Kit Connor and Charles Melton have set the internet alight by sharing a sweet smooch while promoting their new film Warfare, though not all film fans are thrilled by the kiss.
A24’s action drama Warfare, directed by Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland, is based on Mendoza’s experience of being a US Navy SEAL during the Iraq War.
Heartstopper’s Kit Connor plays gunner Tommy, with May December’s Charles Melton playing assistant officer in charge, Jake. The pair are joined by Gladiator II star Joseph Quinn, Death of a Unicorn’s Will Poulter, and Reservation Dogs’ D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai in ensemble roles as Navy SEALs on a perilous mission through the Iraq city of Ramadi.
With Warfare due for release in cinemas this month, promotion has ramped up, and the group are embarking on a press tour across both sides of the pond. During one press shoot, Melton was filmed standing above Connor, placing his hand on his shoulder, and leaning in for a kiss.
Though the lip smooch lasted a mere moment, it was enough to send fans of the internet-favourite It Boys into meltdown mode.
Kit Connor and Charles Melton share a kiss.
pic.twitter.com/3sZmG8GVrW— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) April 1, 2025
“I actually need them both so bad,” came one fairly gentle reply, with a second fan exclaiming: “Be still my loins!”
Other, more explicit replies included “Need the extended cut”, “No tongue? Boo!” and “T*P ME!”.
Promotion around Warfare appears to be centring on the bonds formed by the five men at the forefront, with the quintet recently revealing to Entertainment Weekly that they got a matching tattoo reading “Call on Me”, a link back to the film’s opening scene which features Eric Prydz’ noughties hit of the same name.
The group also assigned each other nicknames, with Poulter being dubbed “Daddy” and Melton being referred to as “Top”.
Connor was named “Baby Face”, while Quinn was tagged “Funcle” and Woon-A-Tai was “DP” and “Doza”.
Online, some anti-war cinema lovers feel affronted that the Warfare promotion appears to be focussed on eroticising the stars, and avoiding the film’s controversial content.
“The PR team figured nobody wants to see a war movie and told them they had to do [something] real QUICK,” suggested one person on X/Twitter.
“When Twitter is mad at you for being in a war propaganda film so now you have to act gay with your costars,” another joked.
“You know they’re really trying to hide what the content of this film is when they pull out the gaybait,” a third quipped.
Despite the online discontentment over the yet-to-be-released film, Warfare has performed pretty well with critics who have seen it.
Empire and The Telegraph awarded it a full five stars, while IGN described it as “an immersive war movie as terrifying as the darkest horror movie”.
It currently has a 93 per cent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Warfare is released in US cinemas on 11 April and UK cinemas on 18 April.
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