Michael Vartan is bringing the nostalgia for fans of the hit 1999 movie Never Been Kissed after revealing that he had a strong reaction to the final kissing scene with Drew Barrymore.
Michael, 52, recently sat down with Drew on her talk show for a mini-reunion with fellow castmates Molly Shannon and David Arquette and reminisced about his time on the set.
Michael Vartan admitted to having some physically challenging issues during the famous kissing scene with Drew Barrymore
After giving Drew a big hug and settling down on the sofa, which was set outdoors with all audience members masked up, the Alias alum delved into the magical moment when Drew’s character Josie finally gets her first kiss from Michael’s character Sam at the end of the movie.
With what appeared to be an embarrassed laugh, Michael told Drew that there was “a story about the famous scene that very few people know about” when the actress asked him to share his favorite memory from their time on set.
Drew then asked him if it was a story that she knew and he admitted it was not, at which point the audience went wild with applause and hoots as they all eagerly awaited the big news.
“So I get up to the mound,” Michael explained. “We embrace and we start kissing and you really kissed me. I mean you really kissed me. I was not, I was not ready for it in the least and I’m a man, I was a very young man back then, and just, you know, I had feelings,” he said.
Never Been Kissed remains a cult classic
22 years later, Never Been Kissed remains a cult classic that still resonates with fans, as evidenced by the multitude of signage displayed by audience members during the show.
Some members held up a “Totally Rufus” poster while another gave a shout out to the movie with “We (heart) Never Been Kissed.”
Drew also pointed to an audience member who was dressed up like her character Josie.
At the end of the nostalgia-filled taping, the host brought even more feels to the event as she commented that the movie really helped catapult many of the actors into their careers, specifically mentioning James Franco, Jessica Alba, John C. Reilly, and Octavia Spencer.
The Drew Barrymore Show airs weekdays on CBS.