Never Been Kissed Secrets That Are Absolutely Worth Waiting For

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Along with Napster, Harry Potter and Y2K panic, teen rom-coms were all the rage in 1999. 

It seems uncertain whether a specific group of screenwriters coordinated to produce an abundance of appealing teen-focused movies during the late millennium, but with films like “10 Things I Hate About You,” “Varsity Blues,” “Cruel Intentions,” and “She’s All That,” it was certainly an era when high school students found themselves captivated by stories revolving around first loves and ideal prom nights.

Although it may seem surprising, a spectacled woman resembling Rachael Leigh Cook and another less fashionably dressed like Drew Barrymore are often portrayed as incredibly intelligent or bookish characters in Hollywood.

The plot for the movie “Never Been Kissed” revolves around Josie Geller, played by Barrymore, who is the youngest editor at the Chicago Sun-Times and has a knack for correcting her peers’ grammar. However, she lacks the skills needed to secure the reporting position she desires.

Presented with the opportunity, she accepts a mission disguising herself as a student at the neighboring South Glen High School.

As a teenager, Josie wasn’t particularly adept in social interactions. Even though she has experienced being kissed, she is the kind of idealistic romantic who thinks that the one true love is the only appropriate partner for a lifetime kiss.

Basically, she’s totally going to kill it with her fellow youths. 

In a regrettable head-to-toe white outfit, Josie soon forms friendships with intelligent Aldys (Leelee Sobieski, an aspiring academic, author, and flutist), who seems to already grasp her promising future. However, Josie finds herself in a worrying predicament when she harbors feelings for Charismatic Teacher Sam Coulson (Michael Vartan). As the prom nears, socializing with the math club (fittingly named the Denominators) and pursuing an English teacher with questionable professional boundaries won’t help Josie land the magazine feature she desires.

She counts on her brother Rob (David Arquette) who, like her, goes undercover, to help her get accepted into the exclusive circle of the cool kids, where a young James Franco and Jessica Alba were before they became famous.

With Rob endorsing her, a key statement that resonated in the movie goes like this: He tells Josie, “Just have one person believe you’re appealing, and you’re set. Everyone else will be too timid to challenge it.” As a result of his support, she manages to secure a coveted date for the grand dance, win the title of queen, and exclaim triumphantly, “I’m no longer Josie Grossie!

We’re not saying the movie is without its troubling moments.

In a somewhat unusual twist, the character known as “Guy” (Jeremy Jordan) has an off-putting habit of referring to unpopular girls as “canines.” It’s also worth noting that the school seems to have lenient enrollment criteria. Despite these issues, the film’s underlying message about self-acceptance is endearing. The romantic storyline involving a teacher and student is made less problematic by Michael Vartan’s captivating charm.

By the finale, when Josie had apologized for deceiving him and expressed a desire for an honest relationship akin to a romantic comedy, wasn’t everyone hoping that Mr. Coulson would appear at the bustling baseball stadium and give her a long-awaited kiss?

First released on April 9, 1999, approximately 25 years ago, the movie “Never Been Kissed” played a significant role in launching several notable Hollywood careers, including that of Academy Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer. Over the past two and a half decades, it has accumulated numerous intriguing behind-the-scenes facts that may have slipped your memory.

The romantic comedy was the debut project for Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen’s production company, Flower Films. In an interview with Wild About Movies in 1999, the actress stated, “I chose to make this film because it captures a feeling that resonates with everyone – the cringe-worthy experiences of our teenage years.

Following her roles in “Ever After” and “The Wedding Singer,” the former child star found great success with this project, which led to numerous other successful ventures. Notably, she appeared in films like “50 First Dates,” “He’s Just Not That Into You,” and “Whip It!” When asked about her first producing experience by TopMob News, she said, “I enjoyed the process and was thrilled when it worked out. Then, I was given the opportunity to produce ‘Charlie’s Angels,’ so each movie is like a piece of the puzzle for me.

2. Three months before they sold the script, screenwriting duo Marc Silverstein and Abby Kohn were still graduate students at the University of Southern California. Yet, their initial project ignited a successful career in romantic comedies that would last for years to come.

Following their stint in TV, they reunited with Flower Films for the 2009 production of “He’s Just Not That Into You”. Subsequently, they delved into “Valentine’s Day”, “The Vow” and “How to Be Single”. He explained to ET that it’s like “surfing a wave and steering it into different directions.” They ventured into romantic dramas, then into multi-character story arcs. The key is to keep the stories engaging as people are always interested in tales about relationships.

3. Prior to Silverstein marrying Busy Philipps (who announced their separation in 2022), he had been in a relationship with Kohn for approximately seven years. They ended their engagement in the early 2000s. As Silverstein explained to the Los Angeles Times, “When we decided not to get married, we were bound by a pilot contract. So, we thought it would be a good idea to work together instead.

They didn’t find it exceptional, but they did agree it didn’t take too long for things to return to normal. Kohn later married music executive Jason Linn, while Silverstein tied the knot with Philipps. Now, he expressed his viewpoint as follows: “I believe we have the best of both worlds. I know many writing teams who, despite being close friends, still can’t express to each other what we can.

4. In my perspective, it wasn’t always easy to recognize James Franco in his first film role as the cool kid Jason. As a UCLA student credited as James Edward Franco, I had minimal dialogues and primarily functioned as a supporting character in disco-stylish prom attire, blending into the background.

Prior to his comedy role, Franco’s acting history was mostly confined to a TV film and an appearance on “Pacific Blue”. However, later in the same year, he would become renowned for playing the lead character Daniel Desario in “Freaks and Geeks”, sharing the screen with Busy Philipps, who would later marry Silverstein.

5. The teen series prominently showcased Jessica Alba, then a relatively unknown 17-year-old who would become famous the following year with her role in Dark Angel. Despite her convincing portrayal of the cool character Kirsten, Alba herself has acknowledged that she had limited experiences to draw upon. “I should clarify that I didn’t attend high school,” she explained about her time at a Los Angeles-area academy. “However, during my junior high years, I was more of a bookworm and had few friends.

After she started performing, which included a two-season role on Flipper, she said, “People wanted to be my friends at first, but then they wanted to bully me because I was in magazines and such. It brings up strange problems for me.

6. Barrymore and Michael Vartan, along with an array of gifted actors in minor roles, enriched the film. In total, the movie boasts three Emmy-nominated stars (Barrymore, Leelee Sobieski, and Molly Shannon, who perfectly portrayed Josie’s work best friend), two Academy Award nominees (Franco and John C. Reilly, who brought life to their characters as Josie’s grumpy boss Augustus and co-worker in the film), and an Oscar winner, Octavia Spencer, who was somewhat underused in a brief role as one of Josie’s colleagues.

7. Jeremy Jordan had some background to lean on for portraying Guy, the popular high school crush you can’t help but fantasize about getting squished by. In his pursuit of pop stardom, he launched his first album, “Try My Love,” in 1993, which included his most successful tracks, “The Right Kind of Love” and “Wanna Girl.” These songs reached positions 14 and 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. Although his acting roles diminished after Never Been Kissed, he did put out another album in 2013 titled “Where Do We Go From Here.

8. Among the notable stars in the movie industry due to her roles in “Deep Impact” and “A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries”, Sobieski was allegedly given the opportunity for a popular role similar to Kirsten, but she preferred the intriguing character of Aldys with her ambition instead.

She had been accumulating roles before telling Vogue in 2012 that she was considering retirement due to her marriage with fashion designer Adam Kimmel. In her words: “Nearly all acting roles require a significant amount of intimate scenes with others, and I prefer not to engage in that. It’s like playing with a strange flame, and our relationship is robust enough to endure it, but if you’re going through fire, there needs to be something extraordinary on the other side.

9. Incidentally, Vartan nearly didn’t get a chance at all. In an interview with TopMob News during his visit to The Arrangement set in 2017, he shared, “I auditioned for Never Been Kissed over a century ago and I was incredibly anxious.” He further added, “It was one of my first significant film auditions, and I hadn’t the slightest idea that I stood a chance of getting the role.

He attributes getting the part of the overly charming teacher, Mr. Coulson, to his screen partner and producer Barrymore, as she “worked tirelessly on my behalf and ultimately helped me secure the role.

10. Barrymore’s arrival on set only strengthened Vartan’s affection for her. Despite already being a renowned actress multiple times over and the head of Flower Films, she arrived in a worn-out 1970s white Volvo, which made Vartan think highly of her. As he said to Bravo’s The Daily Dish in 2018, “She was down-to-earth, simple, and genuine – no airs or pretenses. She was just a genuinely nice person.

11. Costume designer Mona May disclosed that Drew Barrymore played an active role in selecting Josie’s quirky wardrobe for the movie. (Remember the eye-catching all-white ensemble adorned with a boa and citrus-themed bag?) “We scoured Loehmann’s to try on clothes since she was eager to find the most unique, offbeat pieces to develop this character,” May shared with Interview in 2018. “She has such a strong visual sense and preference for things, so it was truly a collaborative effort between us, which made the process enjoyable.

Through the course of events, Josie has experienced a profound personal transformation that seems to have touched her deeply. In summary, May remarked, “By the end, we see her purified, revealing her true essence.” Essentially, she has traversed an intense journey and emerged as the person she was meant to be.

Over the past few decades, I’ve embarked on numerous shopping escapades with the remarkable Ms. Barrymore. As her stylist for many years, I’ve had the privilege of dressing her, even for her Netflix series, “Santa Clarita Diet,” a production by Flower Films. In an interview, I shared my enthusiasm about this experience.

13. The film, characterized by a ’90s style soundtrack, acquired popular tunes from bands such as Jimmy Eat World, Cyndi Lauper, Blind Melon, Pat Benatar, Madonna, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. A memorable scene occurs when Josie finds out that some popular students at South Glenn South High School have moved her car to the center of the football field. Interestingly, the marching band was rehearsing the theme song for The Simpsons at that exact moment.

14. Known for his unyielding criticism in film, even Roger Ebert, a legendary critic, was charmed by Barrymore’s performance. Although he had some reservations about the screenplay (stating it as “not profound or complex, but it’s humorous and heartfelt and it captivates us”), he admitted to rooting for the obligatory happy ending. In his 1999 review, he acknowledged that the scene was overly manipulative, almost titled “Shameless Audience Manipulation.” However, because the wait was for Barrymore, he genuinely cared about the outcome. Yes, he did.

15. Although the authentic Chicago Sun-Times and essential city scenes were filmed in Chicago, most of the movie was actually shot on location in Los Angeles.

John Burroughs Middle School stood in for South Glenn South, while UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium provided the setting for the crucial final match. Josie’s childhood residence was situated within Hancock Park, and interestingly enough, the place where Rob worked before his baseball career aspirations took flight is now a Cold Stone Creamery located in Monrovia, California.

16. In a straightforward manner, the editor-in-chief character portrayed by Garry Marshall states in one scene, “I can’t even recognize my own children.” Interestingly, his real-life daughter, Kathleen Marshall, who has worked on shows like ‘Happy Days’, ‘Laverne & Shirley’, ‘Runaway Bride’, and ‘The Princess Diaries’, is seated right beside him in this scene.

17. In order to boost the launch of the movie in April 2019, Barrymore appeared on the show Saturday Night Live, marking her second stint as a host out of six, and her first time back since becoming the youngest person ever to lead a show at age 7.

Indeed, there was a moment of kissing involved. The actress excitedly shared with Wild About Movies that returning to the sketch comedy show was fantastic, but locking lips with Molly Shannon was simply extraordinary. Her co-star concurred, revealing to the publication that Barrymore had impressive skills; they even exchanged a kiss during their dress rehearsal.

18. Although there’s no talk of a follow-up for the 1999 movie, screenwriters Kohn and Silverstein suggest that it indirectly influenced the 2018 film “I Feel Pretty” starring Amy Schumer. In this comedy, her character, a cosmetics employee, experiences a shift in self-confidence after falling off a SoulCycle bike.

Silverstein explained to ET that the method for this new comedy wasn’t too dissimilar from their previous one, Never Been Kissed. He said, “In many ways, it’s a spiritual sequel to that movie. We approached it with similar sensibilities because it shares the same elements – it’s a character-driven comedy with a broad, humorous concept, but we treated it in a realistic manner.

19. To clarify, if a retaliation were to occur, Vartan would likely be among those who think Josie and Sam are unchanged in their stance. In 2019, he stated to Bravo’s The Daily Dish that they would at least be of suitable age for the roles, as Barrymore was only a year older than her character, while Vartan was 30 years old.

In essence, despite her being younger, it seems we might find ourselves in roles where she’s the principal and I’m the janitor at a school, with me still being a teacher. Perhaps I would wear a tie now. Frankly, I can’t predict the future accurately.

20. Among many roles she could have picked, Barrymore selected “Never Been Kissed” as one of her cherished films from her lengthy, four-decade acting career. She expressed her affection for the character Josie to the UK’s Glamour magazine, stating that she truly enjoyed portraying her.

1998’s movie “Ever After” narrowly surpasses the experience, as it was a modern take on Cinderella’s tale, which empowered Barrymore to learn self-rescue skills. Consequently, it’s no surprise that she would be eager to reunite with her previous co-stars. She expressed this desire to TopMob News before the 20th anniversary, stating, “We should do something—a reunion. We loved the movie and each other.

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2025-04-09 10:27