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These 22 Actors Came Clean About Crushing On Costars They Never Actually Dated, And It's Cute As Hell

Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves had a mutual crush they didn't discover until more than 20 years later.

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1. After being asked who his "celeb crush" is, Regé-Jean Page answered, "The joy that is Phoebe Dynevor, my Daphne Bridgerton, because how could you not be?"

Page and Dynevor posing together

Regé-Jean and Phoebe were onscreen lovers in their roles as the Duke of Hastings and Daphne Bridgerton in the hit Netflix series Bridgerton.

The Duke and Daphne in a garden

In addition, Regé-Jean told Access, "I think everything you need to know is on camera. That's why we presented it so beautifully for you — all the sparks that flew off of the beautiful scripts that we were handed — and so I think that the sparky scripted material are more than enough."

The Duke and Daphne at a ball

Here's one of Regé-Jean and Phoebe's scenes together:

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Netflix / Via youtube.com
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2. Kathryn Hahn told Rob Lowe while he was guest-hosting The Ellen DeGeneres Show that if her "13-year-old self" had known that she would one day get to have an onscreen romance with him, she "could not have worked."

Hahn on the red carpet

Kathryn guest-starred on Parks and Recreation as the high-powered campaign manager Jennifer Barkley, who had a brief (though undeniably passionate) fling with Rob's relentlessly positive character, Chris Traeger.

Rob Lowe on a panel

During the Ellen interview, Kathryn said, "I had to forget everything of my childhood so I could be present, because otherwise I would've exploded ... I turned into, like, an animal. I was like, 'Just do the job.'"

Rob Lowe and Kathryn Hahn on Parks and Recreation

Here's a compilation of Kathryn's best moments on Parks and Rec. Jennifer propositions Chris for the first time at 5:42:

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NBC / Via youtube.com

3. Kristen Stewart told W Magazine that she has "a total crush" on Amy Adams.

Kristen Stewart on the red carpet

Kristen got the opportunity to work with Amy in the 2012 movie On the Road, in which Kristen played Marylou and Amy played Jane.

Kristen Stewart and Amy Adams in their roles

Kristen said, "Amy Adams, man, she's my favorite actress. I have a total crush on her because I got to work with her too — she's awesome."

Amy Adams on a red carpet

4. Will Smith told Esquire that he went so method in one of his roles, he "actually fell in love" with his costar, Stockard Channing.

Smith and Channing attend a gala

When Will played Paul, a skilled con man, in Six Degrees of Separation, he "got a taste early of the dangers of going too far for a character" when filming ended and he realized "I was dying to see Stockard," who played Ouisa Kittredge.

Paul helps Ouisa set a table

Will said, "I was like, 'Oh no! What have I done?' That was my last experience with method acting, where you're reprogramming your mind. You're actually playing around with your psychology. You teach yourself to like things and to dislike things. It is a really dangerous place when you get good at it. But once I had that experience, I was like, 'No more method acting.'"

Paul introduces himself to Ouisa

Here's one of Will and Stockard's scenes together:

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MGM / Via youtube.com

5. Following the release of the first season of Stranger Things, David Harbour told the Los Angeles Times that his costar Winona Ryder was his "high school crush" — he was a particular fan of her work in Heathers and Beetlejuice.

David Harbour in a movie theater

On Stranger Things, David plays Jim Hopper, a gruff cop who has quite a bit of chemistry with Winona's character, Joyce Byers.

Hopper and Byers in the third season of Stranger Things

In the same interview, David said that Winona is "a great person to work with" and that filming with her "was like a dream."

David Harbour hugging Winona Ryder

In another Q&A with the Los Angeles Times a year later — this one with both David and Winona — David said, "I do feel like there are moments where you fall in love with Winona." And in a 2020 interview with Entertainment Weekly, David talked at length about how funny he found Winona, despite the fact that he previously considered her primarily a dramatic actor.

Winona Ryder and David Harbour accept an award for Stranger Things

Here's a compilation of the best "Jopper" (as in Joyce and Hopper) moments from the show:

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Netflix / Via youtube.com

6. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Lana Condor revealed that even though she "felt something" while hanging out with her To All the Boys I've Loved Before castmate Noah Centineo, they "kind of made a contract and set boundaries" to prevent any romantic entanglement that might threaten the success of the movie.

Lana Condor on the red carpet for Deadly Class

In the movie and its sequels, Lana plays Lara Jean Covey, a romantic high school student whose love letters get sent out to her crushes, one of whom, Peter, is played by Noah.

Noah Centino smiling and walking

Lana said, "I felt that for the show to do well, we had to be best-friend professionals." She was glad to have reached this agreement with Noah, since "the movie turned out great and now we're doing a sequel," and she said they still "had a spark."

Noah Centineo and Lana Condor in the movie in each other's arms

Here's one of Lana and Noah's scenes together:

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Netflix / Via youtube.com

7. Cole Sprouse discussed his childhood crush on Jennifer Aniston during an interview on The Drew Barrymore Show. According to Cole, his infatuation made it "quite difficult to work in front of her" when he played Ross's 8-year-old son, Ben Geller, on Friends.

Cole Sprouse on the red carpet

While shooting scenes with Jennifer, Cole said, "I would stammer a lot, and I would forget my lines. ... I feel like I'd maintain my composure a bit more effectively now, but it was quite difficult when I was a kid."

Jennifer Aniston as Rachel

The crew noticed the young Cole's affection for Jennifer. Cole said, "I was teased a little bit by the crew, because they saw it. I would just forget and be looking at her. But then, the whole world had a crush on Jennifer Aniston."

A young Cole and Jennifer smiling at each other

Here's one of Jennifer and Cole's scenes together:

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NBC / Via youtube.com

8. In 2014, Selena Gomez revealed in an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live that she used to have "a little bit of a crush" on her costar Billy Crudup.

Selena Gomez on the red carpet

Selena and Billy costarred in the 2014 film Rudderless, in which Billy played Sam and Selena played Kate Ann Lucas.

Selena Gomez and Billy Crudup as their characters

Selena said, "I went through my whole Almost Famous phase where I was Penny Lane for a good month, so I wore the outfits and the hair and the glasses, and then I found out I was going to be a part of this movie, and it took me a minute because I kinda had a little bit of a crush on him." Billy played Russell Hammond in Almost Famous.

Billy Crudup in bed with Kate Hudson in the movie

Here's one of Selena and Billy's scenes together:

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Samuel Goldwyn Films / Via youtube.com

9. According to what his costar Alanna Ubach told the New York Times, Matthew Davis was crushing on Selma Blair while they were filming Legally Blonde.

Matthew Davis on the red carpet

Matthew played Elle's odious ex-boyfriend Warner Huntington III, while Selma portrayed her rival-turned-friend Vivian Kensington.

Selma Blair in a multicolored gown on the red carpet for the vanity fair oscar party

Alanna said that while they were filming the pivotal courtroom scene, "We could see that heart beating every time he was around her." She added, "He was so nervous, and I thought, How could someone looking like that be as nervous as he is?" In the same oral history, Matthew said about Selma, "I’ll adore her till the day I die. I will always cherish her taking care of me and looking after me because I was so damn green."

Selma and Davis in Legally Blonde

Here's a scene featuring Matthew and Selma:

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MGM / Via youtube.com

10. Speaking of Legally Blonde: Jennifer Coolidge had a thing for Bruce Thomas, who played her "UPS guy."

Jennifer Coolidge at a gala dinner

Jennifer played nail technician and Elle's friend Paulette Bonafonté. Bruce's character, and the subject of Paulette's affections, is known only as the UPS guy.

The UPS Guy in Legally Blonde

Jennifer told the New York Times, "But he was married and had a beautiful wife and children, so I had to shut that off. I didn’t have to act or get excited when he walked in — it was all true to life."

Jennifer Coolidge and Reese Witherspoon in a nail salon scene

Here's a scene featuring Jennifer and Bruce:

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MGM / Via youtube.com

11. In an interview with British GQ, Tom Holland expressed his admiration for his fellow Marvel superhero Elizabeth Olsen.

Tom Holland on a comic con panel

Tom plays Spider-Man in the MCU, while Elizabeth portrays none other than Scarlet Witch.

Elizabeth Olsen on the red carpet

In response to a question about which Marvel character he'd most like to be Spider-Man's love interest, Tom said, "I think Scarlet Witch is pretty hot, you know. I think Elizabeth Olsen's super hot and really nice, as well! She was really nice to me at the premiere. So yeah, probably Scarlet Witch."

Tom Holland and Elizabeth Olsen as their Marvel characters

12. In 2011, Harry Potter star Emma Watson told Seventeen that Tom Felton, aka Draco Malfoy, was her "first crush."

Emma Watson on the red carpet for Little Women

Specifically, Emma crushed on Tom during the filming of the first two movies in the series: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Tom Felton on the red carpet for the world premiere of the last Harry Potter movie

Emma said, "He totally knows. We talked about it — we still laugh about it. We are really good friends now, and that's cool." Tom, for his part, demurred when asked if "the feelings were mutual."

Emma Watson and Tom Felton accept a Disney award

Here's one of Emma and Tom's most iconic scenes from the Harry Potter series together:

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Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com

13. During Friends: The Reunion, Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer revealed that they had crushes on each other while filming the first season of Friends.

Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer standing together

David, who played Ross Geller, said, "The first season, I had a major crush on Jen." Jennifer responded, "It was reciprocated."

Rachel in her wedding dress on the phone while Ross watches

David went on, "At some point, we were both crushing hard on each other, but it was like two ships passing because one of us was always in a relationship, and we never crossed that boundary. We respected that."

Ross and Rachel stare into each other's eyes

Jennifer recalled joking with David, "It's going to be such a bummer if the first time you and I actually kiss is going to be on national television." She added, "Sure enough, first time we kissed was in that coffee shop. So we just channeled all of our love and adoration for each other into Ross and Rachel."

Rachel and Ross about to kiss for the first time

Here's Rachel and Ross's first kiss:

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TBS / Via youtube.com

14. During the filming of The Hunger Games series, Woody Harrelson (Haymitch Abernathy) and Elizabeth Banks (Effie Trinket) had a crush on each other.

Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks hugging each other at an event

In 2012, Elizabeth told Parade, "I like to say that Elizabeth Banks has a crush on Woody Harrelson, and Effie has a crush on Haymitch, and Haymitch can’t stand Effie. I don’t know where Woody stands on Elizabeth." She added that working with Woody was "a dream."

Haymitch and Effie saying goodbye to Peeta and Katniss before the quarter quell

Four years later, Woody revealed in a behind-the-scenes video exactly where he stands on Elizabeth. He said, "I have a crush on Elizabeth Banks, I'm not going to lie. I think she's a beautiful woman, I think she's a marvelous actress, and I just love her as a person. She's as fun as can be."

Effie and Haymitch watch TV in The Hunger Games

Here's the behind-the-scenes look at Haymitch and Effie's kiss in Mockingjay — Part 2:

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Lionsgate / Via youtube.com

15. In 2019, Taye Diggs skipped the preliminaries and went straight to asking to build a family with his Brown Sugar costar Sanaa Lathan on Instagram.

Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan at the premiere

Taye and Sanaa costarred "as friends who eventually fell in love" in the 2002 movie and played a couple in 1999's Best Man and its sequel The Best Man Holiday.

The characters sitting back-to-back on a park bench and smiling

When Sanaa posted photos of herself on Insta, Taye got straight to the point and asked if she'd have a baby with him. He wrote, "One baby. I'll raise her. We can even use a surrogate...just one with you. Please. I need them genes."

A more recent red carpet picture of the pair

Here's one of Sanaa and Taye's scenes together in Brown Sugar:

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20th Century Fox / Via youtube.com

16. Bryce Dallas Howard told Entertainment Weekly that she had a big ol' crush on Robert Pattinson while they worked on Twilight: Eclipse together.

Bryce Dallas Howard during a red carpet

Bryce took over the role of villainous vampire Victoria from Rachelle Lefevre, while R-Patz, of course, played Edward Cullen.

Victoria and Edward face each other before a fight

Bryce's affection for Robert led a friend of hers to make "a bunch of Post-it Notes for me with a picture of Rob's face," which the actor went on to use for "for years." Meanwhile, Bryce's husband had to ask her to stop squeezing his hand every time Robert appeared onscreen.

Robert Pattinson posing on a rooftop

Here's one of Robert and Bryce's scenes together in Twilight: Eclipse:

View this video on YouTube

Summit Entertainment / Via youtube.com

17. Speaking of Twilight: Ashley Greene told E! News that while filming the series, she had a serious crush on Jackson Rathbone.

Jackson Rathbone and Ashley Greene on the red carpet together

Ashley's and Jackson's characters were romantically linked onscreen, with Ashley playing the clairvoyant vampire Alice and Jackson portraying her boyfriend, Jasper Hale.

Jasper and Alice while training

Ashley said, "I definitely had a crush on Jackson when we first started working together. He's just such a little Southern gentleman, and he's so artistically brilliant. So yeah, mad crush on him."

Ashley Greene and Jackson Rathbone during a comic con panel

Here's one of Ashley and Jackson's scenes together:

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Summit Entertainment / Via youtube.com

18. When Keanu Reeves appeared on Ellen in May 2019, he watched a clip from Sandra Bullock's interview on the same show a few months earlier, during which she discussed having a crush on him while they were making 1994's Speed.

Keanu Reeves smiling during a panel

Sandra said that when she reflects on Speed, "I think about how sweet Keanu Reeves was and how handsome he was." Apparently, he was so handsome that she had a hard time focusing during dramatic scenes. When Ellen asked if they ever dated, Sandra laughed and said, "Never dated him. There was something about me that I guess he didn't like."

Sandra Bullock in a red gown

After seeing this, Keanu said that not only was he unaware of Sandra's crush but it was mutual. He said, "She obviously didn't know I had a crush on her, either."

Sandra Bullock on top of Keanu Reeves in Speed

Here's one of Keanu and Sandra's scenes from Speed:

View this video on YouTube

20th Century Fox / Via youtube.com

19. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight for the 20-year anniversary of the release of American Pie, Jason Biggs revealed that he had a crush on Alyson Hannigan during filming.

Alyson Hannigan and Jason Biggs posing on a red carpet

Jason played Jim, the awkward high school student and prom date to Alyson's Michelle.

Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan in American Pie

When Jason said he had a "little crush" on her, Alyson replied, "You did?" So Jason clearly kept his feelings for her close to the chest.

Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan about to kiss

Here's a compilation of all of Jason and Alyson's scenes together:

View this video on YouTube

Universal / Via youtube.com

20. During a 2021 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Elizabeth Perkins spoke about the crush she had on Tom Hanks while they were filming Big (1988).

Tom Hanks and Elizabeth Perkins posing together for a Big promotional shoot

Tom played Josh Baskin, a 12-year-old who is turned into an adult by mystical means, while Elizabeth portrayed his love interest, Susan Lawrence.

Baskin and Lawrence bouncing on a giant trampoline

When asked about her best onscreen kiss, Elizabeth said of Tom, "He lays one on me about halfway through the movie. I had such a crush on him at the time. I was single." However, she added, "He was with Rita Wilson already ... They were dating but hadn't gotten married yet. So he was completely off-limits, but he was adorable."

A young Rita Wilson andTom Hanks

Here's one of Elizabeth and Tom's scenes together:

View this video on YouTube

20th Century Fox / Via youtube.com

21. Hilary Duff told Cosmopolitan that she was into Chad Michael Murray while they were filming A Cinderella Story.

Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray on the red carpet

Hilary played Sam, the early 2000s Cinderella to Chad's Prince Charming, otherwise known as Austin Ames.

Chad Michael Murray and Hilary Duff dancing in costume at the Halloween party

Hilary said, "I definitely had a crush on him. We had a few kissing scenes in the movie, and I remember feeling pretty nervous about that, but then we became friends and I wasn't so nervous anymore."

Chad Michael Murray and Hilary Duff kiss on the football field during the rain

Here's one of Hilary and Chad's scenes together from A Cinderella Story:

View this video on YouTube

Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com

22. And finally: In 2009, Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden told Hello! magazine that she had a crush on her fellow judge, Simon Cowell.

Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell in formalwear at an event

Amanda said, "I have got a crush on him. It's a bizarre thing. He has this charisma and charm which you can't fight. And if you want to be cross with him, you can't."

Simon Cowell on America's Got Talent

She added that her husband, Chris Hughes, "needn't be worried," since Chris is, in her words, "tall and gorgeous" and "there's no competition."

Amanda Holden and Chris Hughes on the red carpet together
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