Actors Who Fell For Their On-Screen Love Interests
On Hollywood film and television sets, love tends to bloom. And it's understandable why when you have a bunch of good-looking people all working closely together for hours a day and months at a time (as happens on Hollywood film sets). There can even be more of a pull when actors start developing feelings for their on-screen love interests.
While on-set romances do not always go the distance, many of them are still going strong, some even marrying and starting families with their one-time co-stars. And some have even managed to defy the Hollywood curse and maintain their love for decades. From more recent couples such as Zendaya and Tom Holland of "Spider-Man" fame and Netflix stars Sarah Shahi and Adam Demos of "Sex/Life" to couples we can't imagine ever going their separate ways — such as Hollywood icons Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell and daytime TV queen and king and former soap stars Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos — these actors all fell for their on-screen love interests.
Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup tied the knot after co-starring on Gypsy
Actors Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup were long known for their romances with other stars. Watts had a longtime relationship with Liev Shreiber and shares two sons with the actor, while Crudup is known for his relationships with Claire Danes and Mary-Louise Parker, whom he shares a son with. But, in 2017, the stars aligned for these two stars when they began playing a struggling married couple on Netflix's "Gypsy," and it wasn't long before Watts and Crudup became a couple themselves in real life. However, the two kept their relationship mostly private, not making their red carpet debut together until 2022 for the SAG Awards.
On June 9, 2023, marriage rumors swirled for the longtime couple when they were each seen wearing wedding rings on their left hands. A day later, Watts confirmed the rumors were true by sharing the news on Instagram. "Hitched!" she wrote alongside a photo of her and her new hubby posing outside of a New York City courthouse where they had secretly wed.
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos played star-crossed lovers and never looked back
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos have become the queen and king of daytime TV since Consuelos took over as co-star of "Live" alongside his wife in February 2023 upon Ryan Seacrest's departure.
The husband-and-wife team have known each other for years. They met in 1995 at Consuelos' audition for the soap "All My Children" to play Mateo Santos, love interest to Ripa's Hayley Vaughn. Apparently, Ripa could see their future together after just seeing his picture. "I saw my entire future with him flash before [my eyes] — like I saw it," she shared on "Lunch with Bruce" in 2018 (via People). "And I don't believe in any of that and now I do because of that moment."
Consuelos got the role, and the two soon began dating. In 1996, they broke up briefly and eloped in Las Vegas that May upon reuniting. They soon welcomed three children together: Michael, born in June 1997, Lola in June 2001, and Joaquin in February 2003. In 2001, Ripa took over for Kathie Lee Gifford on "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee," and by 2002, both she and Consuelos left "All My Children."
After more than two decades together, Ripa can't picture her life any differently. "We're very lucky that we found each other, that's what I have to say," Ripa told AOL in 2015. "I would say to Mark, 'Who would we have married if not each other?'"
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell's love goes all the way back to 1983's Swing Shift
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell top the list of longtime Hollywood couples. They first met in the '60s on the set of "The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band," but their love wouldn't blossom until 1983 while playing on-screen love interests in "Swing Shift." Russell later told "CBS Sunday Morning" that he was surprised they got together then since he was fresh off a divorce from Season Hubley, with whom he shares son Boston Russell, and was unable to be his best self at the time.
Hawn and Russell welcomed son Wyatt Russell in 1986 and co-starred in the movie "Overboard" in 1987. As of publication, they are grandparents of seven (Hawn is also mom to Kate and Oliver Hudson from her former marriage to Bill Hudson), though they've never married. "A lasting relationship isn't about marriage. It's about compatibility and communication," Hawn explained to Net-A-Porter in 2015 (via Us Weekly). "It's also about not losing yourself in each other ... Everything's a choice." Hawn also spoke about "choice" with Woman's Day, saying, "I like waking up every day and seeing that he is there and knowing that I have a choice."
In a March 2021 Instagram post, Hawn wished Russell a sweet birthday tribute, writing, "Happy birthday baby! What a wild ride. No, we never got married but one thing that continues to grow is our love."
Sarah Shahi and Adam Demos have Netflix's steamy Sex/Life to thank for their love
When the raunchy, addictive Netflix drama "Sex/Life" became a 2021 hit, fans became even more obsessed after learning the series' lead stars Sarah Shahi and Adam Demos, who play Billie Connolly and her bad boy ex-boyfriend Brad Simon, are dating in real life. The couple seemingly met on set in September 2020, the same month Demos posted photos to Instagram of the two together on set and became Instagram official after sharing a pic of them spending New Year's Eve together. Shahi later confirmed the romance with "Entertainment Tonight," saying, "It was great casting, I'll put it that way. Without sharing too many details because there is a part of my relationship that I protect and that's for me and him only, I'm very grateful that I met him."
In December 2021, the couple made their red carpet debut and, by February 2023, posed together at the Season 2 premiere of "Sex/Life." Demos later shared the pics on Instagram with the caption, "Beyond grateful we got to do another season. This show is so special to me in so many ways."
Knowing the stars' on-screen chemistry was real likely contributed to the show's early success, as Shahi said on the podcast "Not Skinny But Not Fat." Unfortunately, Netflix unexpectedly canceled the series shortly following its Season 2 premiere, leaving us wanting more. Yet, it's a comfort knowing Shahi and Demos are still going strong.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have had a unique love story
Hollywood A-listers Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez met while playing love interests in 2003's "Gigli." While the film was a box office flop, its two lead stars found love with each other. The media couldn't get enough of the couple, even coining them the iconic "Bennifer." They got engaged in 2002 before splitting in 2004.
The media frenzy played a role in their demise, as Lopez later confirmed with People in 2016. "We didn't try to have a public relationship," she said. "We just happened to be together at the birth of the tabloids, and it was like 'Oh my God.' It was just a lot of pressure."
Affleck and Lopez spent almost two decades apart, marrying others, having children, getting divorced, and dating others before ultimately reuniting in April 2021. Interestingly, Lopez seemingly foreshadowed the future in that 2016 interview, saying, "I think different time different thing, who knows what could've happened, but there was a genuine love there."
Apparently so. By April 2022, they were engaged, and, by July 2022, were married in Las Vegas before traveling to Paris. They had a larger wedding celebration in Georgia that August and honeymooned in Italy. Lopez shared with People that year how it felt getting back together with Affleck so many years later. "I feel so lucky and happy and proud to be with him. It's a beautiful love story that we got a second chance," she said.
Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes became a couple after playing one in A Place Beyond the Pines
Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes may have seemed like an unlikely couple at first, but they've proven to have staying power.
While the two had been friends for some time, romance didn't bloom for them until they starred together in 2012's "A Place Beyond the Pines." In September 2011, Us Weekly spotted them on a PDA-filled trip to Disneyland, with a source informing the outlet, "There's always been this strong chemistry between them...this was just a matter of time!"
In 2014, Mendes gave birth to the couple's first child, a girl named Esmeralda. Her sister, Amada, was born in 2016. Both actors didn't necessarily see children in their future, that is, until they got together and only wanted to experience that journey with each other. "It was the furthest thing from my mind," Mendes told Women's Health in 2019, adding that her relationship with Gosling changed her mind. "Then it made sense for me to have...not kids, but his kids. It was very specific to him." Mendes' pregnancies weren't planned, which Gosling wouldn't change for anything. "I'm glad I didn't have control over my destiny in that way, because it was so much better than I ever had dreamed for myself," he told GQ.
In 2022, the very private couple got married in a secret wedding, something Mendes confirmed when referring to Gosling as her "husband" in an interview (via Elle).
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds took reel life to real life after 2010's Green Lantern
By now, it feels like Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have been together forever. But let's take a walk down memory lane, shall we? This Hollywood A-list couple first met on the set of their 2010 film "Green Lantern," where they played love interests. While a romance didn't blossom right away, a friendship sure did.
Interestingly, the couple has been together ever since going on an "awkward" 2011 double date — Reynolds was with another girl and Lively with another guy — where the sparks flew between them, as Reynolds shared on Entertainment Weekly's Sirius XM radio show (via Us Weekly). "I think the best way to have a relationship is to start as friends," he said. Things moved quickly from there, with the couple marrying in 2012 and never looking back. "We've never gone a week without seeing each other," Lively told Marie Claire in 2014. "He's my best, best friend."
Lively always knew she wanted a big family, telling Marie Claire, "If I could spit out a litter of kids, I would." As of this writing, they are parents of four: daughter James, born December 2014; daughter Inez, born September 2016; and daughter Betty, born October 2019. They have yet to reveal the sex of their fourth baby, born February 2023.
What's the secret to their happy marriage? It's surprisingly simple: They've always just "really liked each other," Reynolds told "Extra" in 2021.
Zendaya and Tom Holland of the Spider-Man franchise are going strong
Tom Holland and Zendaya became friends when cast in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" in 2016. During a 2017 film press tour, dating rumors began to proliferate, but the two were quick to dismiss them as fiction. The rumors returned in summer 2021 when they were photographed kissing in a car in Los Angeles and seen attending a wedding together. Soon, they confirmed they were dating away from the Spider-verse and made their relationship Instagram official. Alongside a photo of the two having some "Spider-Man" behind-the-scenes fun, Tom wrote, "My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays. Gimme a call when [you're] up xxx."
Though the two have remained largely private about their relationship, they have shared a bit. Zendaya told InStyle that her boyfriend is "a fun time. Very charismatic, can make anybody feel comfortable and have a good laugh and a good chat." The couple also addressed those kissing pics. "One of the downsides of our fame is that privacy isn't really in our control anymore, and a moment that you think is between two people that love each other very much is now a moment that is shared with the entire world," Tom said in a November 2021 interview with GQ.
In addition to "Spider-Man: Homecoming," they've starred in 2019's "Spider-Man: Far From Home" and 2021's "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and continue going strong as a couple. Will there be a fourth "Spider-Man" movie for them? Only time will tell.
Emily VanCamp and Josh Bowman took their Revenge relationship to real life
From 2011 to 2015, ABC's "Revenge" was all the rage. So, fans were over the moon when they learned in early 2012 that the series' lead stars, Emily VanCamp and Josh Bowman, had become a real-life couple. Despite dating throughout almost all four seasons, the couple kept their relationship largely private.
In May 2017, VanCamp announced their engagement via Instagram with a simple photo of her hands covering her face and showing off a stunning diamond engagement ring, with a heart emoji as the caption. Just a few days later, the actor opened up to People at an event. "It's literally only been a couple of days, but it's amazing," VanCamp said at the time. "I'm really happy!" In December 2018, they got married on Harbour Island in the Bahamas. Alongside a photo of the bride and groom shared to her Instagram page, VanCamp wrote, "Thank you to all of our friends and family who made their way to celebrate with us! We are eternally grateful..."
And, in August 2021, VanCamp and Bowman became parents to a baby girl named Iris, news that VanCamp shared to Instagram. "Welcome to the world our sweet little Iris. Our hearts are full," the proud new mom wrote alongside a photo of her hand clasping her little one's tiny hand.
Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas of Once Upon a Time experienced their own real-life fairy tale
"Once Upon a Time" premiered on ABC in the fall of 2011, and it apparently didn't take long for the series' stars Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas, who played Snow White and Prince Charming, to develop their own fairy tale love story. In 2018, during an appearance on "Live with Kelly and Ryan," Dallas said, "We didn't fight it. We went straight for it." He also opened up about his relationship with Goodwin in 2012 during the early days of their romance. "I think falling in love is always a surprise, right?" he told People at that year's Women in Media dinner in Washington, D.C. "It hit me like a blinding light. I thought, 'I'm in trouble now.'"
The couple's relationship moved quickly from there. By October 2013, they announced their engagement to People, saying, "We are so thrilled to announce our engagement and can't wait to celebrate with our friends and family, including our second family at 'Once Upon a Time.'" The lovebirds announced they were expecting their first baby together one month later and married in a small wedding in California in April 2014. Goodwin and Dallas welcomed son Oliver Finlay in May 2014. Their second son, Hugo Wilson, was born in June 2016.
Although "Once Upon a Time" ended its run in 2018, the show lives on in its stars' real-life fairy tale.
Keri Russell got another chance at love with her The Americans co-star, Matthew Rhys
On the FX drama series "The Americans," Keri Russell, who first rose to fame in the '90s with shows including "The All New Mickey Mouse Club" and "Felicity," starred opposite Matthew Rhys, where they played a married couple (who also just so happen to be spies) from 2013 to 2018.
At the start of the series, Russell was still married to contractor Shane Deary, whom she shares two children with. Shortly after their split, she and Rhys began dating but did their best to keep their romance on the downlow. Eventually, one of the show's directors figured it out due to their obvious chemistry.
It turns out that the Emmy-winning British actor had unsuccessfully asked Russell out years earlier, back in 2002. "I very drunkenly asked her for her number when she was a young, single slip of a thing," the "Perry Mason" star said while appearing on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" in 2017 (via Us Weekly).
The couple welcomed a son named Sam in May 2016. With Russell's two children, River and Willa, from her previous marriage, this makes the Russell-Rhys household a family of five. After "The Americans" wrapped in 2018, the couple have enjoyed a quieter life together with their brood in Brooklyn, New York, where their own love story lives on each day.