Culture

Challengers: Josh O’Connor shares new details on his steamy kiss with Mike Faist

By Jordan Robledo

17th December 2024

Josh O’Connor has opened up about filming his sensual kiss with Challengers co-star Mike Faist.

Back in April 2024, Luca Guadagnino’s sports drama captivated movie enthusiasts worldwide.

Set in the competitive world of tennis, Challengers follows the journey of two best friends and industry pros, Art (Faist) and Patrick (O’Connor). Their lives take an unexpected turn when they both fall for tennis superstar Tashi (Zendaya). However, years later, the dynamic between the trio changes dramatically, with Tashi marrying Art and transforming him into a grand slam champion.

The official synopsis adds: “To jolt [Art] out of his recent losing streak, she makes him play a “Challenger” event – close to the lowest level of pro tournament – where he finds himself standing across the net from his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend, [Patrick].”

Following its release, the film received universal acclaim from critics and viewers, with many praising its dynamic story, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score, and the cast performances.

In addition to the aforementioned accolades, the film went viral on social media due to its queer content and undertones – especially in regards to Art and Patrick’s steamy kiss.

For those who haven’t watched the film, the spicy moment stems from a three-way smooch with Tashi.

However, when Tashi pulls away, Art and Patrick blindly continue their makeout session, not noticing the former’s departure.

In a recent interview for Variety’s Actors on Actors series, O’Connor shared behind-the-scenes details about the scene with Queer star Daniel Craig.

“Me and Mike got the giggles, because when we’re kissing– the way [the kiss] works, Zendaya brings us, and we’re both kissing Zendaya, and gradually, we end up kissing each other,” he explained.

“And we had this moment of kissing for a while and then opening our eyes and seeing that it’s just us and that did make us giggle.”

When Craig asked if their fits of laughter made it into the movie, O’Connor said no before adding, “I think me and Mike found that funny only because we were so close and that was intimidating.”

This isn’t the first time the God’s Only Country star dished about the creation of the film’s viral three-way kiss.

Back in March, O’Connor told Vanity Fair that there was an “element of improvisation” he, Faist and Zendaya brought to the scene.

“Luca had a very clear idea of what happens on the bed. The idea of me and Mike, with Zendaya in the middle – this idea that it’s kissing, kissing and then it turns into this three-way kiss – and then suddenly Mike and I are kissing. That was very clear,” he explained to the news outlet.

“We all kind of figured it, how are we going to do this? How does this work?… It was fairly organic. We did little things, like, when they’re sitting on the floor and she goes onto the bed, I was up in a flash and not holding back. That came from us knowing our characters well and knowing the dynamics between the three of us.”

Challengers is now available to stream on Prime Video.