10 Actors Who Refused To Kiss On Screen
7. Thandie Newton Didn't Want To Get Sick - RocknRolla
As far as reasons to turn down an on-screen kiss go, not wanting to catch your co-star's cold is about as understandable as they come.
Sure enough, when Gerard Butler wandered onto the set of Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla to shoot a scene which involved him and Thandie Newton's characters getting it on, all while feeling very much under the weather, his co-star put her foot down and forced the director to think on his feet.
As Newton later revealed in a BANG Showbiz interview:
"I arrived on set for the sex scene to find Gerry was very unwell indeed. So I wouldn't kiss him. Guy had to improvise. I don't know how he coped with those problems but it ended up being one of the most brilliant scenes. But I did find it challenging having to climax in a close-up to camera."
Newton was right about the scene. Due to the obstacle that was Butler's unfortunate illness, the sequence was brilliantly put together using quick cuts and close-ups, giving fans another distinctly Ritchie moment to enjoy in this 2008 action/crime feature.
Who knew showing up to work ill could lead to such a creative piece of movie-making?