“Twisters” director explains why the kissing scene was cut

Twisters spoilers follow.

Twisters is the brand new film for fans of disaster movies. Set against the backdrop of terrifying tornadoes, the rivalry between Tyler Owens (Glen Powell) and Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones) develops, turning into lovers.

While romantic viewers were probably expecting a kiss between the two after hours of shameless flirting on screen, the ending of the film in this case was a disappointment. Especially since leaked footage had shown the two actors filming a scene at the airport in which the couple actually gave in to temptation.

Powell confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that the kissing scene was filmed, but director Lee Isaac Chung ultimately decided to leave it out of the final cut.

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“I’m a little insulted that they didn’t want to use it. Maybe it’s just my skills, I don’t know,” Powell joked.

Chung then explained the reason for this omission, pointing to a shift in modern cinema where people are wary of wanting to see open expressions of passion on screen.

“I feel like the audience is in a different place now in terms of wanting to kiss or not wanting to kiss,” Chung said. “I actually tried the kiss and it was very polarizing – and that’s not because of her performance of the kiss.”

“The [no-kiss shot] was the other option I had filmed that day, and I have to say, I like it better. I think it’s a better ending. I think people who want a kiss in it can probably assume that one day these guys will kiss. And maybe we can give them privacy to do that. In a way, this ending is a way of making sure that we really wrap things up in a celebratory way.”

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Edgar-Jones further revealed that another reason for showing the kiss off-screen is that the climax of the film should not be the romantic storyline, but Kate’s journey as a storm chaser.

She says the ending, in which they leave the airport together to chase another storm, was “refreshing,” and Powell adds that it’s their “love language” and “their relationship is really about the chase.”

Chung agreed, saying, “If it ends with a kiss, then it makes it seem like Kate’s journey was to end with a kiss. But it would be better if it ended with her being able to carry on doing what she’s doing with a smile on her face.”

Twisters is now in cinemas in the UK and US.

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