling thought they had no chemistry and tried to have her fired.
Director Nick Cassavetes denied Gosling’s request and forced the actors to talk things through instead of screaming at each other. His plan was enough to get Gosling and McAdams to put their differences aside. The two even ended up dating for four years after the movie.
Jennifer Lawrence Didn’t Want to Kiss a Married Man
While many married actors have to kiss their co-stars, it usually doesn’t mean anything because it is part of the job. However, when Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt had an on-screen kiss, she felt uncomfortable because he was married in real life.
Although it bothered her, the producers (and Pratt) assured her it was okay. Lawrence told the Hollywood Reporter, “It was going to be my first time kissing a married man, and guilt is the worst feeling in your stomach.” Lawrence had a glass of wine to calm her nerves.
They Didn’t Want to Repeat History
One of the greatest and most tragic on-screen love stories is between Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic. Their easy chemistry made the two perfect counterparts, but they didn’t think that performance could be topped. Therefore, when they starred together again 11 years later, there were hesitations.
DiCaprio and Winslet co-starred in Revolutionary Road, directed by her then-husband Sam Mendes. The film almost didn’t happen because the two stars didn’t want to repeat history. DiCaprio said, “We didn’t want to tread on any type of similar territory.”
Sienna Miller Had a Toothache
With everything that has come out about James Franco, it’s no wonder actresses don’t want to share kisses with him. However, Sienna Miller objected long before the accusations against Franco came to light when the two starred in the 2008 film Camille.
While she had no problem with him as a person, Miller had a painful toothache, making it hard to perform kissing scenes. The scenes had to be cut short because Miller couldn’t kiss Franco for long. Luckily, she got through the movie despite her pain.
Charlie Sheen Had a Different Story
When Charlie Sheen starred in FX’s Anger Management, Selma Blair co-starred as his therapist and hookup. However, Sheen disliked Blair so much that he refused to film with her until she was fired. He had no intention of sharing a kiss with her.
When Sheen shared his side of the story, he said, “Too many people were still excited about the Two and a Half Men character and thought the Anger Management character was a little dull.” A few years later, Sheen told Andy Cohen he wanted to kick Blair to the curb.
Kevin Hart Felt Insecure
In 2008’s Tropic Thunder, Kevin Hart was offered the role of “Alpa Chino,” a closeted rapper-turned-actor. Hart turned down the role because he thought the character was “too flagrant,” later admitting it was due to his insecurities about playing a gay character.
Hart said he would have trouble playing any gay character because he felt he couldn’t dive into the role 100 percent. Hart said he had nothing against the LGBTQ+ community, which was more due to his personal shortcomings. Hart later shared an on-screen kiss with The Rock in Central Intelligence.
Vanessa Hudgens Wanted to Kiss Someone Else
When Vanessa Hudgens took a role in Spring Breakers, she shed her Disney image to become a mature actress. The controversial crime drama ruffled some feathers, but Hudgens didn’t feel uncomfortable with the film’s content. She was more unsure about her kiss with James Franco.
Hudgens wasn’t used to filming this type of content and said she would have felt more comfortable kissing her other co-star, Ashley Benson. She shared, “I’d rather kiss Ashley than kiss James because she’s a girl, and I was close to her and felt comfortable.”
Samuel L. Jackson Won’t Do This
Some actors will do anything for their craft, but even legendary actors have some boundaries. In an interview with Playboy, Jackson said he would never kiss another man or cross-dress for a role. However, he has no problem playing a gay character as long as no kissing is involved.
In 2016’s sci-fi horror film Cell, he played a gay character, but there were some lines he refused to cross. He has no problem with the LGBTQ+ community; he just doesn’t feel comfortable kissing someone of the same sex. Everyone is entitled to their boundaries.
Herizen F. Guardiola Needed to Warm Up
Justice Smith and Herizen F. Guardiola weren’t asked to do anything too sexual on the set of Netflix’s The Get Down, but Guardiola was hesitant to even kiss her co-star. Smith didn’t think there was anything weird about kissing her until “she made it weird.”
Guardiola needed time to warm up to Smith because it was her first acting job, and she wasn’t used to kissing people she didn’t know. She has since loosened up but admitted, “I’m still going to have to know something about the person before I kiss them.”
Sarah Jessica Parker Has a Contract Clause
Sarah Jessica Parker has kissed plenty of men on screen, but she has her limits. On Sex and the City, SJP shared the screen with several handsome men and seemed comfortable filming romantic moments with her co-stars. But her contract has a special clause to protect her.
While she may be fine with filming make-outs, SJP refuses to do love scenes that involve taking it all off. If you rewatch old episodes of Sex and the City episodes, Carrie is always wearing a bra when she gets intimate with men. SJP would not do anything without some covering.
Lena Headey Needed a Body Double
Game of Thrones was known for its wild romantic scenes that were not safe for young viewers. When Lena Headey appeared on the show, she wasn’t comfortable bearing it all like some of her co-stars. Since the show involved nudity, she had to find a solution.
Instead of doing something that made her uncomfortable, Headey used a body double for the moments when she didn’t want to show off her bare body. Just because she is an actress doesn’t mean Headey has to do things she is uncomfortable with.
Megan Fox Turned Down the Role
Actresses like Kristen Bell, Blake Lively, and Anna Kendrick are all against getting nude for a love scene, and Megan Fox feels the same. She might be a sex symbol, but the actress isn’t comfortable taking off her clothes while filming romantic scenes.
Fox said, “Those are things that are degrading to the woman who’s playing the character.” She had to turn down a part in an HBO series because she refused to get nude. Fox didn’t want to compromise her beliefs just to land a role.
Mandy Moore Is a Modest Woman
Actress Mandy Moore has been in many movies, and TV shows, including the tearjerking series This Is Us. While she is no stranger to having to kiss a co-star, there is something she won’t do on-screen. Like many other actresses, Moore won’t get nude for a love scene.
Moore told Business Insider that she wasn’t comfortable removing her clothes for a part because she is a “modest girl.” She has stuck to her beliefs and won’t compromise them for even the greatest role. She doesn’t need to remove her clothes to get great acting parts.
Kristen Bell Said, “Dream On!”
Kristen Bell is known for being wholesome and adorable. From voicing Anna in Frozen to starring on The Good Place, she usually plays roles that don’t require explicit activity for a reason. Bell said she isn’t comfortable filming love scenes without clothes.
A large part of her fanbase is children, so it makes sense why she wouldn’t want to do a naked scene. Bell revealed that producers have asked her to get naked, and she told them, “Dream on!” She also has young children and wouldn’t want them to see her like that.
Mila Kunis Stood Her Ground
The beloved star who got her start on That ‘70s Show is no stranger to sex scenes. She starred alongside Justin Timberlake in Friends With Benefits, which featured many sex scenes, but Kunis would not have done them if she had to take her clothes off.
Kunis was fine with the love scenes as long as she wasn’t completely nude. She has had to stick to her beliefs regardless of what people say about her. Kunis shared that an unnamed Hollywood producer told her she’d “never work in this town” after refusing to pose nude for a magazine cover.