Kissing a Hollywood legend might sound thrilling, but for Carey Mulligan, it was pure anxiety. The actress, who had a minor role in a 2009 crime thriller, found herself in an intimate scene with Johnny Depp—a moment that quickly turned into a nightmare. Her nerves were so apparent that the scene was ultimately cut because she looked too uncomfortable on camera.
And it wasn’t just a quick, one-and-done moment. Mulligan had to reshoot the kiss sixteen times. That’s sixteen takes of trying to look natural, sixteen takes of attempting to steady her nerves—only to realize it wasn’t working. The problem? She had admired Depp for years, and suddenly, she was face-to-face in a romantic scene with him.
During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show (via Metro), Mulligan reflected on the experience:
“I had to kiss him several times. It was 16 times, but it was cut out of the film because I looked so uncomfortable.”
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time Mulligan struggled to keep her composure around a big-name star. While filming The Great Gatsby, she found herself in a similar situation with Leonardo DiCaprio. Having grown up watching all his films, she found it difficult to suppress her inner fangirl.
“I grew up watching everything he’s ever done, and it’s difficult as I have to hide my inner fan when I am around him – it’s terrible,” she admitted. One particularly awkward moment came during a dance scene. DiCaprio jokingly claimed he couldn’t dance, but Mulligan knew better—she had seen Titanic and watched him dance effortlessly. Trying to play it cool while knowing the truth made the moment even more uncomfortable.
While Mulligan wrestled with her nerves, not every actress had the same experience. Eva Mendes, for example, had a very different reaction when sharing a scene with Depp in Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Instead of panic, she felt excitement—and even a bit of regret that the moment didn’t last longer.
“All of my screen kisses were the best, though I regret not kissing Johnny Depp for longer,” Mendes told Us Weekly (via Digital Spy). “I was so intimidated by him. It was the first time I had worked with an actor who I had crushed on as a little girl.”
Unlike Mulligan, who could barely get through the scene, Mendes wished for a few extra takes. While one actress was battling nerves, the other was hoping for a little more time with her childhood crush.
Leave a Reply