11 Actors Who Revealed They Hated Kissing Each Other On Screen

While shooting in the movies, when actors seem to get along really well, it can create a fantastic feeling for the audience. You might think they’re the best of friends or have great chemistry. However, what happens on screen isn’t always how things are behind the scenes.

Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

In the last part of the Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, there was a scene with a kiss between Harry and Hermione. Emma Watson’s seemingly aggressive approach to kissing Daniel Radcliffe stemmed from the fact that they had grown up together, and she viewed him as a brother. Consequently, the prospect of kissing her ’Harry Potter’ co-star was highly uncomfortable for her. In an effort to overcome the awkwardness, she chose to approach the kiss with unabashed determination.

In one interview, Emma revealed: “I guess I was just so worried about it coming across as awkward as I felt it was inside that I just wanted to make it as real as I could? So I guess I just went for it?”

Liam Hemsworth and Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games

Liam Hemsworth and Jennifer Lawrence go way back. They grew up together and are truly best friends in real life. “He’s the most wonderful, lovable, family-oriented, sweet, hilarious guy,” Lawrence gushed. It’s true that they have a lot of love for each other, but when it comes to kissing scenes in movies, it’s a bit different.

Hemsworth admitted that anytime he had to kiss his co-star, it was “pretty uncomfortable.” Whenever the actors had a kissing scene, Hemsworth said, “She would make a point of eating garlic or tuna fish, something that was disgusting.” Lawrence told him right before the scene what she ate and that she didn’t even brush her teeth.

Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke Gagged in Game of Thrones

In an HBO mini-documentary covering the Game of Thrones season 8 premiere, the cast and crew delve into the behind-the-scenes details of crafting the romantic scene between Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen near the waterfall by Winterfell.

Harington and Clarke didn’t need to be physically present for their on-screen kiss. Instead, they performed the scene in front of a green screen, a far cry from the picturesque setting portrayed in the show. Maybe the artificiality of the moment affected the actors, as evidenced by behind-the-scenes footage where Harington abruptly ends the kiss and feigns disgust. The sound he produces adds an interesting touch to the candid moment.

However, it becomes more understandable when considering Clarke’s revelation that both actors would mockingly gag during the filming of these scenes. Their close friendship on set made the kissing aspect feel awkward and less natural for them. Harington explained: “Emilia and I had been best friends over a seven-year period and by the time we had to kiss it seemed really odd.”

Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon in Water for Elephants

While filming Water for Elephants, Robert Pattinson had a cold. “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.”

Witherspoon wasn’t very happy about sharing kisses with Pattinson at that time and admitted, “He did have a very runny nose, yeah. It wasn’t appealing, it wasn’t pleasant.”

Kirsten Dunst and Brad Pitt in Interview with the Vampire

In Interview with the Vampire, Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst had to kiss, but it was just a peck. However, even something as little as a peck was unsettling for the actress.

“I remember Brad would watch lots of Real World episodes. He had this long hair. He was just a hippie-ish cool dude. Everyone at the time was like, ’You’re so lucky you kissed Brad Pitt,’ but I thought it was disgusting. I didn’t kiss anyone else until I was 16, I think. I was a late bloomer.”

Dave Franco and Halston Sage in Neighbors

Dave Franco had his first-ever intimate scene with his co-star, Halston Sage, and he had to show his bottom. “It was nerve-wracking,” he said.

He only met his co-star the day before and admitted that it was awkward because they had just met. “I woke up that morning, and I had a giant pimple on my bottom. I had to go to the makeup artist who I had also met that week and be like, ’Can we go in the other room, and you’ll put makeup literally on my behind?’”

Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller in The Spectacular Now

Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller didn’t like each other’s taste buds when they had to kiss each other on-screen. Miles would drink Gatorade right before kissing scenes, and Woodley would tell him, “Are you serious? You’re going to kiss me after that?”

However, she wasn’t any better, according to Miles. “She would take these Chinese herbal supplements, which tasted like dirt. And she would always eat them right before we had a kissing scene! We put stuff in our mouths, so we could offend each other.” It was an ongoing back-and-forth battle.

Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt in Passengers

Jennifer Lawrence says kissing Chris Pratt in Passengers was the most vulnerable she had ever been. When she got home after the kissing scene, she asked herself, “What have I done? He was married. It was going to be my first time kissing a married man, and guilt is the worst feeling in your stomach. I knew it was my job, but I couldn’t tell my stomach that.”

She even called her mom afterward for reassurance to make sure that it was okay to kiss Pratt. “That was the most vulnerable I’ve ever been.”

Dane Cook and Kate Hudson in My Best Friend’s Girl

As charismatic and beautiful as Kate Hudson is, Dane Cook claims that his on-screen kiss with her was his worst. “I did a movie with her, My Best Friend’s Girl, and I think she purposely ate like a feast of onions before our scene. I had to burn her on that one!”

He even wanted to pull away during the kissing scene.

James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie in Wanted

It might sound bananas, given that Angelina Jolie is one of the most beautiful women in the world, but James McAvoy did not enjoy sharing a kiss with her on-screen.

It was her first day on set, and they immediately had to do a kissing scene. He said, “It was uncomfortable, sweaty, and not very nice. You’re meant to do the kissing last thing, but you end up doing it first thing, just after you’ve had your breakfast, and you’re all funky in the mouth.”

Elizabeth Olson and Paul Bettany in WandaVision

Collaborating was effortless for Marvel actors Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, except for one memorable moment during the production of WandaVision.

In the closing scene of the last episode, the two stars shared a kiss that unexpectedly became awkward, mainly due to the transformative Vision makeover sported by Bettany. Reflecting on the incident, Olsen shared: “I have to say that while he’s purple, while he has dots on his face, and while his last layer of make-up is glitter, and when he kisses me, it’s on my mouth. I mean, it’s just, the whole thing is a mess.”

This difference between how things appear on screen and what’s really going on backstage adds an interesting layer to the movie’s magic. It shows that making movies is not just about acting — it’s also about managing relationships and being professional, even when things might not be as perfect as they seem.