LayarHijau.com — Recently, a kissing scene between Liu Haocun and Wang Anyu in the drama Be Passionately in Love has stirred heated discussion among fans and industry professionals in China. The drama, adapted from the popular Jinjiang novel by Erdong Tuzi, sparked controversy because its kissing scene appeared “unreal” and used a technique called borrowed position—filming from certain angles so the actors don’t actually kiss.
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When a Kissing Scene Becomes a Flashpoint
The original Be Passionately in Love novel, with tens of millions of readers, portrays the female lead, Xu Zhi, as a confident and expressive character, including in romantic kissing scenes. So when the drama version showed the kissing scene with camera tricks, many fans felt disappointed.
“In the novel, the kiss is a key moment for character and story development. Removing or faking it takes away the character’s essence,” wrote one fan on Weibo.
Hong Hong, a drama viewer, added, “I was really looking forward to the chemistry between the leads because their interactions were pretty enticing. But when the kissing scene came, it was just blurry shots with no clear emotions or expressions. It felt like guessing rather than feeling.”
Promotion Raised Expectations
Before airing, Be Passionately in Love’s marketing team heavily promoted the kissing scene through a viral Douyin clip. In that video, the female character said “kissing without dating is so thrilling,” catching the attention of millions.
Unfortunately, the actual scene did not live up to the hype, leaving many viewers frustrated and fueling the controversy.
Does Every Drama Need a Kissing Scene?
Not necessarily. Many idol dramas succeed without any kissing scenes, such as Love Game in Eastern Fantasy and The Demon Hunter’s Romance. But when kissing is integral to the story, cutting it out can disrupt narrative logic and emotional connection.
Producer Feng Lin said, “Kissing isn’t mandatory. Love can be expressed in many emotional ways. If it’s overused or forced, it feels cheap.”
Feng Lin emphasized quality over quantity: “Some actors know how to kiss naturally, others make it awkward. Even with borrowed position techniques, experienced actors can still build sexual tension; inexperienced ones won’t fool the audience.”
Industry Perspective
Juanjuan, a drama marketing staff member, emphasized that kissing scenes and proactive female characters are trademarks of the original novel. “If actors understand the IP, they know fans’ expectations. If it conflicts with their principles, they can choose not to take the role.”
Feng Lin also explained that the borrowed position technique is common in filming kissing scenes. “Many scenes use this ‘position borrowing.’ Experienced actors can still create tension, but less skilled actors will appear unnatural,” he said to Sohu.
The Market Decides
Ultimately, the market makes the call.
Juanjuan stressed, “An actor can refuse kissing scenes for their entire career, and that’s perfectly fine. As long as they communicate beforehand, professional crews will find solutions, and the market will judge in real time.”
This controversy serves as a lesson for the industry: the kissing scene issue isn’t just about the act itself, but how creative teams prepare and respect the work and audience expectations.
Direction and Cinematography Matter
Much criticism has been aimed at Be Passionately in Love’s directing, which often cuts away or shows empty spaces during the kiss, resulting in a stiff feel. By contrast, dramas like Derailment focus on intense eye contact, while The Long Ballad uses symbolic imagery of birds kissing to create a romantic yet subtle impression.
Can Actors Refuse Kissing Scenes?
Feng Lin described it as a negotiation process. “If a scene is important and the actor refuses, we can recast. If it’s negotiable, we rewrite the script.”
Actors’ demands often extend beyond kissing to comfort issues during production.
Still, with tightening competition and fewer projects, such demands are declining. “If an actor consistently refuses kissing, that’s fine as long as it’s clear from the start,” Feng Lin said.
Conclusion: Honesty and Audience Trust Matter More Than Just a Kiss
The Be Passionately in Love case is not just about a missing kiss, but unmet audience expectations and storytelling that feels half-hearted.
In an increasingly competitive entertainment industry, the key is maintaining audience trust through honest and heartfelt storytelling—not merely focusing on kissing scenes.
Note: The names of sources in this article have been anonymized to protect privacy and professionalism.
