10 Actors Who Refused To Kiss On Screen
8. Denzel Washington Wanted To Stay True To His Audience - The Pelican Brief
Though 1993's The Pelican Brief isn't seen as one of Julia Roberts or Denzel Washington's most notable pieces of work, the film still managed to bring in nearly $200 million at the box office and the duo were praised for having outstanding on-screen chemistry as law student Darby Shaw and Washington Herald reporter Gray Grantham, respectively.
Despite all of this, however, the film is often remembered for being the project where Washington chose to make a statement in refusing to kiss his co-star. The iconic thespian did this "out of loyalty to his female African-American fans", according to a NY Daily News report. Washington further explained his decision by saying:
“Black women are not often seen as objects of desire on film. And they have always been my core audience.”
Understandably upset at missing out on a smooch with Washington, Roberts later confessed in an interview with Newsweek:
"Don't I have a pulse? Of course I wanted to kiss Denzel. It was his idea to take the damn scenes out."
You'll be pleased to hear that the pair didn't end up falling out over the matter and have remained friends over the years, with Roberts even paying tribute to the generational talent during his AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony in 2019.