On-Screen Kisses That Were Totally Unscripted

Published on February 2, 2023
One common storyline that is featured in many movies, regardless of genre, is the romance plot line. Most people become rather invested in two characters’ chemistry, and it can often lead to a lot of exciting moments in the film. The best moments are unexpected smooches that take us all by surprise. Some of these were so unexpected that they weren’t even scripted! Check out which on-screen kissing scenes were completely improvised.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

A touching scene in Star Wars: The Last Jedi involves Luke gently kissing Leia on the forehead and then walking away. Mark Hamill has said that this scene was improvised and not part of the original script.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Luke and Leia

The reason why this scene was so emotional was because it showed Luke parting ways from Leia forever. Hamill was saying goodbye to a character that has been around for years. Additionally, since Carrie Fisher passed away even before the movie was released, this was truly a final goodbye, and the last scene we’ll ever see her in.

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Luke And Leia

Luke And Leia

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ER

Avid watchers of medical drama ER were heavily invested in the tension between Dr. Doug Ross and Nurse Carol Hathaway. The characters, portrayed by George Clooney and Juliana Margulies, kept fans on the edge of their seats with their “will they-won’t they” type of relationship.

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ER

ER

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Dr. Doug Ross and Nurse Carol Hathaway

When George Clooney left ER, many fans were let down that the two characters had not had any romance between them. When Juliana Margulies announced that she was leaving, show runners decided to give the audience what they’d been waiting for, culminating in this dramatic kiss scene between the two.

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Dr. Doug Ross And Nurse Carol Hathaway

Dr. Doug Ross And Nurse Carol Hathaway

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Lost In Translation

Lost In Translation tells the story of aging actor Bob (played by the great Bill Murray) and Charlotte, a young recent college drag (played by Scarlet Johansson). Their unlikely friendship is the focus of the film, and the final scene features an unexpected kiss that Bob plants on Charlotte’s lips.

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Lost In Translation

Lost In Translation

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Bob and Charlotte

Scarlet Johansson was just as surprised as audience members since this little kiss was not in the original script, so her surprise was actually real.  Murray felt that the kiss was right in the particular moment, and director Sofia Coppola agreed, so it was left in the final scene.

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Bob And Charlotte

Bob And Charlotte

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The Office

Fans of The Office will remember this unforgettable and hilarious moment between Michael Scott and Oscar Martinez. In order to show solidarity and support for Oscar on being gay, Michael seeks to prove that he is not homophobic in dramatic fashion.

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The Office

The Office

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Michael and Oscar

Michael decides to kiss Oscar on the lips in order to show that he has no problem with him being gay. Of course, this took everyone by surprise, including co-star Oscar Nuñez who admitted that the moment was completely improvised by Steve Carrell.

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Michael And Oscar

Michael And Oscar

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Edge of Tomorrow

Starring Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise, Edge of Tomorrow is a film about Major William Cage, who is stuck in a time loop that has him reliving his death day over and over. He asks Special Forces agent Rita Vrataki to help him break out of this loop.

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Edge Of Tomorrow

Edge Of Tomorrow

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Cage and Rita

The film’s directors knew the action film would be packed with high-paced scenes, so they wanted to include a romantic storyline as well. This proved to be more difficult than expected, but Emily Blunt improvised a kiss in the middle of a scene that fit the bill perfectly.

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Cage And Rita

Cage And Rita

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Orange Is the New Black

Netflix original show Orange Is the New Black tells the story of Piper Champman who is incarcerated alongside her ex-girlfriend Alex. The show alternates between present and flashbacks in order to give the audience background info on their relationship.

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Orange Is The New Black

Orange Is The New Black

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Piper and Alex

As the characters developed, many people hoped that they would eventually reconcile. The way it ended up happening shocked many. Even though the two went through dramatic breakups and betrayals, they ended up in an unexpected embrace right in the middle of the prison chapel.

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Piper And Alex

Piper And Alex

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The X-Files

One of the defining TV shows of the 1990’s in undoubtedly The X-Files. Show runners knew that a conventional relationship between the two main characters, FBI agents Fox and Scully, just wouldn’t cut it.

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The X Files

The X Files

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Fox and Scully

After seven long seasons without any romance between the two, audience members had started to give up on the idea altogether. However, that’s when the unexpected kiss came. A few seasons later, the two actually got into a relationship.

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Fox And Scully

Fox And Scully

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American Hustle

American Hustle is a film about a conman named Irving Rosenfeld who is portrayed by Christian Bale, along with his partner Richie DiMaso, who is played by Bradley Cooper. Rosenfeld’ wife Rosalyn is played by Jennifer Lawrence, and his mistress Sudney Prosser is portrayed by Amy Adams.

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American Hustle

American Hustle

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Sydney and Rosalyn

Even though the two women are both in relationships with Rosenfeld, they share a very unexpected kiss, which takes place in the middle of a heated argument. Amy Adams came up with the idea, but Jennifer Lawrence was the one who improvised the timing of the execution, which added the realistic element of surprise.

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Sydney And Rosalyn

Sydney And Rosalyn

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New Girl

Hit sitcom New Girl features Zooey Deschannel as Jess, a quirky woman who moves in with two male roommates. The actors were allowed to improvise many scenes on the show, which is how the kiss between Schmidt and Nick ended up taking place.

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New Girl

New Girl

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Nick and Schmidt

Schmidt finds out that Nick has had a health scare, so he grabs him Godfather-style and kisses him on the mouth. Max Greenfield (who plays Schmidt) said that the kiss was such a shock for fellow actor Jake Johnson that it made him a bit uncomfortable.

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Nick And Schmidt

Nick And Schmidt

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Gilmore Girls

Fans of Gilmore Girls are all invested in Rory and Lorelai’s love lives. For so many season, we weren’t sure if Luke and Lorelai would finally admit their feelings for each other and start dating.

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Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls

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Luke and Lorelai

Four full seasons into the show, fans finally got what they wanted. When the two friends were talking, Luke suddenly decided to go for it and kissed Lorelai, shocking fans and Lorelai herself. The unexpected moments is definitely one of the best moments of the show.

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Luke And Lorelai

Luke And Lorelai

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Jurassic World

One of the later films in the Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World features velociraptor trainer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) having a lot of tension throughout the film. Fans were rooting for them despite their complicated past.

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Jurassic World

Jurassic World

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Owen and Claire

On the last day of shooting, the director took actor Chris Pratt aside and made the suggestion of the two characters kissing even though it was not in the script. The two did not tell Howard so that they could get a genuine reaction from her, which certainly ended up happening.

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Owen And Claire

Owen And Claire

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Teen Wolf

MTV drama Teen Wolf tells the story of socially awkward Stiles Stilinski falling for his classmate Lydia Martin. Stiles is so awkward that fans of the show were seriously doubting whether he could ever pluck up the courage to pursue Lydia.

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Teen Wolf

Teen Wolf

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Stiles and Lydia

The scene that made it all possible was when Stiles kissed Lydia on the cheek unexpectedly. This was snuck into the end of the season to the show’s producers could gauge how fans would react to their potential relationship. Obviously, things went well as the two ended up together.

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Stiles And Lydia

Stiles And Lydia

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

Those who were invested in The Hunger Games series stuck it out to the second part of the final installment, Mockingjay Part 2. Woody Harrelson reprised his role of Haymitch, who unexpectedly ended up kissing Effie Trinkett, played by Elizabeth Banks.

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

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Effie and Haymitch

The kiss was not in the original script, and Harrelson admitted that having a little crush on Banks prompted him to go for it and improvise the kiss. Directors felt that it worked well in the story so it was kept in the final cut.

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Effie And Haymitch

Effie And Haymitch

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Top Gun

One of the most memorable scenes in the classic film Top Gun is when Charlie, played by Kelly McGillis, tells Maverick, played by Tom Cruise, that she has feelings for him. She emphasizes that she doesn’t want him to tell anyone, when suddenly he kisses her unexpectedly.

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Top Gun

Top Gun

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Maverick and Charlie

The iconic kiss was not originally in the script, and Cruise admitted that the reason he went for it was because he actually forgot his line. He decided a kiss would get the message across, and obviously directors felt that it worked. The rest, as they say, is history.

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Maverick And Charlie

Maverick And Charlie

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Stranger Things

Netflix original series Stranger Things introduces us to a band of teenagers growing up in the 1980’s and experiencing a lot of…strange things. In season two, Max and Lucas start having feelings for each other. After they both admit it, they share a kiss.

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Stranger Things

Stranger Things

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Max and Lucas

The two young actors involved were quite anxious about the whole ordeal. Sadie Sink, who played Max, took initiative and led the scene, but still many fans thought that the scene was rather unecessary.

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Max And Lucas

Max And Lucas

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Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones was one of the most successful shows of all time, and a lot of the reason why was due to its many beloved characters and interesting plot lines. Season seven featured a surprisingly intimate moment between Yara Greyjoy and Ellaria Sand.

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Game Of Thrones

Game Of Thrones

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Yara and Ellaria

The two characters had been quite flirtatious with one another but fans were still quite shocked when they actually kissed. The two actresses actually completely improved the scene, and directors felt that it worked well so the scene was left in the final cut.

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Yara And Ellaria

Yara And Ellaria

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A Room With a View

In A Room With a View, Helena Bonham Carter plays a character that is quite different from the rest of her darker characters that she is usually known for. In one of the scenes, her character Lucy chats with George, played by Julian Sands, and the two end up kissing.

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Room With A View

A Room With A View

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Lucy and George

The kiss was not in the original script, and Bonham Carter admitted that due to it being improvised, it ended up being a bit clumsy. She was only 18 at the time the movie was filmed and she felt that she was still rather inexperienced.

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Lucy And George

Lucy And George

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Love Actually

Love Actually uses an ensemble cast to tell many stories at once that are interconnected. One of the most unforgettable scenes is when Mark, played by Andrew Lincoln, makes a surprise visit to his best friend’s wife, played by Keira Knightley.

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Love Actually

Love Actually

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Mark and Juliet

Mark admits to Juliet that he has feelings for her by using cue cards. Juliet is surprised and smiles at him and Mark begins to walk away. She eventually catches up to him and plants an unexpected kiss. The scene is supposed to be sweet, but many felt that it was unfair to her husband and his best friend.

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Mark And Juliet

Mark And Juliet

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Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones features Anakin and Padme’s relationship as one of the central plot points. The two run away together and shirk their responsibilities. However, many felt that Natalie Portman and Hayden Christiansen did not have any real chemistry.

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Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

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Anakin and Padme

Many agree that the body language between the two actors is very awkward, leading to strained dialogue. When the two finally kiss, many fans feel that it was quite forced.

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Anakin And Padme

Anakin And Padme

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The Mummy

Similarly, in The Mummy, Tom Cruise played Nick and Annabelle Wallis played Jenny, but fans did not buy the chemistry between them. Many said that romantic scenes made them cringe.

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The Mummy

The Mummy

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Jenny and Nick

Many people pointed out that the large age gap between the two actors made the relationship feel uncomfortable and that Wallis did not look comfortable the whole time. People have said that things would have been better if the two had had a banter-filled friendship instead.

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Jenny And Nick

Jenny And Nick

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