9 on-screen couples who have explosive sexual chemistry

Actors portraying love interests have been unable to capture the alchemical components of what it means to be in love in numerous situations. Instead, they wind up recreating the typical markers of romance but excluding any of the deep, gut-wrenching feelings that make it feel genuine. Of course, Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz got it down pat, resulting in "bisexual panic." The couple's chemistry has also been caught on magazine covers off-screen; the pair was recently seen in a deep, sensual hug.

With that in mind, here are a couple more actor-actress pairings that hit the perfect spot. Prepare to be girded!

In The Batman, Batman and Catwoman (Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz)

Where better to begin than with the pairing that sparked this debate in the first place? R-Patz and Zoe Kravitz star in Matt Reeves' The Batman as a couple of animalistic vigilantes for whom revenge means different things. They're the ultimate romantic pairing because of their tension and connection, and the two — separately two of modern culture's most lusted-after persons — pull it off flawlessly. The Batman works because it's a movie about two very lost and sexy souls who have only each other to rely on. While previous installments seemed sexless (the otherwise excellent Nolan trilogy) or too comic book-ish to cause any real movement downstairs, The Batman works because it's a movie about two very lost and sexy souls who have only one other to rely on.

A Star Is Born's Ally and Jackson (Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper)

A Star Is Born is notoriously about the start and demise of a tempestuous love, and Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper nailed it perfectly. When it was hot, it was hot, and when it was messy, it was messy, but the campaign trail, like Oscar and Jessica, made the whole situation so perfect! Everything from the way Gaga exchanged glances with Bradley on the press tour to the intensity of her Oscars performance compelled Bradley to make a formal statement in the media. They weren't dating, but they have skilled enough performers to give us the impression that they were.

Blue Is the Warmest Color stars Adele and Emma (Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux).

Of course, knowing that the film's two leading ladies, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux, had such a difficult time making it, it's even more difficult to relish the film's brilliant moments. But it's a credit to their abilities that the entire picture, about a teenage girl and an older woman falling deeply in love with each other, hinges on that core relationship being believable. And it is: for three hours, Adèle and Lea (as Adèle and Emma) exude an intense sexual and romantic energy that makes you both envious of what they have and scared of how it will all end.

Jodie Turner-Smith and Daniel Kaluuya star as Queen and Slim in Queen and Slim.

The intricate socio-political framework of Queen and Slim is expertly intertwined into its main love tale, in which a first date leads to a self-defense killing and a cat-and-mouse chase across America. This brilliant drama about a man and woman falling in love as the world seems to turn in on them, released to an unfairly low amount of hoopla, is punctuated by one of the best sex sequences, in our opinion, of the previous five years. Inside the car, they used to flee panic, the two embrace, their bodies linked and lips meeting, flesh exposed. The pair's sensual chemistry is entwined with the lived experience they share as Black people in America, as filmmaker Melina Matsoukas splices scenes of sexual climax to flashbacks of the shooting that prompted them to escape.

The Notebook's Allie and Noah (Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling)

Since the early 2000s, the plain romance genre has been on the decrease, and we believe it's because producers saw Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling in The Notebook and said to themselves, "Shit, we'll never be able to equal that." The kitschy 2004 film, which catapulted its two stars to new heights of celebrity, depicts two teenage sweethearts whose romance begins at a summer carnival and then spans several years as they are separated by war. It's a standard old-school Hollywood romance, but the rainy-day kiss is what made it a cult favorite. Although it has been panned by reviewers, there is one award that matters, and Rachel and Ryan have it: the MTV Movie Awards 2005 Best Kiss award.

Mr and Mrs Smith stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as John and Jane Smith.

It was a bygone Hollywood period, back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when couples formed on set and went on to become tabloid gold. Of course, the recent resurgence of J-Lo and Ben Affleck, as well as Ana De Armas and, em, Ben Affleck, has catapulted it back into the 2020s, but there was nothing quite like the brilliance of Brangelina, who formed on the set of Mr and Mrs Smith, a seminal film about a couple who secretly moonlight as assassins, unbeknownst to each other. In more ways than one, the chemistry is lethal. We were enthralled, and we are still enthralled.

Natural Born Killers stars Juliette Lewis and Woody Harrelson as Mallory and Mickey Knox.

Natural Born Killers, based on a Tarantino film about two lovers united by their homicidal fixation, is a contemporary Bonnie and Clyde-esque model for murderous on-screen ties that double as aggressively sensual. Mallory and Mickey are played by Juliette Lewis and Woody Harrelson in career-best performances, with the intensity of their bond heightened by their common proclivity for murder. Furthermore, they appear to be having a good time while doing it.

Disobedience stars Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams as Ronit and Esti.

Though Blue Is the Warmest Colour is far more sensual, this low-key story about two lesbian lovers in a Jewish enclave in north London nevertheless relies on the fundamental relationship's authenticity. Ronit, played by Rachel Weisz, returns to her childhood home and rekindles a decades-old love affair with Esti, played by Rachel McAdams, a childhood friend. They have a genuine feel to them.

In My Policeman, Tom and Patrick (Harry Styles and David Dawson) are hypothetically Tom and Patrick.

Okay, we're just guessing, but our anticipation for this picture has us wondering if the central love story will be a revelation in on-screen sexual chemistry.

After all, Harry Styles is the first to put on his homosexual shoes in a movie! My Policeman is set in Brighton and tells the story of Tom, a closeted gay police officer, and Marion, a straight woman schoolteacher. Tom's secret romance with Patrick, a male museum curator, threatens to derail their loveless relationship. We know there are sex scenes (we only see arse, according to fans who have seen early screenings), and it promises to be spicy! God bless us all on the day this film is released!

Jonathan and Mira (Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain) in Scenes from a Marriage deserve special notes.

Anyone familiar with the plot of Scenes from a Marriage, whether the original from the 1970s or the HBO remake from 2021, know it's not exactly sexy: it's about a marriage that turns passion into a vacuum, punctuated with heated disputes and infidelity. (The first version resulted in an increase in divorce rates.) But what we're talking about here is the connection that developed on the red carpet between the film's two leads, Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac. Of course, the atmosphere between them during the show's global premiere at the Venice Film Festival was tabloid gold, and the iconic arm kiss sent the internet into a tailspin.