The creators of Netflix's hit Stranger Things are coming under fire for "forcing" a teen actress to film a kiss scene.
* Warning: the following story contains spoilers for Stranger Things' second season.
In the finale of season two, newcomer Max, played by 15-year-old Sadie Sink, is dancing with Lucas, played by Caleb McLaughlin, 16, at the school Snow Ball and they share a kiss on the lips, reports The Daily Mail.
But Twitter reacted fiercely after Sadie revealed during a behind-the-scenes extra episode that she had been made to do the kiss by Ross and Matt Duffer even though she had been "stressed out" over it for more than a day.
"The kiss was not written in the script," Sadie revealed during the post show clip.
"I get there, the first day of Snow Ball..... One of you, I think it was you Ross, you say, 'Oh, Sadie, you ready for the kiss?' I'm like, 'What! No! That's not in the script'.
Sadie Sink and Caleb McLaughlin in the controversial kiss scene from the season finale of Stranger Things' second season.
"That's not happening," she said. "So the whole day I was like stressed out, I was like, 'Oh my god, wait, am I gonna have to...'"
The kiss was shot on the second day of filming the Snow Ball scenes and was shot in front of a couple of hundred extras, crew members and parents. Sadie's mother was also on set for the filming.
Ross Duffer blamed Sink's response for his insistence on the kiss telling her on Beyond Stranger Things: "You reacted so strongly to this. I was just joking and you were so freaked out that I was like well, I gotta make her do it now."
Sadie responded by asking him: "That's why it's my fault?"
The writer and director replied: "That's why I'm saying it's your fault."
In the final episode of season two, Eleven, played by 13-year-old Millie Bobby Brown, and Mike, played by 14-year-old Finn Wolfhard, also kissed as they danced at the Snow Ball at their high school.
Sadie Sink on the set of Stranger Things.
Variety reported that in an interview with the Duffer brothers before season two premiered, Matt Duffer revealed that that kiss, too, also wasn't scripted and was dropped on the kids at the last minute.
"You'd think it's the end of the world but I guess it's a big deal ... neither of those kisses were written in the script so we kind of dropped that on them the day of and caused a major panic. But they did it," he said.
He then told the trade publication: "You have to torture them a little bit. You know you've got to entertain yourself some way. And we have all these children who are just fun. I know exactly how to push their buttons at this point."
But fans of the show expressed disappointment and disgust at the thought of the young actors being made to kiss when it made them uncomfortable.
Even if the kiss ended up being a nice moment, that's still not the way to get that moment on film.
