Veteran Ghanaian actress Irene Opare has shed light on common misconceptions surrounding kissing scenes in movies, explaining that most of the intimate moments viewers see on screen are not genuine.

Speaking in an interview on TV3 on March 6, the experienced actress said many scenes that appear to involve real kisses are often created using camera tricks and carefully planned filming techniques.

She explained that romantic moments in films are usually well-staged during production.

According to Opare, directors and cinematographers typically rely on camera angles, positioning, movement, and editing to create the impression that actors are kissing, even though they are not.

“People think we kiss for real in movies, but we don’t. Let me explain it today because many people believe those scenes are real,” she said.

With more than 45 years of experience in the film and television industry, Opare indicated that although some productions may require actors to kiss genuinely, that has rarely been the case throughout her acting career.

“Maybe some people kiss for real, but I have done a lot of kissing scenes in my 45 years of acting and it’s not real,” she disclosed.

She further explained that filmmakers often depend on creative camera techniques to make such scenes appear believable to audiences.

“For me, about 99 percent of my kissing scenes are not real because there is always a camera trick. You put the lips close together, the heads turn, and it looks like they are kissing. That’s all,” she added.

Ghanaian actress Nadia Buari recently shared insights about filming kissing scenes in numerous movie projects.

During an appearance on TV3’s "The Afternoon Show' with hosts Godwin Namboh and Anita Akua Akuffo, Buari clarified that these scenes are purely make-believe.

Buari, who recently posted a trailer of an upcoming movie featuring Majid Michel, explained that the goal for actors is to make the scenes convincing to viewers.

She emphasized that any perceived romance is merely part of the characters’ storylines, with no genuine emotions involved for the actors themselves.

She said: “They are not real. It is make-believe. However, we are trying to convince people, so we were really kissing, but it is just that it is real for the characters, not for the actors. There are no feelings involved.”

Nadia Buari explained that actors must keep their emotions separate from kissing scenes, especially since these scenes are often filmed multiple times with a large crew present on set.

Despite her extensive experience with such scenes, Buari shared that she doesn’t have a preferred on-screen kissing partner.

She also acknowledged that, for her, kissing scenes and character portrayal are among the most demanding parts of acting in films.