On-screen romances are one thing, but it’s a much different, far more realistic story when actors end up falling in love on the set. Sometimes, actors and actresses can’t help but become attached to each other while working long hours during filming, and all of the movie and TV stars on this list met their partners-to-be during rigorous Hollywood workdays.
The bright lights and shouting directors on the set of big-budget productions from studios like MGM and Touchstone might not seem like the ideal places for a whirlwind romance, but, for these Hollywood couples, the sets did the trick in helping them find love.
Movie: Material Girl
Location: Hollywood, California
Year: 1985
1. Madonna and Sean Penn
Movie: Material Girl
Location: Hollywood, California
Year: 1985
Madonna and Sean Penn started dating in the mid-1980s after the two
met on the set of Madonna’s music video for her hit single, “Material
Girl.” The actor and the singer had both just gotten out of
relationships at the time, and they weren’t looking for anything
serious.
They remained friends, but their friendship soon became a full-on
romance. They got married four years after meeting, but the marriage
didn’t last. Madonna filed for divorce twice, and the second time, in
1989, the divorce stuck. The Material Girl cited “irreconcilable
differences” between the two, putting an end to a tumultuous,
tabloid-frenzied relationship.
2. Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan-Tatum
Movie: Step Up
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Year: 2006
Another famous couple that equally-as-famously met on set was Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan-Tatum, who met on the set of Step Up, a
dance movie. You can tell from even the audition video that the two
actors had chemistry right away, though Tatum was reportedly a little
hesitant to begin dating Dewan.
However, he shook off those jitters, and the two began dating shortly after the release of the Touchstone
movie. They got married in 2009, and they stayed married for
nine years, until the pressures of work, sadly, split them up. Still, Step Up lives on as one of the best romantic movies of the 2000s.
ALL News
Of
all the Hollywood stars on this list, few shine as brightly as Brad
Pitt and Angelina Jolie. And few have as widely-known a love story as
the two of them. Their tale could go on for pages, but we’ll keep it
simple. Pitt and Jolie met on the set of their thriller, Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie ©Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock.com
Not only were the two on-screen love interests, they kindled a
romance on the set as well. Pitt left actress Jennifer Aniston for
Jolie, who gave up acting for activism and recently starred in the Disney movie Maleficent. Though the pair have since split, they were together for a long time—twelve years in total.
Movie: Les Grandes Horizontales
Location: London, England
Year: 1994
Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz have been married for more than ten
years, and the British couple were close friends before tying the knot
back in 2011. The two met on the set of a play called Les Grandes Horizontales. Though they didn’t begin dating immediately in 1994, they eventually found their way back to each other in December of 2010.
Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz @most beautiful women in the world / Facebook.com
Though they didn’t meet on some big MGM set or something flashy, Les Grandes Horizontales is
still a solid play that has received a lot of critical acclaim. The
London theater production, hosted by the National Theatre Studio, is a
dark romance with an amorous plot that couldn’t help but bring Weisz and
Craig together.
Movie: X-Men: First Class
Location: London, England
Year: 2010
Funny as always, Jennifer Lawrence described her and ex-boyfriend
Nicholas Hoult as “two perverted Homer Simpsons.” The superstar actors
met in 2010 when they were filming the Marvel movie X-Men: First Class. Lawrence told Elle Magazine that the actor was her “best friend” because he could make the Oscar-winner “laugh harder than anybody.”
Jennifer Lawrence & Nicholas Hoult @ilovehoitytoity / Facebook.com
They dated for a few years, but, as both are top-tier stars in Hollywood, they got too busy for a relationship. As E! News put
it, they spent too much time apart due to work, and that put a strain
on their relationship. Both actors have moved on, and Lawrence is now
married.
Movie: That ‘70s Show
Location: Studio City, California
Year: 1998
Another favorite Hollywood couple that has lasted is Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher. The two stars first met on the set of their hit sitcom, That ‘70s Show, though sparks didn’t fly immediately, as Kunis was fourteen and Kutcher was twenty.
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher©Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
The castmates were merely working professionals until 2012 when they
rekindled their relationship. Kutcher and Kunis went from co-stars on a Fox
show to husband and wife, as they were married in 2015. Now, the pair
have two kids together, Dimitri and Wyatt. Will we see a project
co-starring the couple in the future? Who can say, but fans certainly
hope so.
Movie: Empire
Location: Chicago
Year: 2015
Some couples look so aesthetically good together that it just makes perfect sense. Grace and Trai Byers connected on the set of Empire
in 2015, but Grace was in a committed relationship at the time. After
realizing that the relationship wasn’t going to work out, she ended
things.
Grace and Trai Byers ©Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
Shortly after, the pair started dating and announced their
engagement, tying the knot in 2016 at Grand Cayman Island. Judging by
their gushing social media posts, they’re head over heels in love and
that’s not going to change anytime soon.
Movie: The Voice
Location: Hollywood, California
Year: 2015
The Voice has quickly become one of the most popular reality
shows on TV right now. The singing competition features would-be stars
hoping to capture the attention of one of the celebrity judges, who will
move them forward in the competition.
Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton ©DFree / Shutterstock.com
Two such celebrity judges were singers Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton, who met on the set of the NBC
show in 2015. The pair hit it off immediately, and they began dating.
They released music together, something that delighted fans who were
interested to see how well the pop star’s and country star’s music
meshed together. In 2020, Stefani and Shelton got engaged.
Movie: Evening
Location: Newport, Rhode Island
Year: 2007
Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy are yet another famous couple to meet on a movie set. The pair met while filming the 2006 movie Evening, and,
though Danes had, at the time, sworn off relationships after a string
of bad luck, she couldn’t help but give Dancy a chance.
Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy @JustJared / Twitter.com
The two didn’t necessarily fall in love while acting, however.
According to their co-star Mamie Gummer, the pair bonded over a love of
Scrabble and Boggle. The pair would later keep their relationship both
off-screen and on when they starred on the show Homeland together. For those who want more Claire Danes in their life, the actress has a new show on Apple+ called Essex Serpent.
Movie: Pearl Harbor
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Year: 2000
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck were once the Hollywood “it” couple, and the pair actually met in 2000 on the set of Pearl Harbor. Though many people believe that the 2002 movie Daredevil was the site of these two star-crossed lovers’ union, it was actually the gritty war drama, which was filmed two years prior.
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck @GlamourEspana / Facebook.com
Affleck and the Neutrogena spokeswoman didn’t really strike up a relationship during Pearl Harbor. Garner was married at the time to Scott Foley, another actor, so it wasn’t until Daredevil that
they two were able to strike up a friendship. They were married three
years later in late June of 2005, staying married for thirteen years.
Movie: Saturday Night Live
Location: New York City, New York
Year: 2014
Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande, for a short time, were a Hollywood “it couple.” The two met when Grande hosted Saturday Night Live, and
the pair quickly became close friends. They went on their first date in
May of 2018, and they got engaged almost immediately after.
Saturday Night Live – Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson @theinsidexpress / Pinterest.com
It was a short-lived engagement (the whole relationship was really a
whirlwind), as fewer than five months later, the singer and the comedian
split. Part of the reason for their split was the death of rapper Mac
Miller, Grande’s ex. Davidson said that he knew the relationship was
over when it happened, and he said he remained supportive from a
distance after their breakup.
Movie: Jamon Jamon
Location: Zaragoza, Spain
Year: 1992
When Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem first met on the set of Jamon Jamon, a
Spanish-language film, the actors hadn’t exactly had their big breaks
yet. Both were considered “rising stars” in the Hollywood world, and the
success of Jamon Jamon definitely furthered their career, turning them into the superstars they are today.
Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem ©Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock.com
However, the Disney
star and Bardem wouldn’t begin dating in the early 1990s, as Cruz was
just sixteen. Instead, their love story took a little while to begin,
with the two starting their relationship in 2010, officially appearing
as a couple during the Goya Awards that year.
Movie: Black Swan
Location: New York City, New York
Year: 2009
In 2020, Natalie Portman celebrated eight years of marriage to her
husband, dancer Benjamin Millepied. They met on the set of the dark,
psychological thriller Black Swan, where Portman was the star of the movie and Millepied was the choreographer.
Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied @Dior / Twitter.com
The intense, harrowing film, which isn’t exactly as cheery as the ABC show Dancing with the Stars,
might have been dark, but Portman’s and Millepied’s love story has been
anything but. Portman described Millepied as her “love,” and said that
he gave her the “most important role” of her life: being a mother. The
pair have two kids, Amalia and Aleph.
Movie: Se7en
Location: Los Angeles, California
Year: 1994
Actress and business owner Gwyneth Paltrow described her and Brad
Pitt as “a very ‘90s couple.” The two definitely looked the part, often
donning near-matching 1990s fashion choices together. The actors met on
set when they were filming the movie Se7en, a crime drama that made over $320 million at the box office.
Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow @celebrityhome / Pinterest.com
Pitt and Paltrow began dating in 1994. Later, they got engaged, but
things didn’t work out. Paltrow moved on with actor Ben Affleck, and
Pitt, of course, moved on with actress Jennifer Aniston a few years
later. Neither actor really discusses their ‘90s romance, though the few
comments they’ve made reveal that there doesn’t seem to have been bad
blood.
