Actors are expected to kiss on screen only out of professionalism and not for pleasure, according to Nollywood actress Sophia Chisom, aka Soso.
The actress made this statement in response to certain performers’ complaints that they had never had a satisfying kiss in the film business.
In an interview with TVC, Soso claimed that because she doesn’t use her tongue when kissing on screen, it is hard for any male coworker to obtain a proper kiss from her.
She explained that she often close her teeth and use just her lips when shooting a kissing scene, stressing that she’s very conscious of who she exchanged saliva with.
“I don’t know if people kiss with their tongues but I do not kiss with my tongue. My teeth are always close during kissing scenes so it is just the lips. But because it is an act, we have to make it believable.
ALSO READ: How Hollywood Blacklisted Neal McDonough For Not Kissing On Screen
“Some people kiss with their tongues but I don’t think it is okay to swap saliva with every single person that you shoot with. Besides, it is a job. So whenever I see a colleague complaining that they didn’t get a good kiss it is weird. You are not supposed to get a good kiss, it is a job,” she remarked.
Recently, some Nollywood actors including Saga Adeolu, Soso’s frequent collaborator, have come out to say that onscreen kisses are not pleasurable, stressing that they are yet to get a good kiss in the movie industry.
In August 2025, Neal McDonough was blacklisted in Hollywood for refusing to perform kissing roles on-screen.
In a recent interview on the Nothing Left Unsaid podcast, McDonough explained that he consistently included a “no-kissing” clause in his contracts, not because of his wife’s demands, but out of respect for his future marriage and children.
The 59-year-old actor said, however, when he stood firm on this principle, the industry turned against him, leading to his dismissal from projects and a two-year professional exile that cost him nearly everything.
“I always had in my contracts that I would not kiss another woman on screen. My wife did not have any problem with it. It was me, really, who had a problem. I was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t want to put you through it,” he said.
