Kissing scene - advice? - Actors Forum is the Community to Talk, Learn and Study Acting.

Alan Finger · 11-22-2006, 08:24 AM

I'm an actor-in-training and I have to kiss a (cute, fortunately

) girl in my newly assigned scene. We have to rehearse every week for our weekly class performance. I was wondering if anyone could offer advice on this?

We're both in our late 20's, and we get along well already. We spent some time last week after class talking about the scene and making sure we're both comfortable doing it. We both agreed that it's probably something we'll eventually have to do when we start working, and it's better to practice it now with someone we're familiar with.

Anyway, I guess I'm just looking for thoughts or advice from anyone out there with stage-kissing experience.

Thanks in advance.

cenobitehell · 11-22-2006, 08:39 AM

just try and make it seem real as you can. even if this means actually kissing..
your edoing it the best way, talking it trhough with her. cos that way you will both feel more comfortable around each other

Alan Finger · 11-22-2006, 08:49 AM

Thanks ceno. Our first rehearsal we decided to just work through the scene, and not dive right into the kissing. But the scene also has a lot of touching, etc, so we're going to have to get comfortable with each other asap. I guess it's all part of the training. And like I said, at least she's cute, so it could be worse!

Thanks again.

SWK78 · 12-07-2006, 11:42 AM

No dont put off the kiss.... Deal with it first. It's everything behind the scene and if its believability fails, so do you to your audiences. Talk it over. What are you two going to do here? How passionate will you make it? Agree... DO NOT avoid talking about it, and then once performance comes, lay a smacker on her. NO NO NO... I suggest that you each rehearse it by talking about it and then pyshically. Practice the kiss, so that when you're on stage it seems natural. Tell her the way you think your character should be kissing her and see if she agrees. If not tone it down. You'll find a common ground quickly this way. Once you've decided how fully you should be kissing practice it and see if that is an okay situation for both of you to feel comfortable with being in in front of an audience.

Talk it through, that's all i can say and practice it. Rehearse it as you would your lines. Do this and it will come naturally for the both of you. Also, no onions or garlic before the show. You dont want to knock your partner out because of bad breath. And if you smoke, well really even if you dont as well, use breath freshener or pop in a breath mint.

Hope this helps....

SWK78

Pyodog · 01-23-2007, 02:17 PM

Oh man, I had to do one of these the other day.
It wasn't stage acting or film acting, it was just a little project for my language class. We had to write a screen play and then act it out on camera so that we could show it to the class.
Well in one scene I need to kiss my friend Amanda, oh man it was awkward.
We coreographed the whole thing and practiced it a bunch of times so that it looked real. That was probably a bad idea. I was uncomfortable at first and then I realized, "This isn't me kissing Amandam this is Eric kissing Fezla..." Don't ask about the names of the characters...

This is just one thing I can add to my experience, even though it is a small amount of it.

Koigokoro · 03-05-2007, 04:57 PM

I was watching a version of A Midsummer Nights Dream where Bottom actually kissed Quince. It was a hilarious scene, and that just made it ten times better. There was a Q and A of the actors after and someone asked Bottom what it was like and he said that at first it was awkward, but after the first day they knew there was no getting out of it and that they would really just have to go for it and give it there all. Pyodog is right when he says that it is not you kissing your friend, it is your character kissing someone else.

Malka · 03-16-2007, 06:37 PM

NEVER put a kiss scene off, putting it behind you will defy the awkwardness for the actual shooting.

Personally, I've never done a scene kiss because I'm too young, but I happen to know how to avoid kissing someone in a situation where you really don't want to.

If the camera is at an angle, just get really close, both turn your head opposite ways, and touch side cheeks. If the angle is right from the side, this won't work.

If the angle's from the back, suck you lips in as if you were putting on lip balm, and the kiss won't be so bad.

If you really need to kiss the person, just do it, don't be a wimp and make a scene, it won't be so bad when you're winning an Oscar in 20 years.