06/11/2008
Dwayne Johnson and Steve Carell Discuss Brave Man-on-Man Kiss
Steve Carell and Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson applauded their own courage for locking lips for the upcoming feature Get Smart in an interview with the AP:
Said Carell: "The Rock has softer lips. I guess I could say that. He smells like strawberry shortcake. For me, that's why they call him The Rock. He rocks people's worlds...He is such a good guy. We just laughed that whole day. That was a total no-brainer in terms of that scene. There was never one moment of hesitation or awkwardness. He's game for anything, let me put it that way."
Said Johnson: "It was just one of those things where I thought well, you know, 'What could be the most entertaining and funniest moment that we could think of that would still make sense and still kind of root in reality?' We came up with a great kiss. 'I thought if Jake Gyllenhaal can do it, Will Smith can do it, then I can do it, too. I'm going to own it. I was like, 'Give me those lips right now. Right now.'"
So brave.
Check out the trailer, AFTER THE JUMP...
Sphere: Related ContentPosted 1:59 PM EST by Andy in Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson, Kiss, News, Steve Carell | Permalink
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When was Will Smith's man kiss?
Posted by: Wes | Jun 11, 2008 2:04:46 PM
Every night in Tommy Girl's dungeon?
Posted by: Jude | Jun 11, 2008 2:13:57 PM
Kissing the Rock would not be a challenge for any male actor...
Posted by: Daniel | Jun 11, 2008 2:14:44 PM
Dwayne is mistaken. Will Smith said no to the gay kiss in Six Degrees of Separation after promising producers he would do the kiss.
He backed out, went all Xenu on us, and I've never once looked at one of his movies again.
Posted by: Joe Bua | Jun 11, 2008 2:16:04 PM
Will Smith was so homophobic talking about Six Degrees on The Arsenio Hall Show that I have pretty much hated him ever since. Actually, I was just starting to get over it and then he started buddying up to TommyGirl and it was back on.
Posted by: paul | Jun 11, 2008 2:32:51 PM
Yeah, I'm drawing a blank on Will Smith's man-on-man kiss too...the version I remember is what JOE BUA said.
Posted by: Michael W. | Jun 11, 2008 2:33:25 PM
Yeah, he backed out of the kiss, but went ahead and played the gay character anyway, has sex with at least three men in the course of the film. As I remember he even tells one of his male partners that he wants to fuck them.
It's all okay, as long as you don't kiss, I guess.
I'm kind of sorry to see Steve Carell and Dwayne J. stooping to this kind of nonsense.
Posted by: Roscoe | Jun 11, 2008 2:42:55 PM
Funny, every black gay person I know in Philly over the age of 40 believes Will is on the "down low". They all have some stories going back to the early eighties. He aint my type--even though he has one of the most beautiful male booties in the history of motion pictures...but the ears.
The other one, THE ROCK, well...the last time I spoke about my lust for THE ROCK, PETER/PARKER reminded me that Dwayne spoke at the Republican Convention. That was unforgivable, and made him unacceptable. But everyone can CHANGE. YES, WE CAN! Who knows, may THE ROCK has a thing for BARACK--like me.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Jun 11, 2008 2:43:06 PM
I personally would prefer to kiss Steve Carell. I've had a crush on him for like forever. Funny guys always get gold stars from me :)
Posted by: Alex | Jun 11, 2008 2:45:31 PM
I remember the Six Degrees fiasco too. Will Smith being an actor shouldn't have had an issue with kissing another guy especially since the character he played was gay. That's why it's called ACTING. At that time he must have thought that role would give him some legitimacy as an actor. Up until then he pumped out crappy rap music and was on a cheesy television show. Well that plan didn't work. I think he's very over rated as an actor.
Posted by: Tintin Malfoy | Jun 11, 2008 2:52:38 PM
Will Smith did not do it. When called to do it for the film Six Degrees of Separation he balked. A "stunt" double had to be hired. The back of the double's head is shown as the Smith character kisses Anthony Michael Hall's character. This was on the advice of Denzel Washington.
Posted by: jdmdallas | Jun 11, 2008 2:55:18 PM
BRAVO to those who remember the way Will Putz Smith slithering all around this. What finally happened on screen is that he faked the gay kiss with the help of creative camera work. It was placed behind the head of the other guy and at just the right angle so that after Smith moved in toward his face you would swear you "saw" their lips actually touch.
And throw in Denzel Washington to your Scorn/Shun List [despite his role in "Philadelphia"] because he was the one who convinced Smith not to do it. Smith quoted Washington as warning, "Don't be kissing no man."
Smith told at least one magazine that he didn't want his son having to deal with taunts from other kids that his dad was a faggot, and, later, told Oprah that the reason he then regretted cheating on the kiss was that he had betrayed his "art."
Nevermind the millions of gays of all colors who gay black civil rights icon Bayard Rustin would have informed him are today's most discriminated against.
Further, we don't quite get how Dwayne thinks his kiss with Carell was the "funniest" concept, but suppose we can count on St. Oprah to tease one or both of them about it some day.
Posted by: Leland Frances | Jun 11, 2008 2:59:17 PM
"What could be the most entertaining and funniest moment that we could think of...."
Glad to know that the idea of two men kissing is hilarious to you. What's even funnier is instead of letting the kiss happen, you slap him right before you two lock lips.
Posted by: Rick | Jun 11, 2008 3:04:33 PM
Will Smith kissed Kevin James on the lips in 'Hitch'.
Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see where either The Rock or Steve Carell described themselves as "brave" for doing this kiss, and I don't really find much offensive in anything they had to say, either.
Posted by: Sasha | Jun 11, 2008 3:04:36 PM
It sounds to me like Dwayne was big-upping himself as the "brave" one whereas Steve was just being his usual funny self.
I haven't been into "The Rock" since he stopped wearing those cute lil wrestling tights but I would make out with Carrell any time, any place. Little Miss Sunshine and the 'Gay Witchhunt' episode of The Office pretty much sealed that deal.
Posted by: Chas | Jun 11, 2008 3:05:10 PM
I think I could get into this movie. I loved the TV show, and anything from Brooksfilms (MEL!!!) is certainly going to have a couple of belly laughs in it.
I adore The Rock. One of the highlights a few seasons back on SNL was when he hosted, and most of his parts were camp / gay characters. He was marvelous! He's hot!
Posted by: Rad | Jun 11, 2008 3:05:56 PM
Dwayne (The Rock) is one of the nicest low-key guys you'll ever meet. He hasn't let his fame go to his head, that's for sure. He was friends with my trainer back when I lived in LA and came over quite a number of times to chat with us. I've seen the guy stop in the middle of a set to sign autographs, which I think is above and beyond what he should do for his fans. He gets way thumbs up from me.
And yes, he's uber hot in person.
Posted by: adam | Jun 11, 2008 3:06:03 PM
What a lot of fuss about kissing another human being these so-called "stars" make. Anybody would think they were having to be publicly flogged. Good grief.
Posted by: atheist | Jun 11, 2008 3:09:13 PM
Please tell me what is so "brave" about Carrell and Johnson having to kiss each other? No one calls Neil Patrick Harris brave for doing hetero love scenes on his TV show or in Harold and Kumar.
And I 100% agree about Will Smith. I have hated him since Six Degrees of Separation. He could drop dead tomorrow and I would not lose my appetite
Posted by: Adidasdad | Jun 11, 2008 3:10:55 PM
Thanks for the clarification, Leland. I've always blamed Denzel more so than Will. With SDoS being Will's debut film, he went to who was then the most respected black actor in Hollywood for advice and foolishly followed it.
And just because Denzel did Philadelphia, I never did forgive him.
Oh, and I find Will Smith to be the most overrated actor on the planet. Period.
Posted by: banjiboi | Jun 11, 2008 3:20:48 PM
Team Courtney P. Vance!
Posted by: Banjiboi | Jun 11, 2008 3:21:49 PM
Yes, but many people who don't know the truth about "Six Degrees..." believe that Will did the kiss. There are men in black barbershops from North Philly to Compton, CA who believe Will Smith kissed a "white man" on the mouth for the movies.
I don't know what they say about THE ROCK--he's been playing gay for years. Remember the Saturday Night LIve appearances (and Leland, if you call Dwayne's SNL appearances "Stepin' Fetchit type versions" of gay caricatures, I swear I'll come through this keyboard, and through the Internet and ....)
And what do you think would have been the reaction if other "working mens" type heroes of the 1980s did man-to-man kissing on the sceen? What would have been the reaction to Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Douglas, Chuck Norris, the Baldwin boys, etc. kissing other men in the MOUTH...oh, God!
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Jun 11, 2008 3:22:26 PM
I think they should do a “Paul and Frank” video stating “but were not gay” over and over and at the end of the video the hairy one (Carrell) fucks the smooth one(Rock).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGlmzCMHFrg
Posted by: ggreen | Jun 11, 2008 3:46:34 PM
It sucks that Smith was such a coward early in his career and that is definitely a strike against him but the image he now projects to the rest of the world, and more specifically to young black American men, (who, like young gay men, have suffered greatly from the lack of positive pop cultural role models) is enough for me to cautiously celebrate his success.
I don't know Smith and have never fucked him so I don't know one way or the other which way he and his wife swing - though I too have long heard the rumours about them - what I do know however is that any contemporary African American male that strays from current acceptable norms of black masculinity -aka thug- is usually labeled with the gay (soft) tag or the oreo tag.
The country and the culture have a long way to go in ridding ourselves of these perceptions and their underpinnings (of course there is nothing wrong with being thought of as gay unless that perception is steeped in defeatism) and certainly the ascent of Obama is a miracle of sorts but Will Smith has done his part to fight half of the battle - hopefully he will man up and address the other before Scientology silences him forever.
As for The Rock - it's a drag that the gay kiss is still thought of as comedy gold though if you have never kissed man before it does require some initial grit. If he wants to steel himself for the next occassion he should feel free to give me a call.
Posted by: Giovanni | Jun 11, 2008 3:54:43 PM
I'm wish Sasha. I think both of these quotes (esp. Carell's) are fairly matter-of-fact about the whole thing. Seems like you're looking for offense where there is none on this one.
Posted by: Michael | Jun 11, 2008 4:09:21 PM
I absolutely refuse to crucify Will for NOT kissing that man in SDOS. The man was 25 years old and virtually the only up and coming young black actor in Hollywood, which by the way is still pretty much homophobic. And he wasn't about to jeopardize his career over a man-o-man kiss. I look at him now and "judge" him on the merits of the man he is TODAY! Not in 1993.
Uuu-kay! Had to get that out of my system. Now let me go back to drooling over Dwyane!
Posted by: Shabaka | Jun 11, 2008 4:48:34 PM
Maybe we should ask Seann William Scott how "brave" Dwayne was when they co-starred in "The Rundown".
Dwayne was a lot "braver" then. Supposedly, he actually put his lips someplace else besides another man's .... lips.
Posted by: steve | Jun 11, 2008 5:21:18 PM
Shabaka, I can overlook Smith's fear of kissing another man on film back then, but I can't forget how he degraded gays when he talked about it afterwards. The negative message he put out there at a time when it was already so rough to be gay was too much to take. The fact that he is pals with Cruise and his anti-gay cult now just reinforces the issue for me.
Posted by: paul | Jun 11, 2008 5:21:19 PM
Hello people! Don't you remember that kiss that Will Smith did in Hitch? It was when he's trying to teach the guy when to expect a kiss and the guys goes all the way and kisses him.
Posted by: Jackie | Jun 11, 2008 5:42:20 PM
Being a Scientologist? Now that, PAUL, I can castrate him for. I just need to get my facts 2gthr. He keeps denying it. He told Us magazine that he isn't back in December. But he had told men's Vogue magazine like a month prior, that he had "studied" it...So we'll see. As for the comments made after the "kiss"...Again, twenty something struggling black actor in Hollywood in the 90's? I won't be casting any stones, my friend!
Posted by: Shabaka | Jun 11, 2008 7:07:16 PM
am i the only one who has always gotten a gay vibe from 'the rock' ? doesn't suprise me a bit that a kiss was the first thing to pop into his head
Posted by: el polacko | Jun 11, 2008 7:20:26 PM
Will Smith is absolutely a clam.
$cientology totally has their claws in he and Jada. Prior to their getting together, Ms. Pinkett had more than a few sapphist rumors applied to her as well.
Posted by: Xenu Love | Jun 12, 2008 12:56:20 AM
Alan Arkin is just made of awesome!
Posted by: Aman Chaudhary | Jun 12, 2008 1:40:31 AM
The Rock, rocks.
Posted by: chuck | Jun 12, 2008 2:00:45 AM
I guess I could overlook the stupidity of their comments just to see these two hotties kiss.
Posted by: Veronica Trash | Jun 12, 2008 5:28:18 AM
Will Smith is the male and black version of Paris Hilton....talentless and therefore famous for who knows what reason.
I used to be in love with Denzel, but then I found out about his overtly religious, controlling ways.
Posted by: Lubridan | Jun 12, 2008 7:50:29 AM
The kiss is probably "comedy gold" within the context of the film. The Rock plays a hotshot and Carrell is a bumbling dork.
It's irritating that the backward media forces actors to address this stuff ("omg, what was THAT like?"), but then again I'm now interested in GET SMART. Well played, AP!
Posted by: troyS | Jun 12, 2008 1:15:50 PM
I agree who cares 2 guys kissing , whats more important is have they made a least a watchable film version of one of the great Buck Henry written & produced Comedy Series of the 60s.? There have been so many AWFUL TV show big screen remakes , I hope they havent ruined Get Smart as well I LOVE Don Adams and Barbara Feldon in the original. yeah Will Smith caved to the pressure to not kiss in SDOS. Denzel told him he would NEVER work again if he did it. Despite all the chain blingin gun totin bitch slappin ,pimpin & Ho'ing Black Media is very conservative and silent when it comes to Gay issues.
The ROCK is So HOT & a real nice guy from several ppl in the bizness word. Ughh...
Black /Samoan.. is there any more of a recipie for horse meat?
Posted by: Agent 69 | Jun 12, 2008 4:27:50 PM
STEVE, are you trying to state that Sean William Scott and The Rock, hooked up during the movie they made?
I have heard things about SWS, but not The Rock...
Posted by: Davy | Jun 12, 2008 6:28:22 PM
I'd love for Dwayne to try and get me pregnant. He probably couldn't since I'm a guy but it'd be so much fun trying. Will and TommmyBoy can go screw each other's brains out for all I care. They dropped off my radar a long time ago. I only have eyes for The Rock since I read an interview with him a few years back where he talked to the interviewer sporting a big ol hard on. It was first thing in the morning and he couldn't be bothered trying to hide it. I love big beautiful Black/Samoan men with muscles and hard ons.
Posted by: Tom | Jun 12, 2008 9:54:55 PM
Oh for pete's sake. It's not like they nominated themselves for a Nobel prize (or even a GLAAD award, for that matter). Just because lots of folks are so over caring about kissing guys, doesn't mean that it doesn't catch peoples' attention when it happens. So they get asked a stupid question, and they answered it, and now... you guys are crucifying them over it??? Move along, nothing to see here...
Posted by: Kenji | Jun 17, 2008 5:44:39 PM
Get Smart is a BAD movie.
Kiss SPOILER below....
It's done at the climax of the movie: Carell uses the kiss to distract Mr. Rock (who has turned villain) so he can kill him. Ta da!
Posted by: Bill W | Jun 18, 2008 12:11:07 PM