8 Movie Kisses That Stirred Up Real-Life Controversy

Movie kisses are usually harmless, maybe even iconic, like that upside-down smooch in Spider-Man or Bogart’s breathy goodbye in Casablanca. But every once in a while, a kiss meant for the screen ends up causing some serious off-screen drama. From awkward age gaps and relationship fallout to just plain weird vibes, these on-screen kisses have definitely stirred the pot too much.

1. Icky Kiss in Blank Check

In Disney’s Blank Check, a 12-year-old boy ends up going on a date with an undercover FBI agent (played by Karen Duffy), and at one point, they kiss. At the time, people mostly rolled their eyes at the ridiculous premise, but years later, once it hit Disney+, the internet collectively cringed. Reddit threads with debates started popping up about whether the scene could ever be filmed today. Brian Bonsall, the kid actor, shrugged off the drama and said he had a blast making the movie. Yeah, we know you did!

2. Nicole Kidman’s Strange Smooch in Birth

Do you remember the scene in which Nicole Kidman kisses a ten-year-old boy who claims to be her reincarnated husband? Yeah, that happened in Birth, and no one liked to see that. The kiss, meant to be symbolic, instead came off as deeply uncomfortable because even though story-wise it’s okay, you’re still kissing a kid. Critics called it creepy, and Kidman had to defend her choice to do the film, insisting it was about exploring love, not sensationalism.

3. Kissing Howard the Duck

You probably forgot this movie existed, huh? In Howard the Duck, Lea Thompson shares a flirty scene with, well, a talking duck. The kiss between Thompson and the animatronic Howard was enough to make audiences squirm. The movie was a huge hit, and both Thompson and Chip Zien, who provided Howard’s voice, acknowledged that the experience haunted them for years. Thompson later stated that the criticism hurt him, although he and Chip Zien have learned to laugh about it in hindsight.

4. Halle Berry’s Kiss in Monster’s Ball

Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry’s steamy scenes in Monster’s Ball made waves, especially since Thornton was married to Angelina Jolie at the time. The emotionally raw intimacy might’ve worked on-screen, but behind the scenes, it created tension in Thornton’s marriage. He admitted the role made things tough at home. Berry, who won an Academy Award for the role, defended the scene, saying it was more about emotional rebirth than shock value.