32 Celebrity co-stars who fell in love on set

These are the actors who stayed in love well after the director yelled cut

Collage of three celeb couples - Al Pacino and Diane Keaton, Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth and Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck
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These actors were so good at their jobs that they actually fell in love in real life too. From Ryan Gosling to Helen Mirren, the fated co-stars to lovers plotline is safe from no one. 

You may know Bennifer and Brangelina, but there are a few surprise stars who found their beaus on set. Just like all the celebrities you might not realise had famous parents, there are many A-list stars you may have not known were even married in the first place, nevermind to the celeb they're married to. 

So now you're on the edge of your seat, here they are - the 32 acting couple who faked it until they made it... 

1. Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford

Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford

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This is one that certainly sneaked up on us. It wasn't until 40 years later that the public found out that Fisher and Ford had a three-month relationship. Fisher revealed the news herself in her memoir, The Princess Diarist, where she shared that the love affair occurred during the first Star Wars film when she was only 19 and Ford was 33 and married with children. 

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher: was £10.99 now £7.69 | Amazon 

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher: was £10.99 now £7.69 | Amazon 

After re-discovering the journals that she'd kept during the filming of Star Wars, Fisher put them together to write this revealing recollection of memories that formed the young actress's life. 

2. Al Pacino and Diane Keaton

Al Pacino and Diane Keaton

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It wasn't just their rise to fame these two iconic stars had The Godfather to thank for -  it was also during the filming of the infamous blockbuster that the couple started dating. After its 1972 release, Al Pacino and Diane Keaton's romance slowly began, but it wasn't until the release of The Godfather 2 that their relationship truly started to develop. Unfortunately, after a bout of commitment issues with Pacino, the two separated after the third instalment. 

3. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart

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When the pair of actors rose to fame after the success of the Twilight franchise, it didn't take long for an off-screen romance to start budding. Along with the sensational hype of their hot and heavy vampire films, the pair's coupling also quickly became the centre of media attention. The relationship theatrically ended when Stewart was caught publicly cheating, but the two have since shared there is no bad blood (excuse the pun). 

4. Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem

Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem

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After meeting on the set of the hit comedy Jamón Jamón in 1992, these two budding actors immediately hit it off. However, it wasn't until they shared a set again in 2008 for Vicky Christina Barcelona that they made it official and started dating. They married in 2010 and share two kids.

4. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

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Perhaps one of the most famous celebrity couples in the history of Hollywood, Brangelina not only had a rocky start but also a difficult split. After falling head over heels while filming Mr. & Mrs. Smith in 2005, Pitt, who was married to Jennifer Aniston at the time, controversially filed for a divorce to the shock of fans. Jolie and Pitt married in 2014 after a long relationship, but their divorce two years later was yet another shock for the media. 

5. Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens

Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens

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Whether you were a Disney fan or not, there's no denying the social reach of the High School Musical franchise. Along with the films becoming a global sensation, it wasn't long until Efron and Hudgen's relationship became front-page news too. They unfortunately broke things off in 2010 to the dismay of many fans but have since both moved on. 

6. Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes

Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes

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Ryan and Eva met during the filming of their 2012 movie The Place Between the Pines where the pair were an on-screen couple too. The two, now married with kids, are known to keep their relationship on the down low and only now and then will publicly speak about their family life and marriage. 

8. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr

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Another fairytale romance, Gellar and Prinze met when they were filming the cult classic horror I Know What You Did Last Summer. However, the romantic side of their relationship didn't start until years later, when he became the Fred to her Daphne in Scooby Doo. The couple have since got married and had children.

9. Joey King and Jacob Elordi

Joey King and Jacob Elordi

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You might know Elordi from his breakout performances in 2023's Saltburn and Priscilla, while King rose to new levels of fame after her performance in the blockbuster Bullet Train. The pair, however, met years before their careers skyrocketed, when they became co-stars in the Netflix romance film franchise The Kissing Booth. The two dated for around a year, with them awkwardly having to film the second Kissing Booth post-break-up. Certainly not ideal. 

10. Stephanie Allynne and Tig Notaro

Stephanie Allynne and Tig Notaro

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These two love birds met when they were filming the 2013 comedy thriller, In a World. The two have been completely smitten ever since, with Notaro gushing about her wife during her stand-up performances. The two now have twin sons who were born in 2016, Max and Finn. 

11. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively

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Perhaps one of Hollywood's strongest power couples, these two are no strangers to public displays of affection. The two met when filming The Green Lantern in 2010, started dating the year later, and the rest was history. Now married with three children, Reynolds and Lively continue to be in the biggest blockbusters all whilst being very much in love. 

12. Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult

Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult

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Luckily these two had a very amicable break-up, as they were forced to work with each other on the very set they met. After meeting as co-stars on the set of X-Men: First Class the two began a four-year relationship which many fans were largely approving of. Unfortunately, in 2014 they separated but continued to happily work alongside each other until the end of filming. 

13. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams

Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams

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As co-stars of one of the biggest and most beloved romance films of all time, The Notebook, it's no surprise these two fell in love in real life. Interestingly, at the beginning of filming, the couple didn't get along. However, they soon warmed up to one another and started dating post-production. They only dated for two short years, with Gosling blaming showbusiness for their romance's demise. 

14. Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki

Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki

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Similarly to their relationship arc on the show, The Big Bang Theory, this couple's romance was a bit of a slow burn. After two years of filming the long-running sitcom, these two developed very strong feelings for one another. However, nothing came of it until Galecki broke up with his girlfriend at the time. After finally getting together and dating for two years, they sadly broke up but there's a silver lining - they've been great friends ever since. 

15. Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder

Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerholder

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Somerhalder and Dobrev met each other on the beloved series The Vampire Diaries. Whilst filming six seasons of the series together, the pair dated for three years between 2010 and 2013. After their devastating break-up, Somerhalder actually ended up dating Dobrev's friend Nikki Reed, whom he married in 2015. 

16. Tom Holland and Zendaya

Tom Holland and Zendaya

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A modern love story. Holland and Zendaya's love evolved along with their characters as they starred alongside each other in the Spiderman trilogy. Keeping their relationship under wraps didn't work for long as their natural chemistry was undeniable during press interviews and of course on screen as Peter Parker and MJ. 

17. Liam Neeson and Helen Mirren

Liam Neeson and Helen Mirran

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This one may be particularly surprising, but Mirren and Neeson did nothing to hide their four-year relationship when it began in the 80s on the set of Excalibur. Neeson recalled having a visceral reaction to seeing Mirren for the first time on set and the relationship blossomed from there. They not only dated but lived together for a while before parting ways in 1985, however, it's clear from how to two still talk about each other that there's no love lost. 

18. Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus

Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus

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Possibly one of the most prolific on-again-off-again relationships, Cyrus and Hemsworth's relationship has always been in the public eye through good and bad. After meeting on the set of The Last Song in 2010, the two fell quickly in love, but ended up breaking up and getting back together twice before getting engaged in 2012. Soon after their engagement, the couple announced their split and started dating others, and it wasn't until 2016 that they reunited and got engaged again. After finally getting married in 2018 during a very low-key ceremony, the couple only stayed together for another year.

19. Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie

Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie

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Despite their romance not lasting very long on screen, these two Game of Thrones stars' real-life love has certainly stood the test of time. The two met during the second season of the hit HBO show when they played unexpected enemies turned lovers. The pair married in 2018 and have been busy making a family ever since. 

20. Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner

Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner

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After filming the romantic comedy Valentine's Day in 2010, these two Taylors began a very short but very real relationship with each other. Although their romance was the centre of a lot of public ridicule, the two have remained very close friends with Taylor being very good friends with Lautner's wife, who also turns out to be called Taylor too. That's a whole lot of Taylors! 

21. Jennifer Grey and Matthew Broderick

Jennifer Grey and Matthew Broderick

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When you're co-stars in one of the most iconic movies of all time, you can't really blame them for falling in love. Grey and Broderick met whilst filming Ferris Bueller's Day Off in 1986. The two were shortly engaged in 1988 but sadly broke things off.

22. Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp

Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp

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One of the It couples of the 90s, their love affair began after they co-starred in the 1990's iconic film Edward Scissorhands. There was nothing subtle about this pairing, with Depp calling it 'love at first sight' and being spotted with an arm tattoo that read 'Winona Forever'. After being together for around 4 years and becoming engaged, the pair called it off but it's been made clear their love was sincere - tattoo covered up or not. 

23. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck

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Ah yes, the couple we know and love, Bennifer. After first meeting in 2002 on the set of their controversially unsuccessful movie Gigli, the two immediately started dating and were engaged in the very same year. After a very public two years of dating, the pair broke it off and remained friends until they famously recoupled in 2021. They got engaged for the second time in 2022 and married later that year.

24. Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana

Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana

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This coupling may have successfully stayed under the radar but this relationship was no short fling. No, Cooper and Saldana actually dated for a few years before the premiere of their joint blockbuster success The Guardians of the Galaxy. Prior to this, they met whilst on the set of The Worlds in 2011, when they started dating.

25. Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin

Brenda Song and Macualay Culkin

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When it comes to keeping things private, this pairing might just take the cake. There are hardly any photos of the pair available to the public, however, the child prodigy and Disney star have been together since meeting on the set of Changeland in 2019. It was just two years later that Song gave birth to her and Culkin's first child.

26. Dev Patel and Freida Pinto

Dev Patel and Freida Pinto

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Patel and Pinto met whilst filming Slumdog Millionaire, an instant box office hit in 2008. The co-stars dated for seven years, calling it quits in 2014 in the most amicable situation possible. They're still very good friends, having since both publicly said how the global success of Slumdog immediately bonded them for life. 

27. Blake Lively and Penn Badgley

Blake Lively and Penn Badgley

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While Lively didn't meet the love of her life, Ryan Reynolds, until much later in her career, she fell for her co-star Penn Badgley when she was the star of the hit TV show Gossip Girl. Now more commonly known for being Joe in the global Netflix phenomenon You, Badgley began spending lots of time off-set with Lively on the streets of NYC. The pair were never too serious but that didn't stop the paparazzi trailing them of course! 

28. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone

Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone

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Staying true to the Spiderman tradition, Stone and Garfield, who were co-stars in the second reimagining of the comics, fell madly in love when they met on the set of the 2011 film. The two made quite the adorable pair and made several public appearances together over their four-year-long relationship. However, in 2015, the two officially split. Despite their split, the stars continued to publicly gush over and support one another. 

29. Alexis Bledel and Vincent Kartheiser

Alexis Bledel and Vincent Kartheiser

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Yet another celebrity relationship kept under wraps, these Mad Men co-stars were married for eight years before they called it quits. It was a rather swift romance after the two met on set in 2012 - they were engaged in 2013 and married a year after that. They share a son together and continue to co-parent despite their split. 

30. Jennifer Aniston and Tate Donovan

Jennifer Aniston and Tate Donovan

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This coupling is a little different from the rest since they dated a little bit before they became co-stars on the hit show Friends. After dating for a while in the 90s, Donovan starred on the show for a few episodes as a love interest for Aniston's character Rachel. However, the two were going through their break-up while he was on the show so it was slightly awkward between them.

31. Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush

Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush

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After meeting on the set of One Tree Hill in 2003, the two quickly started dating and became a serious item. Only a year later, Murray proposed and the young couple were married in the following year. The marriage however only lasted around five months, something which turned into a rather nasty affair as it was hinted that Murray cheated on Bush. They've since decided not to speak about their relationship and leave things where they lie. 

32. Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton

Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton

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Yet more proof that love can transcend the screen, this couple met on the set of the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody in 2019. They were seen at many an award show sharing a kiss and saying caring words about each other during acceptance speeches. The two continued to date until 2022, when their split was confirmed with Malek kissing actor Emma Corrin in public.

Emily Smith
Digital lifestyle writer

Emily joined woman&home as a staff writer after finishing her MA in Magazine Journalism from City University in 2023. After writing various health and news content, she now specialises in lifestyle and home writing where she covers all things cleaning, interiors and homeowning.