{"id":9962,"date":"2025-11-25T22:05:27","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T22:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/?p=9962"},"modified":"2025-11-25T22:05:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T22:05:27","slug":"ted-danson-says-filming-love-scenes-with-strangers-makes-him-feel-guilty-and-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/2025\/11\/ted-danson-says-filming-love-scenes-with-strangers-makes-him-feel-guilty-and-wrong.html","title":{"rendered":"Ted Danson Says Filming Love Scenes With Strangers Makes Him Feel \u201cGuilty\u201d and \u201cWrong\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Alex Millauer \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ted Danson may have built a career as one of Hollywood\u2019s most beloved leading men, but when it comes to romance on screen, he admits it\u2019s not as effortless as it looks.<\/p>\n

During a recent appearance on the Today<\/em><\/a> show alongside his wife, actress Mary Steenburgen, the longtime couple opened up about what it\u2019s really like to play romantic roles after more than three decades of marriage.<\/p>\n

\u201cEasier for me because I\u2019m not crazy about love scenes with strangers \u2014 actors,\u201d Danson confessed with a laugh. When the host joked that it was a \u201cgood answer sitting next to your wife,\u201d Danson made it clear he meant every word. \u201cNo, but it\u2019s also true. You feel guilty and awkward and it\u2019s wrong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

While his wife couldn\u2019t resist teasing him \u2014 \u201cSee, I don\u2019t \u2014 I don\u2019t, but anyway,\u201d Steenburgen said, smiling \u2014 Danson playfully covered his ears, pretending not to listen. \u201cIs she going to talk about it?\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n

Despite the lighthearted banter, Danson said working with Steenburgen actually makes things easier. \u201cBut I have total permission, because she knows I love her and we\u2019re husband and wife, to fall madly in love with her on camera,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n

The two star together in Season 2 of A Man on the Inside<\/em>, and they explained that filming romantic scenes together can still feel surprisingly new. \u201cIt\u2019s an interesting challenge because it\u2019s the opposite,\u201d Steenburgen said. \u201cUsually you would go, \u2018Hi, nice to meet you,\u2019 then you\u2019re doing some sort of romantic scene with the person you just met. In our case, we had to unlearn everything about each other and see each other for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple also revealed a sweet ritual they share before filming\u2014a way to stay grounded and connected in their work and their marriage. \u201cYes, normally you just say \u2018break a leg,\u2019 but we both studied \u2026 Mary studied with Sandy Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse,\u201d Danson said.<\/p>\n

Steenburgen added, \u201cWe, just to remind ourselves to really connect, we would say his name right before the take \u2014 and it worked.\u201d Danson agreed: \u201cHe grounds you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their relationship, built on humor, honesty, and mutual respect, has been a Hollywood rarity. The pair first met in 1983 and married in 1995, blending their families with two children each from previous marriages.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Steenburgen told People<\/em> she hadn\u2019t always seen Danson as the family man he is today. \u201cI admired him so much as an actor, but I didn\u2019t personally know him, and I had this stupid idea that he was maybe kind of a slick guy,\u201d she admitted. But once she got to know him, she quickly realized, \u201chow wrong\u201d she was.<\/p>\n

She laughed, recalling one of his quirks that made her fall for him even more: \u201cSlick guys don\u2019t say, \u2018gosh-a-rooni,\u2019 after making love. I\u2019d like to apologize to my granddaughters.\u201d<\/p>\n

After three decades of marriage, Danson and Steenburgen\u2019s love continues to be rooted in friendship, laughter, and authenticity \u2014 both on and off screen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ted Danson may have built a career as one of Hollywood\u2019s most beloved leading men, but when it comes to romance on screen, he admits it\u2019s not as effortless as it looks. During a recent appearance on the Today show alongside his wife, actress Mary Steenburgen, the longtime couple opened up about what it\u2019s really…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":9965,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nTed Danson Says Filming Love Scenes With Strangers Makes Him Feel \u201cGuilty\u201d and \u201cWrong\u201d<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ted Danson reveals he feels guilty and awkward filming love scenes with strangers, but finds it easier working with wife Mary Steenburgen.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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