Norman Reedushas recounted his disastrous first on-screen kiss in a forgotten 1998 thriller,Dark Harbor, explaining how he needed the director’s help to do it right. With a seasoned acting career behind him, Reedus is no stranger to kisses onscreen, having performed multiple across his time in movies and TV series. His latest kiss was inThe Walking Dead: Daryl Dixonseason 2, episode 2, where his titular character kissed Clémence Poésy’s Isabelle. The surprising moment was also an important one for the story of the zombie series moving forward.
But, speaking withEntertainment Weekly, Reedus recalled his disastrous first on-screen kiss with Polly Walker (Bridgerton) in the 1998 thrillerDark Harbor. The actor remembers kissing her and using his tongue twice in a row, both times surprising his scene partner. He ended up asking the director, Adam Coleman Howard, about his performance, who told him what he was doing wrong. Reedus apologized to Walker, and they managed to shoot the scene without any more issues. Check out what Reedus had to say below:
I’ll tell you the first time I ever did it, which is hysterical. I did a movie called Dark Harbor, which I also made out with Alan Rickman in. But that’s not the kiss I was talking about.
There’s another kiss. It was my first big passionate kiss right on the screen. The actress, Polly [Walker], was super, super patient with me, but I went in full tongue, and then she was going [mimics painful grunting] and I was like, ‘What the f*** is happening?’ And then we did it again. And I went in full tongue, and she’s going [mimics painful grunting].
I went to the director [Adam Coleman Howard]. And I said, ‘She’s going [mimics painful grunting]. What does that mean? I can’t tell if she’s telling me ‘Don’t!’ or getting into it.’ I couldn’t tell what that was. He starts laughing, and he goes, ‘Norman, you idiot. You don’t really stick your tongue in her mouth!’ And I was like, ‘Oh s***! I’m sorry!’ And I went to her and I’m like, ‘Sorry, I’ve never done this before.’ And she’s just like, ‘It’s fine.’ But that was the first kiss I ever had on camera.
What Norman Reedus' Failed Kiss Scene Says About The Actor
He Was In His Early Years Of Acting At That Point
Dark Harborfollows the consequences of a couple, portrayed by Walker and Alan Rickman, finding a young man, portrayed by Reedus, who has been seemingly beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. It was one of the first movies Reedus ever starred in, just one year before his breakout role inThe Boondock Saints. While his story about his first onscreen kiss shows how inexperienced he was at the time, his latest kiss with Poésy and lead role within thecast ofDaryl Dixonshows how far he’s come with his acting career.
When Daryl Dixon Season 2 Takes Place In The Walking Dead’s Timeline
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The awkwardness of his first kiss also didn’t deter him from his multimedia expansion as a performer, having most recently made an appearance inThe Bikeridersand set to portray a mysterious man named Pine inFrom the World of John Wick: Ballerina. He’s also branched out into video games, with his likeness being used in 2019’sDeath Strandingand its upcoming sequel,Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. His first kiss acts as a reminder of the awkward yet well-meaning beginnings of his career, which soon skyrocketed him to stardom across multiple mediums.
Our Take On Reedus' First On-Screen Kiss In Dark Harbor
His Inexperience Shows How Much He Improved
Although the actor’s first kiss was a rough start to the many kisses he’s had onscreen since then, it still showed how much he was able to improve himself given the opportunities he’s had over the decades. It’s also provided a funny story he and Walker can tell others after so many years, given their shared experience because of his inexperience. WhileReeduslikely has plenty of stories of mistakes he’s made throughout his career, this seems to be one of the more topical given the recent development inDaryl Dixon.
