Did Thandie Newton have difficulty kissing Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible 2? (Photo Credit – Instagram/Facebook)

In 2000, Thandie Newton played Nyah Nordoff-Hall, a master thief who became Ethan Hunt’s love interest. The sequel was a box office hit but was not so dreamy behind the scenes. Newton later admitted that locking lips with Tom Cruise was anything but glamorous.

Her discomfort wasn’t just about the kiss. In a 2000 Guardian interview, she peeled back the curtain on on-screen intimacy. Between the scrutiny of dozens of crew members and the pressure to make everything look perfect, romance became technical. She said,

“Well, to take away the mystery and magic of what you see in the movie: you’re lying there, you’ve got 30 people around you, prodding all bits of you to ensure that certain things aren’t being seen and others look good. Even when you’re kissing, you...