Love Scenes That Got Actors In Trouble

It’s no secret that love scenes can be both a highlight and a source of controversy in Hollywood. While many viewers enjoy the passion and romance portrayed on screen, behind the scenes, these moments can lead to significant repercussions for the actors involved. From allegations of misconduct to personal relationships strained by on-screen chemistry, love scenes can often lead to trouble in unexpected ways.

In recent years, we’ve seen numerous instances where actors found themselves in hot water due to the intimate nature of their roles. Take, for example, the Netflix hit series Sex Education, which portrays awkward, yet realistic, depictions of teenage romance. While the show is praised for its honesty, it also brings forth discussions about consent and the challenges of filming intimate scenes. Similarly, films like The Long Home have sparked outrage and complicated narratives around the actors’ experiences.

As we delve into this topic, we’ll explore a variety of instances where love scenes have led to turmoil for actors. From accusations and lawsuits to personal dilemmas and public backlash, these stories provide insight into the complexities of love on screen and the realities faced by those who bring these scenes to life.

James Franco's Graphic Scene in The Long Home
That Infamous Sex Scene in Last Tango in Paris
Tisha Campbell's Bedroom Scenes in Martin
Candace Cameron-Bure's Love Triangle in Fuller House
The Campfire Scene in Brokeback Mountain
Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas in Original Sin
Sadie Sink's First Kiss in Stranger Things
Tommy Davidson's Impromptu Kiss in Woo
The Underage Kiss in Disney's Blank Check
Rachel Bilson and Zach Braff in The Last Kiss
Nikki Reed's Underage Love Scenes in Mini's First Time

James Franco's Graphic Scene in The Long Home

James Franco was still reeling from The Disaster Artist's success when the actor-slash-director found himself facing controversy over a graphic love scene in The Long Home – a film that, at the time of this writing, has yet to be released. In 2018, the Los Angeles Times published a sprawling report where five women accused the former Freaks And Geeks star of "inappropriate" and "sexually exploitative behavior." One of these women was Franco's former acting student, Sarah Tither-Kaplan, who appeared in a number of his productions.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Franco cast Tither-Kaplan as a sex worker in The Long Home in 2015. With a cast that included Josh Hutcherson and Courtney Love, it was undoubtedly a big opportunity for an unknown working actress, so Tither-Kaplan signed on even though she knew it required nudity. Sometime in May of that year, the actress claimed a producer asked her and some of the other cast members if they wanted to participate in a "bonus" orgy scene where Franco would reportedly simulate "performing oral sex on each of them." Tither-Kaplan, who was fully nude in the scene, claimed that Franco removed the clear plastic guards covering their private parts and "continued to simulate the sex act with no protection."

Following the Los Angeles Times report, Franco was met with a large public outcry and removed from his Vanity Fair cover, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He has since denied the allegations.

That Infamous Sex Scene in Last Tango in Paris

A whopping 44 years after its premiere, Marlon Brando's Oscar-winning film Last Tango in Paris made headlines for a particularly graphic simulated rape scene, which the Daily Mail hailed as "the most infamous sex scene ever." This came after a controversial 2013 video interview with director Bernardo Bertolucci went viral, according to AP News.

In the interview, Bertolucci admitted that neither he nor Brando told actress Maria Schneider, who was 19 years old at the time, that they planned to use a stick of butter during the aforementioned scene because he wanted the actress to react "as a girl not as an actress" and feel "the rage and the humiliation." Schneider, who passed away in 2011, did feel humiliated. In 2007, she told The Daily Mail that she "felt a little raped" by Bertolucci and Brando, who was 29 years her senior. "I was so angry," she said. "I should have called my agent or had my lawyer come to the set because you can't force someone to do something that isn't in the script, but at the time, I didn't know that."

When Bertolucci's video surfaced in 2016, the industry overwhelmingly stood behind Schneider. Jessica Chastain tweeted that she felt "sick" knowing the "director planned her attack." Director Ava DuVernay revealed that she was "horrified, disgusted, and enraged by it." Even Chris Evans called it "beyond disgusting." "I feel rage," he said, and thus, the film's legacy was rightly destroyed.

Tisha Campbell's Bedroom Scenes in Martin

Though Gina and Martin Payne seemed like a solid unit in Fox's beloved sitcom Martin, the figurative marriage between co-stars was apparently headed for divorce in real life. The show met an untimely demise in 1997 after Tisha Campbell quit the series over alleged abuse from her TV husband, Martin Lawrence. Largely, Campbell's decision to leave hinged on the pair's bedroom scenes.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Campbell filed a 1997 lawsuit claiming Lawrence was on an "obsessive campaign of physical and emotional abuse against her." She alleged that she endured "sexual harassment, sexual battery, and violent threats" on set, which were "repeated and escalating" and left her fearing for her life. This reportedly began in Season 1 and continued to escalate throughout Season 3, where Lawrence allegedly "humiliated and abused Campbell in front of the entire cast and crew" to the point where she was hospitalized for stress. Campbell's suit also claimed that Lawrence would "grope her, kiss her, force his tongue into her mouth and simulate intercourse with her on the set."

By Season 5, Campbell begged writers to stop writing bedroom scenes with her and Lawrence. They did not relent, and Campbell ended up quitting after her co-star allegedly had a particularly terrifying rage-filled outburst in 1996. The series did not survive Campbell's departure, and HBO even tried to sue the star in an attempt to get her to return to the show. Instead, it was canceled.

Candace Cameron-Bure's Love Triangle in Fuller House

It's hard to imagine any scene in Fuller House, Netflix's Full House reboot, causing problems for anyone involved. The series is so wholesome that it's even missing the Olsen twins, the veritable poster children of picking up a bad chain-smoking habit. Nonetheless, Candace Cameron-Bure, who plays D.J. Tanner, found herself in some family turmoil over her kissing scenes with Scott Weinger and John Brotherton. Sure, she didn't face as much heat as co-star Lori Loughlin, who was wrapped up in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal, but she still bothered her husband. Thankfully, that doesn't come with a two-month prison sentence, though she may have spent time in the dog house.

In a 2017 interview with Us Weekly, Cameron-Bure revealed that her husband Valeri Bure hates it when she kisses other guys on screen to the point that he only visited her "once or twice" on the set of Fuller House. In fact, he won't watch any of the actress' projects lest he stumbles upon her kissing another dude.

"He actually doesn't watch anything that I do for that very reason," Cameron-Bure told the outlet. "Because it is uncomfortable and I totally understand and respect it. He's always held a position that, 'I don't want to ever tell you not to or stop you from your job,' and all that, but he doesn't want to watch and I respect that. And it's the boundaries." Cold!

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