More than 20 years after they co-starred in “Cruel Intentions,” Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar continue to find ways to reference their legendary screen kiss.
The actors made a virtual appearance at Sunday’s MTV Movie & TV Awards: Greatest of All Time, where they received the GOAT: Legendary Lip Lock award. Accepting the trophy via video, they shared their thoughts on why their same-sex lip-lock has stood the test of time.
Though the kiss was provocative when “Cruel Intentions” was released in 1999, Blair said she believed its message resonated with viewers well after the “initial shock value” wore off.
“It was a catalyst for so many young people to help them realize certain aspects of their sexuality and help make people comfortable to be who they really are,” she said.
Gellar agreed. “It also presented a paradigm shift to a new dynamic toward acceptance in pop culture ― and, also, it was super hot,” she quipped.
With that, the women vowed to recreate the kiss for the audience. But when they leaned in for the smooch, their lips were kept apart by a plexiglass wall, a COVID-19 era fixture of grocery stores, restaurants and other public establishments.
“Stay safe, MTV,” Gellar added. “And 2020: End soon!”
Blair and Gellar teased their long-awaited reunion on social media back in June. At the time, Gellar acknowledged Blair’s 48th birthday with a throwback snapshot showing the pair at the 2000 MTV Movie Awards, where they won the award for Best Kiss.
A day later, however, the actors appeared to have met up in person, and didn’t miss an opportunity to pucker up ― albeit through a mask.
The women have remained close over the years, with Gellar publicly supporting Blair after her 2018 diagnosis with multiple sclerosis.
“Every big milestone in my life, whether it was my 21st birthday or Selma’s baby shower, I just can’t imagine my life without her standing next to me,” Gellar told Entertainment Weekly last year. “Nobody makes me laugh, and nobody knows how to put me in my place faster than Selma does.”