The OC star Rachel Bilson recounts the awkward experience of filming Seth and Summer’s Spider-Man kiss. Bilson played Summer Roberts on the seminal teen drama, initially appearing in a guest role before quickly winning over fans and joining the main cast, partly due to her relationship with Adam Brody’s Seth Cohen. The duo represented one of the genre’s common storylines, pairing the nerdy boy with the popular girl, but thanks to the chemistry between Bilson and Brody, who were dating at the time, the couple swiftly distinguished themselves from the general trope.
Bilson still gets asked about Seth and Summer years after The OC ended its run, and episodes like the season 2 episode 14, “The Rainy Day Women,” are part of the reason why. Considered one of The OC’s best, “The Rainy Day Women” features the memorable Spider-Man kiss between Seth and Summer. The scene, of course, takes after the Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire kiss in 2002’s Spider-Man, and the moment signifies that Seth and Summer are back together after they’d spent half a season apart.
Recalling the moment for the Welcome To The OC, Bitches! podcast, with co-host Melinda Clarke and their guest, series creator Josh Schwartz, Bilson agrees with Schwartz that The OC‘s Spider-Man kiss wasn’t fun to film. The showrunner recalls how Brody’s blood rushed to his head, due to his hanging upside down, and how it was a physically challenging shoot. For her part, Bilson notes that the kiss itself wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience, either. Check out her full quote below:
Let me just tell everybody: kissing upside down is incredibly awkward. Not romantic. Wet. I remember the taste of the makeup washing, like, his mouth from the rainwater. I can still taste it. It was like, ‘phew!’
Bilson’s remarks echo what Dunst has said about the famous Spider-Man upside-down kiss, recounting how it was a nightmare to film, with the water continuously getting stuck in Maguire’s nose. Still, she was proud of how the moment meant so much to fans. Even now, current Spidey actor Tom Holland has said that he wishes to recreate that moment with his current iteration of Peter Parker. Bilson’s reaction is again similar in this respect, even getting a bit emotional as she recalls the impact of the Seth and Summer upside-down reconciliation.
Bilson’s not the only one to be affected by the scene, as Schwartz reveals during the podcast that he received a call from Spider-Man producer Avi Arad, who began by complimenting the kiss. The OC‘s Seth and Summer would go on to break up a few more times for a variety of reasons, before eventually walking down the aisle together at the end of the series. Even with all those moments, however, no fan ever forgets that first serious reunion in the pouring rain.
Source: Welcome To The OC, Bitches!