Since the very first onscreen kiss between May Irwin and John Rice, captured by William Heise for Thomas Edison back in 1896, cinema has been brimming with lip‑locking moments. While romance flicks naturally showcase countless smooches, kisses also pop up in thrillers, comedies, animations and even superhero sagas. Below you’ll find 10 behind scenes revelations that shed light on how some of the most unforgettable movie kisses were actually made.
10 behind scenes: The Magic Behind the Movies’ Most Memorable Smooches
10 Scarlett & Rhett’s First Kiss in Gone With the Wind (1939)
Vivian Leigh may have been the envy of many for sharing a screen with Clark Gable, but the moment she got to press lips with him was far from dreamy. Leigh allegedly complained that Gable’s dentures emitted a horrendous odor, a problem compounded by his chronic gum disease and heavy smoking habit, which together created a notorious case of bad breath.
Gable isn’t the only star whose oral hygiene caused a kissing conundrum. Liam Hemsworth once recounted that his on‑set smooch with Jennifer Lawrence during The Hunger Games felt “pretty uncomfortable” because Lawrence would deliberately eat pungent foods—garlic, tuna, you name it—before a kiss. Lawrence later defended herself, explaining that the off‑screen snack choices were unintentional, merely a coincidence of what she happened to be eating before the scene.
9 Too Brief Kiss in The Princess Bride (1987)
“Since the invention of the kiss, there have only been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind,” declares the Grandpa (Peter Falk) as he narrates the final kiss between Buttercup (Robin Wright) and Westley (Cary Elwes). Director Rob Reiner believed the actors nailed the moment on the first take, yet both Wright and Elwes kept requesting another go‑round.
Reiner eventually shot six takes, not because of on‑set chemistry, but because Elwes later described the experience as “like kissing your sister—just weird.” In his memoir As You Wish, Elwes added that both he and Wright were so giddy they were giggling like schoolchildren. The final kiss was the last piece to be filmed, and Elwes confessed he could have kept shooting all day because he didn’t want the movie to end.
8 Improvised Kiss in Lost in Translation (2003)
The closing scene of Lost in Translation features Bob (Bill Murray) whispering sweet nothings before sharing a tender kiss with Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson). True to his improvisational style, Murray proposed the kiss himself. Director Sofia Coppola told the Daily Beast that the moment was intended to be a subtle goodbye, a quiet acknowledgment that the two characters had touched each other’s lives.
The whisper itself was also a spontaneous addition. Coppola recalled that Murray’s line was never scripted; she intended to decide later what he would say, but the final edit left the whisper unheard. Fans remain curious about the content, but Coppola’s favorite answer is Murray’s: “It’s between lovers—so I’ll leave it at that.”
7 No Ending Kiss in When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Originally, writer Nora Ephron and director Rob Reiner envisioned a far less romantic conclusion for When Harry Met Sally. Reiner explained to Entertainment Weekly that the early draft ended with the two protagonists drifting apart on a bustling street. He felt stuck, having been single for a decade after a long marriage.
During production, Reiner met his future wife, Michele Singer, and realized the power of a true love story. He rewrote the finale so that Harry (Billy Crystal) rushes to a New Year’s Eve party, declares his devotion to Sally (Meg Ryan), and they share a now‑iconic kiss as the clock strikes midnight. Crystal even crafted the unforgettable line, “When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
6 Jack & Rose’s Choreographed Kiss in Titanic (1997)
Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) have multiple romantic moments in Titanic, yet the bow‑top kiss at sunset remains the most legendary. Director James Cameron meticulously storyboarded the scene, even drawing tiny lips on his hands to indicate who would lead and who would follow.
Cameron likened the choreography to “a football play on lips.” The real challenge was the natural lighting; the perfect sunset didn’t appear until the final day of exterior filming. When the clouds finally cleared, Cameron shouted “Shoot!” and the crew scrambled to capture the moment. Two takes were filmed; one was completely out of focus, while the other, though partially blurry, made it into the final cut. Some of the close‑up shots were later recreated on a painted backdrop due to time constraints.
5 Suffocating Upside‑Down Kiss in Spider‑Man (2002)
The rain‑drenched, inverted kiss between Spider‑Man (Tobey Maguire) and Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) in Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider‑Man has become an iconic superhero smooch. While Dunst handled the wet conditions without much complaint, Maguire described the experience as pure torment.
He recalled that rain streamed directly into his nose, and when Mary Jane lifted his mask to kiss him, it blocked his airway, leaving him gasping for breath. The combination of rain, the mask, and the kiss meant he was “practically suffocating” each time the director called for a cut.
4 A Rough Kiss Led to Near‑Broken Noses in Brokeback Mountain (2005)
In Brokeback Mountain, the romance between Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) is anything but gentle. Director Ang Lee encouraged the actors to deliver a “heroic western kiss,” warning that a typical, delicate kiss wouldn’t suit the story’s raw emotional tone.
Lee admitted the two almost broke each other’s noses, as the scene involved the actors slamming each other against walls while passionately kissing. Gyllenhaal later recounted the physical toll: “He grabs me, slams me against the wall, I grab him back, and we keep doing it over and over. I got the sh*t beat out of me.” The intensity of the exchange left both actors bruised after multiple takes.
3 Wanting Viggo’s Kiss in Sixteen Candles (1984)
John Hughes penned Sixteen Candles with Molly Ringwald in mind for Sam, but the casting of her love interest, Jake, was a toss‑up between Michael Shoeffling and future Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen. Ringwald recalled that during auditions, Shoeffling never kissed her, whereas Mortensen did.
She admitted Mortensen’s kiss made her “weak in the knees,” and she championed him for the role. Years later, when they reunited for Fresh Horses, Ringwald reminded Mortensen of that audition kiss. Mortensen joked that he always thought that kiss was why he lost the part. Casting director Jackie Burch clarified that the decision hinged on Mortensen’s accent, not the kiss.
2 The Spaghetti Kiss in Lady and the Tramp (1955)
The beloved scene where Lady and Tramp inadvertently share a spaghetti strand and then kiss has been reenacted by countless couples. Surprisingly, Walt Disney initially wanted to cut this canine smooch, fearing it wouldn’t appear “clean‑cut.”
Studio archivist Steven Vagnini explained Disney’s hesitation, noting the difficulty of making two dogs eating spaghetti look graceful. Animator Frank Thomas argued for its charm, producing concept art that convinced Disney to keep the scene. It became the first piece of animation tackled by newcomer Willie Ito, who later marveled at its iconic status.
1 The Incestuous Kiss in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Before the revelation in Return of the Jedi that Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia are siblings, the two shared a kiss in The Empire Strikes Back. In earlier drafts, Luke openly declared his love for Leia, and a later version had Leia reciprocating before ultimately choosing Han Solo.
The script even called for a deleted infirmary scene where Luke leans in for a kiss, only to be interrupted by R2‑D2 and C‑3PO moments before their lips met. These more explicit moments were cut from the final film, softening the awkwardness of the later sibling revelation.