For many, there's nothing more exciting or terrifying as your first kiss. But one first kiss really took terrifying to a new level — and not just because it happened on the hit horror show "Stranger Things!"
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00:00For many, there's nothing more exciting or terrifying as your first kiss. But one first
00:05kiss really took terrifying to a new level — and not just because it happened on the
00:09hit horror show Stranger Things. So why did the on-screen lip lock between stars Sadie
00:14Sink and Caleb McLaughlin stir up so much off-screen controversy?
00:18As kisses go, the kiss shared between their characters Max and Lucas at the Snowball to
00:22conclude Season 2 was quite tame. But some fans of the show became concerned when they
00:27discovered that the kiss wasn't originally in the script. Instead, it was added at the
00:31last minute.
00:32And given that the show's cast was quite young at the time the scenes were filmed, it brought
00:36up some complex issues about consent and the intricacies of working with actors who are
00:40minors.
00:41Dramatically, the smooch made sense. One of the main plotlines in Season 2 of Stranger
00:45Things was the introduction of Maxine Max Mayfield, who quickly becomes one of the gang.
00:50Over the course of the season, Max and Lucas develop feelings for one another, and their
00:54mutual affections are solidified at the Snowball dance.
00:57The Snowball is one of the show's rare tender moments, and show creators Matt and Ross Duffer
01:02perfectly capture the excitement and awkwardness of what it's like when a slow song comes on
01:07and everyone starts pairing up. As Max and Lucas dance to the police, it is Max who makes
01:11the first move and hurriedly leans in and kisses Lucas. It's a sweet moment.
01:16However, on an episode of Beyond Stranger Things, Sink opened up about the kiss and
01:20revealed that she wasn't prepared for the kiss, because it wasn't planned in advance.
01:25And that made her especially nervous, because it was going to be her first kiss ever. She
01:29told Beyond Stranger Things host Jim Rash that on the first day filming the Snowball
01:33scene, Ross Duffer jokingly asked her if she was ready for the kiss, which led her to be
01:38stressed out about it for the rest of the day.
01:40You say, like, oh, Sadie, you ready for the kiss? I'm like, what? No, mm-mm, no, that's
01:44not in the script. That's not happening."
01:46Duffer said that it was her reaction to the joke that convinced him to do it for real.
01:50Apparently, he wasn't even serious, until she nearly had a meltdown about the idea.
01:55You reacted so strongly to this, I was just joking. And you just went, you were so freaked
02:01out that I was like, well, I gotta make her do it now."
02:03Jokingly, he also added,
02:04This is all your fault, though.
02:06On the second day of filming the dance, the kiss was added to the script, which Sink said
02:10was extremely nerve-wracking given the public nature of it all. What should have been a
02:13private, intimate moment in the life of an adolescent was anything but.
02:17We did have a little kiss. Like, our first kiss was in front of, like, 200 people. And
02:22their parents, and the crew, and my mom."
02:25After the episode of Beyond Stranger Things aired, it sparked an internet firestorm. Viewers
02:29of this episode were quick to point out that forcing a child actor into kissing her co-star
02:33with little to no preparation seemed inappropriate. The conversation brought up all kinds of discussions
02:39about consent and the things Hollywood is willing to force young actors to do in order
02:42to make a show.
02:43But while all of these concerns are valid, Sink herself has cleared the air about her
02:47feelings about the kiss, and she says that the whole thing has been overblown. In an
02:51interview for The Wrap, Sink explained that she was never fiercely against the kiss.
02:55I mean, of course I was nervous because it's a first kiss, right? But I never objected
03:00to it or felt pushed into anything."
03:02She went on to add,
03:03I always felt comfortable. And the Duffer brothers, they do the best job and always
03:07create a comfortable space. And if I felt uncomfortable with anything, I wouldn't have
03:11done it.