Kissing Scenes That Weren’t Supposed to Happen

These actors and actresses decided to seal their roles with a kiss.

A good on-screen kiss can bring new meaning to a movie scene or have people talking about a TV show for weeks.

Surprisingly, some memorable on-screen kisses were never even in the script, with actors and directors opting for the surprise element to elevate their work. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.

These are the kisses from movies and television shows that weren’t supposed to happen.

Michael Kisses Oscar

The Office / YouTube

From: The Office

Year: 2006

Season no.: 3

Episode no.: 1

Actors: Steve Carrell and Oscar Nunez

Bottom line: When Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) accidentally outs Oscar (Oscar Nunez) for being gay and also makes some homophobic comments, Michael has to prove to the entire office that he’s absolutely fine with homosexuality.

To do so, he makes everyone watch him kiss Oscar on the mouth. It’s one of the best scenes in “The Office,” and it was entirely improvised by Carrell.

Watch this scene closely, and you can see the cast try not to laugh.

The Bathroom Kiss in ‘American Hustle’

Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams in American Hustle

JLAW LOVERR / YouTube

From: American Hustle

Year: 2013

Actors: Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams

Bottom line: One of the most memorable scenes in “American Hustle” is the bathroom confrontation between Sydney (Amy Adams) and Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence). During that scene, Rosalyn plants a sinister kiss on Sydney before leaving the room.

The kiss wasn’t supposed to happen. Adams came up with the idea and approached Lawrence about it before the scene.

“I really want to tell her something, and I thought, ‘What’s the craziest thing she could have done to me?'” Adams said. “I thought she should kiss me.”

Venus Van Dam Makes a Splash

FX / IMDB

From: Sons of Anarchy

Year aired: 2012

Season no.: 5

Episode no.: 5

Actors: Walter Goggins, Charlie Hunnam

Bottom line: The fifth “Sons of Anarchy” episode of season five introduced us to the unforgettable Venus Van Dam, a foul-mouthed transgender prostitute played by Walter Goggins.

During one scene with Jax (Charlie Hunnam), Goggins leaned into Hunnham and whispered, “Just trust me,” then kissed him softly.

It was completely improvised.

The Movie Kiss People Are Still Talking About

Focus Features / YouTube

From: Lost in Translation

Year: 2003

Actors: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johannsson

Bottom line: What Bill Murray said to Scarlett Johansson at the end of “Lost in Translation” was a hot topic when the movie released in 2003, and it’s still a scene that stirs discussion.

During the film’s ending scene, Murray pulls his co-star in close and whispers something in her ear, then gives her a long kiss on the mouth.

The entire scene was improvised by Murray, so not even writer-director Sofia Coppola knows what was said. Fans have gone so far as to amplify the film’s sound to try and decipher what Murray said.

A Bad Decision

Netflix / IMDB

From: Stranger Things

Year aired: 2017

Season no.: 2

Episode no.: 9

Actors: Sadie Sink, Caleb McLaughlin

Bottom line: This one’s not fun, but it was certainly a kiss that wasn’t supposed to happen. On the final episode of the second season of “Stranger Things,” Max (Sadie Sink) kisses Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin). The kiss was unscripted, and during an episode of “Beyond Stranger Things,” Sink didn’t seem to be entirely comfortable with the off-script scene.

“I’m like, ‘What! No! That’s not in the script … that’s not happening,'” Sink recalled, per an episode recap from Indie Wire. “So the whole day I was like stressed out, I was like, ‘Oh my god, wait, am I gonna have to’ … It didn’t happen that day, but then the second day of filming the Snow Ball.”

Ross Duffer, co-creator and one-half of the Duffer brothers, joked, “You reacted so strongly to this — I was just joking — and you were so freaked out that I was like, ‘Well, I gotta make her do it now’ … that’s what happened, that’s why I’m saying it’s your fault.”

Duffer’s comments caused controversy, with fans accusing him of, at the very least, being unprofessional.

Luke and Leia Reunite

Disney / IMDB

From: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Year: 2017

Actors: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher

Bottom line: In “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” fans got to see Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) reunite on screen for the first time in nearly 35 years.

The kiss in this touching scene is entirely improvised, and it became so much more emotional due to Fisher’s unexpected death not long after she filmed her scenes.

Tom Cruise Glosses Over the Script

Warner Bros. / IMDB

From: Edge of Tomorrow

Year: 2014

Actors: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt

Bottom line: “Edge of Tomorrow” was a sleeper hit. Everything in the film works, but, surprisingly, Tom Cruise didn’t read this one scene properly. Before the final battle, Emily Blunt plants a quick kiss on Cruise, and he’s visibly surprised.

While this is often cited as a kiss that wasn’t supposed to happen, it was in the script — but Cruise didn’t know it was coming.

“No, it was in the script, but I think he hadn’t read it properly,” Blunt recalled. “So I think he was a bit taken aback. He was like, ‘Oh my god! This is what we’re doing.’ Well, Tom had read the scene but he hadn’t really read the stage directions. There were some new pages.”

A Teen Kiss That Flipped the Script

MTV / IMDB

From: Teen Wolf

Year aired: 2017

Season no.: 6

Episode no.: 1

Actors: Dylan O’Brien, Holland Roden

Bottom line: This MTV teen drama had fans reeling when Stiles (Dylan O’Brien) gave Lydia (Holland Roden) a quick, unexpected smooch on the cheek.

The scene wasn’t in the script, but the scene became so popular among fans that the writers created an entire romance subplot with these two characters.

Woody Harrelson Kisses His Crush

Lionsgate / IMDB

From: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

Year: 2015

Actors: Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks

Bottom line: Most people are concerned about Katniss’ (Jennifer Lawrence) relationship triangle in “The Hunger Games.” Not many people appreciate the low-profile romance subplot of Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) and Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks).

In the franchise’s second installment, Harrelson decided to take some creative liberties with his character and kissed Banks during the scene.

“I have a crush on Elizabeth Banks, I’m not going to lie,” Harrelson said. “I think she’s a beautiful woman, I think she’s a marvelous actress, and I just love her as a person. She’s as fun as can be. She didn’t know I was even going to do it, and I just kissed her. She’s such a pro.”

Fans of Harrelson should also check out his infamous “Rampart” AMA on Reddit (warning: strong language).

A ‘Glee’-ful Kiss

20th Century Fox Television / IMDB

From: Glee

Year aired: 2010

Season no.: 1

Episode no.: 22

Actors: Matthew Morrison, Jayma Mays

Bottom line: In the final episode of “Glee”‘s first season, Will (Matthew Morrison) and Emma (Jayma Mays) exchange a kiss.

Except the smooch wasn’t in the script. Writer-director Brad Falchuk pulled Morrison aside and told him to kiss his co-star.

“Her reaction is totally real,” said Falchuk.

Through a Field of Poppies

Goldcrest Films International / IMDB

From: A Room With a View

Year: 1985

Actors: Helena Bonham Carter, Julian Sands

Bottom line: The most beloved scene in “A Room With a View” was entirely improvised.

According to Helena Bonham Carter, the crew was waiting around for days to get the right kind of magic moment and the right area to perform the scene. The director was looking for a field of cornflowers but could only find a poppy field. When the sun started to set, the director threw everything into action.

“It’s very hard to walk across a plowed field in high heels, and, oh God, it was hard work,” Carter recalled. “I just knew I had to get to him without falling down. And then not laugh when he kissed me. And it’s really hard to kiss someone when you’re only 18 and you haven’t done it that many times, too. So it was hard. That was hard.”

Tom Cruise Forgets His Lines

Paramount Pictures / IMDB

From: Top Gun

Year: 1986

Actors: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis

Bottom line: After Maverick (Tom Cruise) stops his motorcyle and Charlie (Kelly McGillis) catches up to him, she angerly declares that she doesn’t want anyone to know she’s falling for him.

Cruise was supposed to say something in return, but he forgot his lines and improvised with a kiss. The director loved it, and they went on to shoot one of the most hilariously corny love scenes in filmmaking history.

Here’s the whole scene.

‘Game of Thrones’ Turns Up the Heat

HBO / YouTube

From: Game of Thrones

Year aired: 2017

Season no.: 7

Episode no.: 2

Actors: Gemma Whelan, Indira Varma

Bottom line: In the seventh season of “Game of Thrones,” Yara Grayjoy (Gemma Whelan) was only supposed to flirt with Ellaria Varma (Indira Varma) in a ship’s cabin, but the two decided to take it further.

“It wasn’t directed that we would kiss. It just seemed like something we should do,” Whelan said. “We led it, very much so. It was meant to be a suggestion [of flirting] and then it became more sexual than we expected because it seemed right.

“There was only a skeleton crew working because the rig could only take so much weight, so we were left very much on our own. And who wouldn’t want to kiss Indira? I mean, come on!”

Fight-Kiss-Fight

MGM / IMDB

From: 22 Jump Street

Year: 2014

Actors: Jonah Hill, Jillian Bell

Bottom line: One of the funniest moments from “22 Jump Street” comes from the bedroom fight between Jonah Hill and Jillian Bell. The two wail on each other, then accuse one another of trying to kiss each other, then fight again.

They don’t actually kiss, but the scene is so good it makes this list. Director Phil Lord, seeing the two’s comedic chemistry, told them to ad-lib the bit where Bell tried to kiss Hill.

The whole thing was improvised.

The Flight-Home Kiss

Fox / IMDB

From: The Mindy Project

Year aired: 2014

Season no.: 2

Episode no.: 14

Actors: Mindy Kaling, Chris Messina

Bottom line: During a flight home after a business trip, Danny (Chris Messina) leaves his seat and passionately kisses Mindy.

The relationship between the two wasn’t supposed to happen, but after writers saw the undeniable chemistry between these two actors, they wrote in something new.

“You can’t script chemistry,” Kaling said of her and Chris Messina’s characters. “After a while, it became not if they would do it, but when would they do it.”

Chris Pratt ‘Surprises’ Bryce Dallas Howard

Universal Pictures / IMDB

From: Jurassic World

Year: 2015

Actors: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard

Bottom line: Being amid rampaging dinosaurs and screaming children isn’t exactly a romantic spot for a kiss, but that didn’t stop director Colin Trevorrow from setting up a kiss between Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt.

Before the scene, Trevorrow told Pratt to kiss Howard after he helped her up from the ground in one of the movie’s final scenes.

“We didn’t tell Bryce,” Pratt recalled. “We surprised her with that.”

A Graduation Kiss

Sony / IMDB

From: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Year: 2014

Actors: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone

Bottom line: Andrew Garfield (who plays Peter Parker) and Emma Stone (who plays Gwen Stacey) were dating at the time when they passionately kissed each other on the set of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” during the graduation scene.

“Oh, the kiss wasn’t scripted. I didn’t know I was going to do it,” Garfield recalled. “I just thought, ‘I just missed my girlfriend’s valedictorian speech. How am I going to make it up to her?’ Then I was thinking, ‘I’m graduating. I don’t really give a f— about this place, and fuck all of the people. So I’m going to go in and have fun. And embarrass her!”

Riverdale Goes Hedwig

The CW / IMDB

From: Riverdale

Year aired: 2020

Season no.: 4

Episode no.: 17

Actors: Casey Cott, K.J. Apa

Bottom line: A special musical episode on The CW’s “Riverdale” paid homage to the classic LGBQTIA cult classic, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.”

During a musical number in “Hedwig,” Hedwig kisses a random member of the audience during her show. So actor Casey Cott decided to do the same, and he picked Archie (Casey Cott) to lay on a big smooch. It was totally unscripted.

“So I planted one on his cheek, and then the next take I went in to do the same thing and he turned his face and we just kind of laid a big one on each other,” Cott recalled. “And then after that, we were like ‘This is exactly what it should be. This is, like, perfect for this number,’ and I’m really glad it made the cut.”

An Emotional Scene from ‘Person of Interest’

Warner Bros. Television / YouTube

From: Person of Interest

Year aired: 2014

Season no.: 3

Episode no.: 9

Actors: Taraji P. Henson, Jim Caviezel

Spoilers for “Person of Interest” ahead.

Bottom line: In CBS’ “Person of Interest,” Joss Carter (Taraji P. Henson) had a tearful farewell with an unscripted goodbye kiss from the show’s lead actor, Jim Caviezel, played by John Reese. The kiss, which happened in the same episode that Carter is killed, was not supposed to happen.

“It wasn’t in the script at all. And I’m really a very spontaneous actress, so if somebody is going to try something new, I like them to just do it,” Henson recalled. “Then you get the honest reaction. So, that’s what Jim did. He came over to me and was like, ‘I want to do something…,’ and I said, ‘Don’t tell me, just do it.’ And that’s where the kiss came from and that whole look on my face, because I really was like, ‘What the hell did we just do?'”

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth Meet and Kiss on Set

Disney / IMDB

From: The Last Song

Year: 2010

Actors: Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth

Bottom line: Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth met on the set of the critically scorned film, “The Last Song.”

The beach kiss between them wasn’t in the script. Instead, the director was shouting at the actors to do this and that, and eventually, she told them to kiss. They did, and sparks flew.

Cyrus and Hemsworth dated for eight years, got married for two, but then divorced in 2020.

A Special Edition Kiss

20th Century Fox / IMDB

From: Independence Day

Year: 1996

Actors: Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Fierstein

Bottom line: This one is only for huge “Independence Day” fans, as the scene was cut from the film but restored on the extended edition on Blu-ray.

According to IMDB, there is a scene where Jeff Goldblum talks about the alien’s signal and is kissed by Harvey Fierstein with an unscripted smooch.

A ‘Carefree’ Kiss Between Legends

RKO Pictures / IMDb

From: Carefree

Year: 1938

Actors: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers”

Bottom line: This one’s an oldie but a goodie.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers appeared in numerous RKO Pictures films together throughout the 1930s.

In one movie, “Carefree,” the two shared an unscripted kiss, according to a fan site devoted to the legendary duo.

Sammy Davis Jr.’s Primetime Smooch

CBS / IMDB

From: All in the Family

Year aired: 1972

Season no.: 2

Episode no.: 21

Actors: Sammy Davis Jr., Carroll O’Connor

Bottom line: “All in the Family” was a groundbreaking show that centered on the pseudo-bigot Archie Bunker, played by the decidedly not-racist Carroll O’Connor.

In season two, legendary Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr. shows up for an iconic episode about race relations in the 1970s. During it, Davis Jr. gives Connor a great big unscripted kiss on the cheek.

While it’s nothing now, the scene had people talking back then.

Will Smith and Tommy Davidson Almost Come to Blows

New Line Cinema / IMDB

From: Woo

Year: 1998

Actors: Jada Pinkett Smith, Tommy Davidson

Bottom line: File this under unscripted kisses that didn’t happen. During the filming of the 1998 romantic comedy, “Woo,” Tommy Davidson tried to spice things up by attempting an impromptu kiss on co-star Jada Pinkett Smith. When he went for it, Jada recoiled.

Even worse, her husband, Will Smith, got very defensive and almost fought Davidson over it.

“Will went all gangsta on me, saying what I did was not cool,” Davidson recalled.

A Spontaneous Smooch on Grey’s Anatomy

Disney-ABC / IMDB

From: Grey’s Anatomy

Year aired: 2018

Season no.: 14

Episode no.: 24

Actors: Camilla Luddington, Justin Chambers, Jessica Capshaw

Bottom line: In the 14th season finale of the long-running “Grey’s Anatomy,” Camilla Luddington plops a goofy kiss on Justin Chambers and Jessica Capshaw.

The actress took to Twitter in 2018, revealing that the whole scene was unscripted.

“It was unscripted but I thought hello?!!! Who wouldn’t want to also smooch Arizona Robbins?” she tweeted.

The Many Kisses of New Girl

Max Greenfield and Jake Johnson in New Girl

Fox / IMDB

From: New Girl

Years aired: 2011-2018

Season no.: Multiple

Episode no.: Multiple

Actors: Jake Johnson and Max Greenfield

Bottom line: “New Girl” co-stars Jake Johnson and Max Greenfield shared many unscripted kisses over the show’s seven seasons.

All of them are unscripted smooches, which started with Max Greenfield messing around, kissing Johnson during several improvised takes of the show’s first season. Eventually, the kiss was included and became a running gag both on and off the set of “New Girl.”

“I have been kissed the most by Max in six seasons then I have been kissed by any girl I have ever dated,” Johnson said.

Beautiful Closure on ‘Parenthood’

NBC / IMDB

From: Parenthood

Year aired: 2015

Season no.: 6

Episode no.: 11

Actors: Sam Jaeger, Erika Christensen

Bottom line: During the third-to-last episode of “Parenthood,” Joel (Sam Jaeger) and Julia (Erika Christensen) finally reconcile at an ice skating rink with a kiss.

According to Christensen, the two were just supposed to hold hands, but Jaeger thought a kiss would be better.

“It ended up playing so beautifully. It was so earned,” Christensen told The Hollywood Reporter. “Sam just kissed me. If there was any logic involved, it was knowing that there was going to be a reaction shot on the kids. Their reaction to that was so much nicer than it would have potentially been if they were just holding hands. It’s so much more definitive.”

A Persuasive Kiss

ABC / IMDB

From: The Persuaders!

Year aired: 1971

Season no.: 1

Episode no.: 13

Actors: Roger Moore, Valerie Leon

Bottom line: This surprise happened during an episode of the British action-comedy series “The Persuaders!” when Roger Moore laid a kiss on actress Valerie Leon, who played a queen from space.

“Roger gave me an unscripted kiss,” the actress recalled. “I just closed my eyes and enjoyed it. They kept it in.”

You can watch the scene on Facebook.

A ‘Legendary’ Kiss

Warner Bros. Television / YouTube

From: Legends of Tomorrow

Year aired: 2020

Season no.: 5

Episode no.: 1

Actors: Caity Lotz, Jess McCallan

Bottom line: While battling with an alternative-timeline Rasputin, superheroes Ava (Jes McCallan) and Sara (Caity Lotz) make up from another one of their fights with a kiss.

Lotz grabs McCallan, dips her, and plants a big kiss on her in an impromptu moment while the cameras rolled.

The scene actually made it into the show.

Chemistry Is Chemistry

Vanessa Geraldo / YouTube

From: Orange Is the New Black

Year aired: 2013

Season no.: 1

Episode no.: 9

Actors: Taylor Schilling, Laura Prepon

Bottom line: Alex (Laura Prepon) and Piper (Taylor Schilling) share a steamy moment in the prison chapel.

The kiss may or may not have been scripted or unscripted, but it was a new experience for Prepon, who had never had a same-sex relationship in an acting role.

“[The] main thing I learned was whether it’s a man or a woman, if there’s chemistry, there’s chemistry,” she told “After Ellen.”