Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair Had Quite a Crowd For Their 'Cruel Intentions' Kiss

May 2024 · 3 minute read

While it’s hard to believe, Sarah Michelle Gellar recently disclosed that she and her Cruel Intentions co-star Selma Blair had a large audience while filming their kiss scene for the movie. Despite having to perform in front of a crowd, the pair managed to capture one of the most infamous on-screen kisses of all time. 

Sarah Michelle Gellar recalls filming ‘Cruel Intentions’ kiss scene with Selma Blair

In a recent interview with Buzzfeed, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer star estimated roughly 250 people witnessed the scene she shot with Blair. 

“We were shooting in New York City,” shared Gellar. “It was the first day in all of New York City that year that was beautiful and sunny. So where did everybody go for lunch, to walk, and be outside? Central Park. Guess where we were filming that scene? Central Park.”

In fact, the park was so crowded and noisy that they had to rerecord every line in the scene separately. Still, they managed to pull it off. They even won Best Kiss at the 2000 MTV Movie Awards.

Selma Blair was nervous about the kiss

In addition to the pressure of hundreds of onlookers, Blair had never kissed another woman. She recalled her apprehension in Entertainment Weekly’s 2019 oral history of Cruel Intentions.

“I’d never kissed a girl before,” Blair revealed. “I remember I was like, ‘What if I really am a horrible kisser?'” Gellar doesn’t seem to think so, claiming she “could kiss Selma all day!” 

“Her skin was so soft,” Gellar explained. “My skin is really sensitive, so when I kiss on camera a lot, it gets raw.”

Sarah Michelle Gellar paid homage to her ‘Cruel Intentions’ character in Netflix film

Gellar’s Cruel Intentions character, Kathryn Merteuil, is a spoiled coke addict obsessed who relieves her boredom by playing games with the lives of others. The role was unlike anything else her fans had seen her in, which may be why it’s so memorable. 

In the 2022 Netflix movie, Do Revenge, Gellar got to reprise her role. Well, kind of. The film’s writer and director, Jennifer Kaityn Robinson, wrote the part of the prep school principal as a homage to the actor’s Cruel Intentions character in hopes of her taking on the role. In an interview from September of 2022, Robinson told IndieWire:

“She was my first dream choice. And it was one of those things where you don’t think she’s going to do it … You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take. But when she said yes, I was flabbergasted and so excited.”

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair became lifelong friends on the ‘Cruel Intentions’ set

Since the moment they met, Gellar and Blair have been inseparable. In a 2019 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gellar recalled meeting Blair at their Cruel Intentions auditions.

“From the day I met Selma in that audition,” Gellar reflected, “it’s like something clicked with us. Every big milestone in my life, whether it was my 21st birthday or Selma’s baby shower, I just can’t imagine my life without her standing next to me.” 

Now those are some serious friendship goals!

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