{"id":35645,"date":"2026-08-10T02:44:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T21:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=35645"},"modified":"2026-08-10T02:44:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T21:44:09","slug":"dallas-actress-linda-gray-reveals-how-larry-hagman-survived-kissing-scenes-on-set","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=35645","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Dallas&#8217; actress Linda Gray reveals how Larry Hagman survived kissing scenes on set"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F08%2F136936753.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft wp-block-nypost-editor-partner-article-links\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Linda Gray is ready to kiss and tell.<\/p>\n<p>The actress, who played Sue Ellen Ewing, the glamorous, famously troubled wife of villain J.R. Ewing on \u201cDallas,\u201d is teaming up with Julien\u2019s Auctions for<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2023\/12\/01\/entertainment\/ladies-of-the-80s-a-bunch-of-old-broads-kicking-a\/\">\u00a0\u201cLadies of the \u201980s,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0which goes live Aug. 12.<\/p>\n<p>The sale gives bidders the chance to own costumes, props, personal archives and other rare memorabilia from some of the decade\u2019s most beloved television stars. It features two of Gray\u2019s original \u201cDallas\u201d scripts from the episodes surrounding the infamous \u201cWho Shot J.R.?\u201d saga.<\/p>\n<p>Ahead of the auction, Gray looked back on her \u201cDallas\u201d years, including the less-than-romantic kissing scenes she shared with her on-screen husband,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2012\/11\/24\/sitcom-star-larry-hagman-dead-at-81\/\">Larry Hagman<\/a>, who died in 2012\u00a0at 81.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe first time we kissed, he had a mouthful of peanut butter,\u201d the actress told Fox News Digital. \u201cI thought, \u2018Oh no.\u2019 And I had to keep going with this kiss. The camera didn\u2019t know what was going on. But here I was, kissing him with peanut butter. I almost killed him. I was like, \u2018You are so bad and very inappropriate, Larry.\u2019 And he didn\u2019t care. He just kept laughing. He thought that was funny.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then it was onions,\u201d said the 85-year-old. \u201cIt was kissing him with peanut butter, onions, whatever he could find in a jar. That wasn\u2019t some romantic thing. On camera, it looked pretty good, but that was not my reality.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Larry Hagman, as John Ross \u201cJ.R.\u201d Ewing, Jr., and Linda Gray, as Sue Ellen Ewing. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Gray later discovered that Hagman wasn\u2019t a fan of on-screen kisses. Rather than endure the awkward moments, he turned them<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/07\/28\/sports\/charley-hull-pranked-her-caddie-with-100k-lottery-ticket\/\">\u00a0into practical jokes.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had told me quite honestly that he didn\u2019t like kissing scenes,\u201d said Gray. \u201cAnd I thought, \u2018Well, we\u2019re going to be kissing a lot!\u2019 So when there was a kissing scene, Larry cringed, just cringed. He did not like it. But I think the pranks, psychologically, were his way of getting over the anxiety of having to kiss me on camera.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cDallas\u201d set was notorious for its practical jokes, and everyone got caught in the crossfire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a daily prank, if you can imagine,\u201d said Gray. \u201cAnd you never knew who it was going to come from. But it was mainly Larry. Larry was the prankster. I remember there was one episode where Sue Ellen was in the hospital. I was attached to all kinds of tubes and things on my wrists, arms and nose \u2014 all this hospital stuff. Larry came in, and he was supposed to talk to Sue Ellen. And Sue Ellen was out of it. She wasn\u2019t speaking, which was great for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Larry Hagman and Linda Grey attend the Channel 5 Dallas Launch Party at Old Billingsgate Market on Tuesday, August 21, 2012, in London, England. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cSo Larry sits beside my bed and starts telling Sue Ellen how much he loves her,\u201d she shared. \u201cVery soap opera dialogue. He\u2019s going, \u2018Oh, Sue Ellen!\u2019 and I\u2019m lying there with my eyes closed, my eyes rolling underneath my eyelids. Then the door opens again. I thought, \u2018Who is in this scene that I didn\u2019t know about?\u2019 It\u2019s Patrick Duffy. He stands next to Larry and says, \u2018I did not know this was in the scene. Would it help if we sang that old song we used to sing?\u2019 Larry says, \u2018Yes.\u2019 And then the two of them started singing this very inappropriate song. I can\u2019t even repeat the words to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just burst out laughing,\u201d she continued. \u201cThe tube came flying out of my nose. I was totally blindsided. I thought I had ruined the scene, but everyone just started laughing hysterically. That was just how it was every day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hagman\u2019s practical jokes were one thing. Facing Texas women in real life was another altogether.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was at\u00a0a Dallas hotel\u00a0for an event,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI went to the ladies\u2019 room to put on lipstick. Next to me was this lovely lady with a little Judith Leiber bag. She opened it to put on her lipstick. I glanced down, and there was a gun in her purse. That was all she had in it: a gun and lipstick. I thought, \u2018Oh boy, I\u2019m in Texas. Who carries a gun around?\u2019 So I said, \u2018Excuse me, is that a gun?\u2019 Really stupid, I know. She said, \u2018Of course, darling. This is Texas!&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Linda Gray, who plays Sue Ellen Ewing, leans over Larry Hagman, who plays John Ross \u201cJ.R.\u201d Ewing Jr., in a promotional still from the television series \u201cDallas\u201d in 1983. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI had never been to Dallas in my life,\u201d she reflected. \u201cI remember landing in Texas. Everything was beige and flat. I thought, \u2018I\u2019ve got to know the women here.\u2019 And where do the wealthy women of Texas go? Neiman Marcus, of course, to get their hair done. And that\u2019s what I did. I remember seeing big, big hair. It was unlike anything I saw\u00a0in California. These women dressed a certain way. Their shoes were always very stylish. And apparently, they carried guns in their tiny evening bags.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gray got a crash course in Texas high society over one unforgettable lunch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne woman invited me to lunch, and she wore a special outfit just for it,\u201d said Gray. \u201cI didn\u2019t have any friends in California who would do that. We\u2019re having lunch, and then she looks at her watch. She says, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m so sorry. I have to go home. I have to fluff and fold.\u2019 I\u2019m thinking, \u2018She has to do laundry? Fluff her towels and fold them?\u2019 No. She had to fluff her hair, put on her makeup and turn into the woman her husband expected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If learning Texas customs was intimidating, keeping the show\u2019s biggest twist under wraps was downright terrifying.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/10\/14\/entertainment\/dallas-actress-barbara-stock-admits-she-missed-the-clue-that-she-was-about-to-be-written-off-hit-series\/\">The \u201cDallas\u201d Season 3 finale\u00a0<\/a>ended with one of television\u2019s most famous cliffhangers: J.R. was shot by an unseen gunman, leaving viewers to wait eight months to learn not only who pulled the trigger but whether he survived.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Larry Hagman and Linda Grey attend the 6th Annual People\u2019s Choice Awards. <span class=\"credit\">Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Gray recalled that the writers were searching for a jaw-dropping way to end the season with a bang when one of them blurted out, \u201cLet\u2019s just shoot the bastard.\u201d After a brief silence, everyone agreed: \u201cWhat a great idea. We\u2019ll shoot him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As \u201cWho Shot J.R.?\u201d became a worldwide obsession, Gray found herself fielding the question everywhere she went, including during an interview with David Hartman.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was not very smart, but I said, \u2018Yes, I do,&#8217;\u201d Gray recalled when asked whether she knew the shooter\u2019s identity. \u201c\u2018I know, and one of my children knows.\u2019 After that, I thought, \u2018Oh my God, I just opened Pandora\u2019s box. I thought everyone was going to call my house and one of my kids would answer the phone and reveal who it was. And then it would be all over.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The moment the interview ended, Gray said she rushed to call home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember telling my kids, \u2018Somebody\u2019s going to call you, and they\u2019re going to ask you who shot J.R. You cannot answer.\u2019 My heart was racing because it all could have been ruined. But nobody called, thank God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Decades after \u201cDallas\u201d\u00a0first captivated audiences, Gray said the memories were meant to be shared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t look at it as letting these items go,\u201d she said about the auction. \u201cI look at it as sharing. There are a lot of people who still feel very connected with the show. And it feels good to share.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Linda Gray is ready to kiss and tell. The actress, who played Sue Ellen Ewing, the glamorous, famously troubled wife of villain J.R. Ewing on \u201cDallas,\u201d is teaming up with Julien\u2019s Auctions for\u00a0\u201cLadies of the \u201980s,\u201d\u00a0which goes live Aug. 12. The sale gives bidders the chance to own costumes, props, personal archives and other rare&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/136936753.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35645\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/35646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}