Matt Damon Kissing Scene: I Imagined Michael Douglas Was Catherine Zeta Jones

Matt Damon had a kissing scene in his new Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra that was a little difficult, so he came up with a novel solution.

Damon plays the boyfriend of musician Liberace (portrayed by Michael Douglas), and when it came time for a kissing scene Damon said he imagined Douglas’ wife instead.

“Matt actually said to my husband that when he had to kiss Michael, he’d close his eyes and pretend he’s actually kissing me, which I thought to be extremely flattering,” Catherine told Access Hollywood at the junket for her new Steven Soderbergh-directed movie, Side Effects. (Steven also directed the HBO film, “Behind the Candelabra.”)

Catherine noted that Matt Damon’s kissing scene may have been difficult, but said all love scenes are no matter who they’re between.

“When you have to make love or kiss on film, it could be a man, a woman, but it’s always strange. It’s not something that’s an entirely normal day out at the office. I remember when I had to kiss Brad Pitt once, Michael asked me what I was doing that day,” she recalled. “I went, ‘I’m lying in bed, kissing Brad Pitt. He went, ‘Good for you, darling. You enjoy.’

“Someone has to do it,” she added with a smile.

The Matt Damon kissing scene may have contributed to Behind the Candelabra becoming what studios reportedly dubbed a movie “too gay” for release. Soderberg told TheWrap that the movie needed only $5 million to be released, but no studio stepped up. The movie debuted on HBO instead.