What Hollywood Stars Have Said About Kissing Blake Lively

Blake Lively has heard the horror stories about the actors who have garnered reputations for being the worst kissers in Hollywood, and that is a list the best-dressed fixture has no desire to end up on. In a 2018 “Good Morning America” interview, Lively said, “It’s always confusing when you kiss a costar. Nobody wants to be the story of … like dragon mouth.” By that, she’s certainly not talking about bringing fiery passion to a love scene — what she had in mind was probably more along the lines of what the breath of a Targaryen’s ride smells like after a fire-roasted meal.

Speaking of man-eaters, Lively did not fit the informal definition of the word when her glamorous “Gossip Girl” journey began. “I’ve kissed just three people in my life, other than stuff that I’ve done for TV or movies,” she told Cosmopolitan in 2008. Just a year later, she found herself in the uncomfortable position of filming a love scene with Ben Affleck for “The Town.” When the costars had a tête-à-tête for Interview magazine in 2010, Lively told Affleck, “The sex scene was really awkward. It was my first day, so thank you for that.”

Affleck praised Lively for handling the situation like a consummate professional. “You were very poised and comfortable about it,” he told her. The future Mr. Bennifer isn’t the only actor who was left impressed with Lively after pretending to be her lover.

In January 2024, fans of the BookTok hit “It Ends with Us” got a tiny taste of what to expect from the romantic scenes in the movie based on Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel. Set photos showed Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni sharing a sensual kiss in the street while filming an emotionally charged scene. The images offered assurance to fans of the book that the two costars were capable of generating the chemistry needed to tell Lily Bloom and Ryle Kincaid’s story. According to Baldoni, filming kissing scenes with Lively also made him realize that her role as a producer benefited the film in a big way.

While speaking to “Access Hollywood” about his experience filming with Lively, Baldoni shared, “There were many instances where I honestly just tried to get out of the way and let her take the lead, especially when it came to intimacy.” He also revealed that Lively was not shy about offering her input, and he put his faith in her ideas when she told him what she wanted. 

According to Baldoni, it was important to him that he remained respectful of Lively’s vision. This meant doing his part to ensure that what moviegoers see is a woman’s perspective of the film’s events. “I didn’t ever want my biases as a man to infiltrate or hurt the project in any way,” he said.

Blake Lively put her lips to work in the 2018 movie “A Simple Favor.” Her character’s hubby is played by “Crazy Rich Asians” star Henry Golding, so she gets to plant a wet one on one of Hollywood’s hottest zaddies. However, it was Golding who was excited about getting to kiss both Lively and Anna Kendrick in the movie. “I had my little geek-out moments,” he confessed to Film Inside. 

As swoon-worthy as the smooches might appear on-screen, they weren’t quite as delightful to film. Golding pointed out that the moments were being witnessed by numerous crew members, which is a reminder that they were happening in a professional setting. “[It’s] the least romantic sort of situation,” he said. Still, he did confess to Grazia, “It was really nice to be able to not go into it feeling like I was doing something wrong or that I had to explain myself. So there was a joy in that.”

As for Kendrick, she told PrideSource her main concern when prepping for her kissing scene with Lively was getting something in her mouth to ensure that not one iota of malodor marred the moment. She revealed that this is something her inconsiderate male costars usually fail to think about, but she found that Lively shares her enthusiasm for breath fresheners. “So, we were the mintiest, freshest two people to have ever kissed in the history of America,” she quipped.

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s first date occurred long after they’d already kissed each other. They met on the set of the 2010 movie “Green Lantern,” but neither actor was looking for love. At the time, Lively was in a serious relationship with her “Gossip Girl” costar Penn Badgley, and Reynolds was still married to Scarlett Johansson. 

When Reynolds was asked to rate his “Green Lantern” love interest’s kissing skills in a June 2011 interview with Mediacorp’s Channel 5, Lively and Badgley had split, but she had already moved on with Leonardo DiCaprio. Reynolds’ verdict was that Lively’s talent was deserving of a respectable 8.5 rating. However, she sounded a bit incredulous when she learned her score and repeated it back to her interviewer.

Interestingly, Anna Kendrick has kissed both Reynolds and Lively. Like the Titanic’s ill-fated voyage, DiCaprio and Lively’s romance didn’t last long — Lively was married to Reynolds by the time the “Deadpool & Wolverine” star enthusiastically snogged Kendrick in the 2014 movie “The Voices.” When a fan asked him what the experience was like on X, formerly known as Twitter, he wrote, “Like taking your face to Awesometown.” However, Kendrick told “Access Hollywood” that Lively is a more capable kisser than her husband. “She’s an angel walking on this earth,” said the “Pitch Perfect” star. And with that sweet compliment, Kendrick dispelled the rumors that her relationship with Lively was anything other than friendly.

Penn Badgley and Blake Lively starred in “Gossip Girl” from 2007 to 2012 and dated from 2007 to 2010, so they were placed in the painful position of having to continue working together after going through a breakup. Worse yet, their characters, Dan Humphrey and Serena van der Woodsen, were romantically involved on the show.

When Badgley appeared on “Watch What Happens Live” in 2015, a caller asked the “You” star, “Who has been your best and worst on-screen kiss?” Reflecting on his experience working with Lively, Badgley revealed that he had his best kiss with her because there was once a connection there that went beyond a professional relationship.

Unfortunately, after the couple called it quits, it wasn’t easy to go back to being nothing more than coworkers who were just faking feelings for each other when the cameras were rolling. After saying he would consider a post-breakup liplock with Lively his “worst” on-screen kiss, Badgley added, “I think we should both pat ourselves on the back for getting through it.” By the time Dan and Serena were getting hitched on “Gossip Girl,” Lively had already married Ryan Reynolds. According to Badgley, he and Lively were on good terms when they filmed their wedding scene. “I don’t even think, in my memory, there was not one bit of strangeness,” he said on his “Podcrushed” podcast. Two years after the show’s finale, he started dating his future wife, singer Domino Kirke.

When Blake Lively was cast in the movie “It Ends with Us” at age 35, some fans of the book complained that she was too old to play florist Lily Bloom, a recent college grad. Lively had the opposite problem when she joined the cast of the 2006 comedy “Accepted,” which is about a high school graduate who creates a fake college. “Dodgeball” star Justin Long was almost 30 when he got cast as the lead, while a 17-year-old Lively landed the role of his crush. During a Reddit AMA, Long revealed that the large age gap made pretending to be romantically interested in Lively uncomfortable. “I remember being a little creeped out by that kissing scene we had to do — if I was, god knows how creeped out SHE must’ve been by it,” he wrote. “I was way too old to be playing a college freshman (thanks, genes!)”

Apparently, Lively wasn’t too creeped out, as she invited Long to her big birthday bash when she turned 18. However, the party’s Candyland theme possibly made Long feel like the old man out again. “There were cotton candy stations and chocolate fountains,” he recalled. While the “Accepted” cast was promoting the movie, Lively was dating actor Kelly Blatz. She referenced their relationship in an interview with Moviehole, saying, “My boyfriend is a guy I had a crush on from like second grade … I was such a psycho around him.”