Love was in the air, but we didn't know it! Join us as we reveal the hidden romances that blossomed on movie sets. From classic Hollywood to modern blockbusters, these couples kept their relationships under wraps while their on-screen chemistry sizzled. Which secret romance surprised you the most?
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Dance with me.
00:04You don't dance.
00:06You're just part of my cover, sweetheart.
00:08Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at behind-the-scenes couples that came out only after the movies that showed off their chemistry.
00:16That means excluding relationships that were already public knowledge by the film's release.
00:21When we first met in Rome, I remembered you.
00:25And I wondered that I could ever have forgotten.
00:28Number 10. Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart.
00:33To Have and Have Not.
00:35Model Lauren Bacall was 19 when she made her screen debut opposite 44-year-old Humphrey Bogart.
00:41Howard Hawks' loose adaptation of Hemingway's To Have and Have Not follows an American love story against the backdrop of French resistance to Nazi occupation.
00:51I don't know when you'll get back home. Could be a long time.
00:54Could be forever. Are you afraid of that?
00:58I'm hard to get, Steve. All you have to do is ask me.
01:02The parallels with Casablanca were undeniable, but so too was the lead actor's chemistry, despite their age difference.
01:10What'd you do that for?
01:12Been wondering whether I'd like it.
01:14What's the decision?
01:16I don't know yet.
01:19Turns out it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
01:22This was confirmed during the production of The Big Sleep, when Bogart divorced Mayo Metho and quickly married his co-star.
01:30It was his fourth marriage and his longest.
01:33They had almost 12 years together before Bogart's death from cancer in 1957.
01:38Bacall followed 57 years later, but the romance is still considered one of Hollywood's greats.
01:44You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve?
01:47You just put your lips together and blow.
01:52No.
02:08I don't know who you are or where you came from, but from now on, you do as I tell you, okay?
02:14Look, your worshipfulness. Let's get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person. Me.
02:20It's a wonder you're still alive.
02:22Han Solo and Princess Leia exchanged few words in Star Wars, later subtitled A New Hope.
02:28The two sequels would see the development of one of sci-fi's most iconic love stories.
02:33However, the public wouldn't learn of its foundation until 2016.
02:37That's when Carrie Fisher's memoir The Princess Diarist revealed that she and Harrison Ford had a three-month-long affair behind the scenes of A New Hope.
02:47Not a bad bit of rescuing, huh?
02:49You know, sometimes I amaze even myself.
02:53That doesn't sound too hard.
02:55The actress' published journal suggested that she had serious feelings, but her co-star was 14 years older and married.
03:03The notoriously private Ford has been reluctant to elaborate on the brief fling.
03:08But before the release of the book and her death a month later, Fisher told The Guardian that it had a lasting impact.
03:15Some of it was good.
03:17Good?
03:18Pretty good.
03:22Some things never change.
03:25True. You still drive me crazy.
03:28Number 8. Tom Holland and Zendaya.
03:31Spider-Man Home Trilogy
03:33The Spider-Man movies have had a history of bringing couples together.
03:37Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire dated for over a year, while Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone made it past four.
03:44Still, Tom Holland and Zendaya stunned fans when they casually confirmed long-standing rumors in 2021.
03:52What are you hiding, Peter?
03:56I'm just kidding. I don't care. Bye.
03:58Their relationship began in Spider-Man Homecoming alongside Peter Parker and MJ's.
04:03It would remain under wraps over the course of the MCU's so-called Home Trilogy and its heart-wrenching romantic arc.
04:09Because I don't really get excited about things, I kind of expect disappointment.
04:14Because then you'll never actually be disappointed, right?
04:21Yeah, right. It's just, I don't know, it just kind of feels different this time for some reason.
04:28Years later, Holland and Zendaya remain a power couple, beloved by social and tabloid media.
04:33They still try to keep their personal lives as private as possible, but it looks like a Spidey romance has finally stuck.
04:41I really like you.
04:43I really like you too.
04:55Number 7. Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens – High School Musical
05:00Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens got their big acting breaks as an on-screen couple in High School Musical.
05:07They got their big tabloid breaks as an off-screen couple.
05:09So lonely before I finally found what I've been looking for.
05:19The actors were still teenagers when they began dating behind the scenes of the Disney Channel hit.
05:25The romance between jock Troy Bolton and bookworm Gabriela Montez was such a sensation that the media blew up when Efron and Hudgens went public over the following year.
05:36Can you feel it building? Like a wave the ocean just can't control.
05:45Connecting by a feeling, ooh, in our very soul.
05:50Very soul.
05:52Vanessa became a hot topic, especially over High School Musical's sequel and the theatrical third instalment.
05:59Then came the big breakup in 2010.
06:01We might find our place in this world someday.
06:07But as for now, I gotta go my own way.
06:14Efron and Hudgens have since led huge careers respectively.
06:18But it's still hard to believe that the phenomenon of Zanessa could initially be contained.
06:23Number 6. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart – The Twilight Saga
06:27By the 2010s, moody teenager Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen were one of the most talked-about couples around.
06:35You know everybody's staring.
06:41Not that guy. No, he just looked.
06:45Despite mixed reviews for the Twilight film franchise, the lead's chemistry helped make it a hit.
06:51Only before the release of the third instalment in 2010 was it confirmed that the spark was authentic.
06:57You don't…
07:01It's fine.
07:05Believe me, I want to.
07:08Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson had been dating off and on since 2009, surrounded by romantic rumors and sightings.
07:16The relationship continued to have its ups and downs before finally dissolving on bitter terms in 2013.
07:23It was a real blow to fans' nostalgia.
07:24Thankfully, Pattinson and Stewart have built even sturdier fanbases since their high-profile breakout, and are still good friends.
07:33So it's not just about me?
07:37No.
07:39Sorry.
07:41Number 5. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson – Volunteers
07:45Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson met on the sitcom Buzz and Buddies in 1981.
07:50It seemed that only their on-screen pairing got more serious with the film Volunteers.
07:55I thought we were becoming friends.
07:57Well, this is what I do with my friends.
07:59The zany Peace Corps comedy wasn't much of a hit, but was highlighted by a cutely mismatched romance between the lead characters.
08:08It was actually an ideal match between the actors, despite Hanks being married to Samantha Lewis.
08:13Would you, um, like to come inside?
08:19No, I don't think so. Not tonight.
08:21What?
08:23You see, if I go in there, I'm going to be tempted to make a pass at you, and that's not what you want.
08:31It isn't?
08:33By 1986, it came out that he had been separated from his wife for some time, and dating Wilson since Volunteers.
08:40The couple married in 1988, and have since been the gold standard for a solid celebrity marriage.
08:45Now, there's no watching the movie that started it all without looking for clues.
08:50You really do love me.
08:52Yes, I do. Can we go now?
08:54Right away.
08:56Number 4. Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. Swingshift.
08:59In 1983, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell were seen presumably rehearsing a dance scene for Swingshift in public.
09:06Practice seemed to make perfect, as critics praised the chemistry between factory co-workers during World War II.
09:11It's great working with you, and I think you're the best lead man on the line, and I just know you're a swell fella.
09:20It was a rewarding final product, after scandalous conflicts between Hawn and the filmmakers.
09:26This behind-the-scenes gossip was soon overshadowed by revelations that Hawn and Russell were actually courting during production.
09:33You need a lift?
09:35In that?
09:37That's all I got.
09:39Well, you sure get tired by the end of the day.
09:43The couple really made waves with the classic rom-com Overboard in 1987.
09:48Still, Swingshift has earned a cult status, partly for making the foundation of one of the most enduring couples in Hollywood.
09:56Oh, I wish we could be like this forever.
10:00Why not?
10:02Decades after that first dance date, Hawn and Russell are still going strong.
10:07Number 3. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
10:12First time we met, what was your first thought?
10:16You tell me.
10:18One of the defining tabloid topics of the 2000s took everyone by surprise.
10:23It's not like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt completely got along as a couple of elite assassins in Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
10:30Their volatile chemistry nonetheless inspired a cult classic, while setting the tone for what was to come.
10:36You think this story's going to have a happy ending?
10:39Happy endings are stories that haven't finished yet.
10:41Starting a month after the film's release, it was gradually confirmed that Jolie and Pitt were an item.
10:47Brangelina became an enormous deal in pop culture.
10:51But five years after they formally wed in 2014, they got an acrimonious divorce.
10:56Now the tabloids are talking about how much the former dream couple hate each other.
11:00After the surprise of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and its public aftermath, we should be ready for anything.
11:07Go on, blow it.
11:09You think I won't?
11:11I think you won't.
11:13Okay.
11:15Number 2. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Days of Thunder.
11:19Australian actress Nicole Kidman was off to the races after her Hollywood debut, professionally and publicly.
11:25How could you ignore me like that?
11:27I wasn't ignoring you.
11:30No.
11:36I wasn't ignoring you. I gave you a very thorough physical.
11:39She and Tom Cruise made a comely couple in the motorsports melodrama Days of Thunder,
11:44released three months after Cruise divorced Mimi Rogers.
11:48Five months after that, Cruise and Kidman got married.
11:51How better to announce that they got together during the production of their first of three films.
11:55Cruise and Kidman were one of the most iconic couples in showbiz until their equally sudden split in 2001.
12:03The important thing is, we're awake now.
12:10And hopefully, for a long time to come.
12:17There have since been claims that the Church of Scientology played a role in their most prominent members' whirlwind courtship and divorce.
12:25But certainly, this high-profile love story was somehow steeped in mystery from the beginning.
12:30What are you thinking?
12:32Just how much I'd like to know what you're thinking.
12:38I guess everybody's the same.
12:40You gotta be good at your job before you can enjoy the rest of your life.
12:44Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
12:48Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith. Too much.
12:51The zany comedy featured the chemistry of a superstar couple in the making.
12:57You're crazy.
12:59So are you.
13:01A match made in heaven.
13:03Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz.
13:05Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
13:07Years after their first collab, a rocky on-screen marriage set up an iconic off-screen one.
13:13And you know I always have your best interest.
13:16Well, not when you try to kill me.
13:19That.
13:21Can you tell? Yes.
13:23Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth. The last song.
13:26A notorious on-off relationship began behind a hit teen romance.
13:30The moment has made me feel like you do, Ronnie.
13:36I don't want to lose you.
13:45Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum. Step Up.
13:48From the steamy dance romance came a wholesome Hollywood marriage.
13:53Ready, and down, up, step, turn, PK, and...
14:00Like this?
14:02Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. No man of her own.
14:06The tragically brief romance, said to be Gable's greatest, began in private.
14:11What do you do with all the hearts you break? Hmm?
14:18Honey? Honey? Are you ready?
14:23Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
14:29You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
14:33If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
14:39Number 1. Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Woman of the Year.
14:43The public may never fully understand the legendary couple Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy,
14:49but George Stevens' Woman of the Year was the last time we weren't sure of their relationship, at least before the film's release.
14:56Are you always much too busy?
14:59What for?
15:01I was wondering about this afternoon.
15:03Sorry.
15:05Tomorrow afternoon?
15:07What's on your mind?
15:08The clear chemistry developed behind the scenes would carry into eight more collaborations over 25 years,
15:15and yet the couple and Puritanical Studios downplayed their domestic partnership.
15:20As a devout Catholic, Tracy never divorced his ex Louise Treadwell.
15:24Only after their passing did Hepburn speak openly about this open secret.
15:29The Hollywood press and at that time the gossip columnists, they let you alone.
15:33They let us alone because I think they thought that we made a great deal of effort not to sort of parade ourselves.
15:41There's still mystery surrounding the relationship, with some speculations about Hepburn and Tracy's sexual orientations.
15:48But there was never any doubt that they cared for each other, no matter how poorly they kept that under wraps.
15:55I love you.
15:57You do?
15:59Positive.
16:01That's nice.
16:03Which on-screen couples do you think didn't have to act much for chemistry?
16:08Join the gossip in the comments.
16:10I love you.
16:12I know.
16:14Do you agree with our picks?
16:16Check out this other recent clip from MsMojo.
16:18And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
16:33Thanks for watching.