OUR HEARTS WILL GO ON
From Fred & Ginger to Kate & Leo: Did film couples find real romance?
Ever since Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio played starcrossed lovers in Titanic, fans of the movie have pined for the two to get together in real life. Maybe the A-listers are partly to blame for being such persuasive actors. Whatever the case, despite 20 years of evidence — including her habit of marrying quirky Brits and his love of 20-something models — hope never dies.
With Titanic’s release Dec. 19, 1997, Kate and Leo became Hollywood fixtures who had fans longing for wedding bells.
Our personal investment in the love lives of beautiful strangers has been going on for as long as the movie industry has been around. We look back at some of the actors people couldn’t help rooting for.
GINGER ROGERS AND FRED ASTAIRE
Rogers and Astaire first wowed audiences in Flying Down to Rio in 1933. Their captivating chemistry was so palpable when they danced together, they stole the show from the movie’s leads. The pair went on to make 10 movies together, usually playing chaste love interests (only ever kissing once) who were dazzlingly in step with each other.
Rumours of discord dogged them, especially because neither liked to be referred to as the other’s “partner.” Rogers was married five times and Astaire tied the knot twice. Once the performers became inextricably linked, there’s no indication they were ever even moderately tempted to pair up off-screen.
HUMPHREY BOGART AND LAUREN BACALL
Bogart’s impressive chemistry with Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca was nothing compared with the heat he generated with Bacall when they first starred together in To Have and Have Not in 1944.
The sparks weren’t just flying for the impossibly glamorous duo onscreen, but also behind the scenes, despite Bogart’s marital status and their 25-year age gap.
A quickie divorce later, Bogey and Bacall wed in 1945. In some ways, these two were the anti-Kate and Leo, because no one really thought they’d last. Against the odds (and in spite of some admitted infidelity) they did — until Bogart’s death in 1957.
RACHEL McADAMS AND RYAN GOSLING
Director Nick Cassavetes says his leads in the 2004 romance The Notebook didn’t exactly hit it off. Gosling even asked him to bring in another actress at one point.
Gosling clearly thought something wasn’t working, but moviegoers didn’t seem to notice. The story’s will-they-or-won’t-they suspense had audiences in weepy puddles, watching with bated breath as Gosling’s Noah insists — outside in the pouring rain, naturally — “it still isn’t over” before going in for a kiss.
The two performers ended up dating after the movie came out, which brought Notebook fans immense joy. It didn’t last, though. Gosling is now with his Place Beyond the Pines co-star Eva Mendes, and they have two daughters.
JENNIFER LAWRENCE AND BRADLEY COOPER
Lawrence and Cooper have had plenty of opportunities to remind audiences of their spark, co-starring four times since 2012, in Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, Serena and Joy. But that doesn’t mean they have the same passion for each other off-screen.
During an interview with Howard Stern, Cooper said he would never have a romantic relationship with Lawrence. “It’s not the way we are together,” he said. As for Lawrence, she said the secret to sticking by her work husband is “no sex.” A good rule of thumb.
TARAJI P. HENSON AND TERRENCE HOWARD
Long before they played exes on the hit show Empire, Henson and Howard co-starred in 2005’s Hustle & Flow. He was Djay, a pimp with dreams of becoming a hip-hop star, and she was Shug, the pregnant prostitute he falls for. It’s not your typical meet-cute, but their appeal was undeniable.
They never got together in real life, although she’s been a staunch advocate for him, despite some of his infamously erratic media interviews. In fact, she’s the one who got him his gig on Empire. If that’s not love, what is?