Why James Gunn Felt ‘Uncomfortable’ Directing 1 Peacemaker Season 2 Scene

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As a huge fan of James Gunn’s work, I found it really interesting to hear him talk about Season 2 of *Peacemaker*. He mentioned there was one particular scene that initially gave him pause as a director – something that made him a little uneasy when he first started thinking about how to film it.

The second season of Peacemaker debuted on HBO Max in August 2025. Created by James Gunn, the show features John Cena returning as Christopher Smith, also known as Peacemaker. The cast also includes Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo, Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase/Vigilante, Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, and Steve Agee as John Economos.

What Peacemaker Season 2 scene initially made James Gunn uncomfortable?

James Gunn and Jennifer Holland, a married couple, discussed a scene from the Peacemaker Season 1 finale on the show’s official podcast. The scene, directed by Gunn, features a kiss between Holland’s character and John Cena’s character, Christopher Smith (Peacemaker).

Holland described the experience as strange, acknowledging it must be odd to watch his wife kiss another actor. However, he personally doesn’t focus on that aspect while filming. He explained that when actors share a scene, it feels very focused on the technical aspects of the work.

Gunn explained that this scene was particularly complex from a technical standpoint. They used a high-speed Phantom camera to capture everything in slow motion, requiring the actors to precisely repeat their movements – first moving apart, then coming back together – in sync with the camera’s speed changes. The camera would gradually speed up, and they had to rehearse the sequence many times. At one point, Holland was positioned on a rotating platform while the camera circled around him.

Directing that kiss was strange, not just because you were kissing a man, but because it was in front of a huge crowd – around 200 to 300 people, many of whom were fans. Honestly, I was really uncomfortable with it beforehand, and I even thought, ‘I don’t want to do this.’ But once we started filming, I didn’t care at all. I actually really enjoyed it because we were getting some incredible footage – some of the best shots we’ve ever gotten for the show are in that scene.

All eight episodes of Peacemaker Season 2 are now streaming on HBO Max, brought to you by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Television.

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2025-10-14 18:16