James Gunn, the American filmmaker and producer, recently opened up about a super awkward moment while filming Peacemaker Season 2. In the season finale, his wife, Jennifer Holland, shares a steamy kiss with co-star John Cena. For Peacemaker fans, this particular scene was one of the most emotional moments of the show, but Gunn admitted that directing it felt pretty uncomfortable at first.
James Gunn Recalls Directing His Wife Kissing John Cena in Peacemaker Season 2
In a behind-the-scenes segment on HBO Max and DC Studios, James Gunn opened up about the challenges of directing the kiss between Holland’s character, Emilia Harcourt, and Cena’s Chris Smith.
He admitted the experience felt “uncomfortable,” especially because Jennifer Holland is his spouse.
James said, “It wasn’t only that I had to direct you kissing a man. It was that I had to direct you kissing a man in front of 200, 300 extras… I was uncomfortable about it, admittedly. I was like, I don’t want to do this. ”
Even though he felt awkward at first, Gunn said once the scene started, he switched his focus to the technical side of filming. Using a Phantom camera to shoot the kiss in slow motion added an extra challenge.
“I ended up loving the shots. Honestly, some of the best visuals from the whole series came from that sequence.”
The scene that Gunn is referring to takes place on a boat during a live concert, it’s where sparks really fly between Harcourt and Chris, giving fans what they’ve been waiting for ever since the first episode.
Holland, who’s been married to Gunn since October 2022, has starred in a bunch of his projects, like The Suicide Squad (2021), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), and even as a voice actress in the recently released Superman movie. Before Holland, James Gunn was married to Jenna Fischer, famous from The Office, but their marriage ended after seven years.
Peacemaker Season 2 released on August 21, 2025, and wrapped up on October 9 with a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. If you haven’t watched it yet, you can binge the full season now on HBO Max.
Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya on Mandatory.
