Celebrities Who Fell in Love On Set

It's not unusual for costars on a movie or TV set to fall for each other in real life. All the ingredients are there: Late nights; long, intense, days; close quarters; and, oh yeah, your costars are extremely attractive. The original and probably the most scandalous example is Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor—but there have been plenty of high-profile on-set romances in the years since. Below, celebrities who fell in love on set (or, at minimum, met each other on set and began the path to their inevitable coupling).

Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas

Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas met when they were playing Snow White and Prince Charming, respectively, on the hit show Once Upon a Time. Dallas told Kelly Ripa in 2018 that they didn't bother to hide their feelings: "We didn't fight it. We went straight for it."

Emily VanCamp and Josh Bowman

Fun fact: on the show Revenge, characters Emily Thorne and Daniel Grayson get married. And the two people who played them, Emily VanCamp and Josh Bowman, also got married after meeting on the show and quickly starting to date (the pair also have children together).

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos

In one of the more famous "I fell in love with my coworker" stories, Kelly Ripa had to screen test with potential new love interest Mark Consuelos on All My Children. "When I saw him, the photograph of him, I saw my entire future with him flash before [my eyes]—like I saw it," she said on Lunch with Bruce in 2018. "And I don't believe in any of that and now I do because of that moment."

Blake Lively and Penn Badgley

Serena van der Woodsen and Dan Humphrey dated on Gossip Girl, and (for a period of a few years) Blake Lively and Penn Badgley also dated. The real-life couple broke up—before the show wrapped, so they had to keep working together—but the characters ended up getting married.

Adam Brody and Leighton Meester

Technically, Adam Brody and Leighton Meester were aware of each other before starring together on The Oranges in 2011, since they both worked in shows produced by Josh Schwartz (The O.C. and Gossip Girl). Brody was dating someone in 2011, but when he was single again the pair connected quickly.

Trai Byers and Grace Gealey

First meeting on the show Empire, Trai Byers and Grace Gealey dated and got married in 2016 (the two are pretty private about their lives, but both have said they have a strong spiritual connection). Gealey gave birth to their first child on their wedding anniversary!

Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin

Sookie and Bill, the two dramatic lovebirds on True Blood, ended up having a real-life connection. Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin ended up getting married in 2010 and had children not long after; they've also collaborated professionally since that show wrapped!

Freida Pinto and Dev Patel

The breakout stars of Slumdog Millionaire dated for six years! Freida Pinto and Dev Patel were incredibly open about their relationship, including attending red carpets together, and Patel said in 2015 that the two were still incredibly close even after their breakup.

Ashley Benson and Cara Delevingne

Ashley Benson and Cara Delevingne met on the set of Her Smell, and (according to Us Weekly) the two started hanging out at the beginning of filming, left together after attending Kylie Jenner's birthday, and the rest was history. The pair broke up in May 2020.

Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar

Funny story! On I Know What You Did Last Summer, coworkers Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar (who play members of the same friend group but whose characters were coupled with other people) didn't really dig each other at first—but then, when they got to know each other, they started to have feelings. Cut to: a marriage and kids!

Alexis Bledel and Vincent Kartheiser

While Alexis Bledel was guest starring as Pete's love interest on Mad Men, she got to know Vincent Kartheiser. The two mostly kept their relationship out of the spotlight, but the two married, had a child together in 2015, and quietly divorced in 2022.

Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn

This was a wild time for celebrity dating. Jennifer Aniston (who had not long before gone through a dramatic divorce with Brad Pitt) met costar Vince Vaughn on the movie The Breakup. The movie turned out to be aptly named, since the pair dated and then subsequently...broke up.

Camila Mendes and Charles Melton

Veronica and Reggie on Riverdale dated! Camila Mendes and Charles Melton coupled up officially in 2018. Mendes later shared that the two dated, broke up, dated, then broke up again, all while having to film together. She said it was hard but they're both professionals, naturally.

Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan

The chemistry between Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan on the first Step Up movie was absolutely sizzling. Surprising approximately no one, the two dated, married, had a child together, and then started divorce proceedings in 2019 (finalized in 2024).

Channing Tatum and Zoë Kravitz

After one major relationship with a costar, Channing Tatum met and dated Zoë Kravitz after meeting on the set of Blink Twice (Kravitz, who was the director, cast Tatum in the role of a charismatic stranger). The two were engaged but called it quits in 2024.

Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens

Fans of High School Musical were delighted to learn that the two lovebirds were dating in real life. Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens basically became inseparable immediately, dated through all three films, and still look back on the relationship fondly even after their split.

Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy

In the film Evening, Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy play two members of a love triangle. Danes later told Marie Claire, "There was one day when we were bicycling by the water and it was sparkly and idyllic, and I just had this dumb epiphany, like, 'I'm really just happy.'" They welcomed their third child in 2023.

Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow

They were one of the most famous couples in the 1990s (and retroactively inspired a bunch of memes for their similar outfits and haircuts). Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow met on the set of Se7en, which is wild given how dark that movie gets, and called it quits in 1997.

Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield

While it's not totally clear when Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield went from being costars on The Amazing Spider-Man to actual partners, but they were spotted out and about after filming wrapped. The two dated for several years and have still expressed deep admiration for each other.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez

Even though the movie Gigli was not, per se, a critical or commercial success, it led to one of the most well-known celebrity pairings ever known. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez would go on to have an epic on-again, off-again relationship, also known as "Bennifer."

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner

In what may have been a bit of a trend for Affleck, the star met his future wife, Jennifer Garner, on the set of Daredevil. They had three kids together before calling it quits in 2015; the two have made supportive comments about the other, especially regarding coparenting.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds

Technically, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds didn't date when they met on the set of Green Lantern, as they were in relationships with other people. But they sparked dating rumors not long after (and both were then single), and the two married and had children together.

Rose Leslie and Kit Harington

Technically, Rose Leslie had known Kit Harington before being cast as his love interest in Game of Thrones, but she later said of her future husband, "It was always such a privilege to be working opposite him and such a blessing that we get on in real life because it made our characters more believable."

Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender

These two have been particularly private about each other, and had technically met at the Toronto Film Festival, but admitted they fell in love playing people who fell in love in The Light Between Oceans. The two have kids together and occasionally have walked the red carpet.

Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner

File this under "I was today years old when I learned this," Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner met on the set of Valentine's Day! The relationship was short-lived, but the two have been supportive of each other (with Swift even bringing Lautner and his wife up on stage mid-concert)!

Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling

What a wild rollercoaster! Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling did not like each other when filming as love interests in The Notebook, but then they started dating about the same time as the film's release and were together for a couple of years. Gosling later said, "I don’t know what happened. Two years later, I saw her in New York and we started getting the idea that maybe we were wrong about each other.”

Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes

I sense a theme? Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes played exes sharing a son in The Place Beyond the Pines, and it wasn't long after that the pair connected in real life. The two married, had kids, and have remained mostly private about each other (except for the occasional quip on social media).

Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem

On the set of Jamón, Jamón, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem instantly connected (and played romantic interests opposite each other). They didn't connect at that time (Cruz was underage) but met and fell in love on another project years later: Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Zendaya and Tom Holland

Spider-Man: Homecoming costars, Zendaya and Tom Holland, cultivated an onscreen romance in the series. They have been extremely quiet about an IRL relationship, so the exact timeline of their real-life pairing is unclear, but they confirmed their engagement in 2025.

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson

Twilight fans couldn't have been more excited that their movie Bella and Edward from Twilight (Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson) were actually dating in real life. Drama ensued, and the on-again-off-again couple split officially in 2013 (but are still asked about it in interviews).

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

This one was the celebrity relationship love triangle for millennials everywhere. Brad Pitt, married to Jennifer Aniston, starts filming Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Angelina Jolie, with the pair playing a married couple. Rumors abound (and their chemistry is evident on screen). Then Pitt and Aniston divorce, and Pitt and Jolie become a couple.

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton

There may never be a more scandalous coupling than Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton: both married to other people and originally disgusted by the other, the two started a passionate affair during filming. Fans were ravenous for more details (and it changed how paparazzi reported on celebrities).