Kissing is indeed an intimate act. And one that should always be consensual. But it’s not always a cakewalk to fake intimacy on screen and share a kiss with your co-star. Read on to find out why these actors refused to kiss their co-actors and find some really interesting and entertaining answers.
1. Denzel Washington – The Pelican Brief
The Pelican Brief was a successful film, if not Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts’s best piece of work. However, the film is remembered to date because of the statement that Denzel Washington made by choosing to not kiss his co-star in the film. According to NY Daily News Report, he did it out of loyalty to his female African American fans. The icon said, “ Black women are not often seen as objects of desire on film. And they have always been my core audience”
2. Janet Jackson – Poetic Justice
Janet Jackson in the 1993 film Poetic Justice, refused to kiss Tupac Shakur unless he got an AIDS test. Tupac quite naturally was offended and said, “I don’t matter who you send, I am not taking one. To me, it was just, like, an insult. If I am going to do a love scene with her just like somebody else did and they didn’t take the test, I am not taking a test. ” Jackson only asked him to take the test because of Tupac’s reputation of being a ladies’ man.
3. Kimberly McCullough – General Hospital
When Kimberly McCullough was 14 years old, she was required to take part in a long kiss with a 22-year-old guest actor in the show General Hospital. This actor had made few remarks during the rehearsals and joked about having condoms for the date. But McCullough stood her ground and said, “When it came time to do the same, I refused to kiss him. With the director and the crew watching me, I stood my ground. Kiss me on the cheek instead of a long kiss at the end of the same. Yes, it was a small victory on my part, but I am sure people called me difficult as a result.”
4. Lindsay Lohan- Scary Movie 5
Lindsay Lohan refused to kiss Charlie Sheen in Scary Movie 5 because of the actor’s history of wild partying. In fact, body doubles pair used to play the actors in the intimate scenes, and the kissing scenes were written out carefully and completely. But Charlie Sheen didn’t take Logan’s refusal personally at all.
5. Sienna Miller – Camille
Sienna Miller managed to kiss James Franco, her on-screen husband in Camille only once. James Franco said in an interview, “I think we kissed only ones in that film wasn’t at all intents, no rolling around or anything. Sienna’s molar was giving her pain so she called the dentist!”
6. Julia Roberts – I Love Trouble
Julia Roberts refused to kiss her partner Nick Nolte in the 1994 film ‘I Love Trouble‘ because she found him to be “completely disgusting”. Eventually, they did share a kissing scene in the film but their hatred for one mother got so bad that body doubles had to be used to film scenes where both the characters were present for major parts of the shoot.
7. Neal McDonough – Scoundrels
Neal McDonough, being the staunch Catholic he is, refused to kiss on Scoundrels(or any other show or film) because his lips belonged to his wife only. And even though he was labeled as a religious man who had trouble finding work initially, went on to have a stellar career all while holding on to his beliefs.
8. Will Smith – Six Degrees of Separation
Will Smith refused to share a kiss with his co-star Anthony Michael Hall on-screen even though it was written in the script because he was too scared of what his friends back in Philly might think of him. Years later he admitted that it was quite immature of him.
9. Thandie Newton – RocknRolla
Thandie Newton refused to kiss her co-star Gerard Butler in Guy Ritchie’s action/crime feature RocknRolla because she didn’t want to catch Gerard’s cold. Ultimately, Guy used quick cuts and close-ups and made sure the scene came out brilliantly.
10. Kirk Cameron – Fireproof
Kirk Cameron refused to kiss his co-star in fireproof but shared a kiss in the film nonetheless. He had a brilliant idea of bringing in his wife Chelsea Noble in a wig to look like his co-star Erin Bethea. So he kissed his wife on-screen and off-screen, and no one else.
