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

James Gunn says that there was one scene in Peacemaker Season 2 that initially made him feel a little bit uncomfortable when approaching it as a director.

Peacemaker Season 2 premiered on HBO Max in August 2025. Created by Gunn, the DCU series sees John Cena reprise his role as Christopher Smith/Peacemaker, while 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?

On the official Peacemaker podcast, Gunn and Holland, who are married, addressed the moment in the Peacemaker Season 2 finale, which was directed by Gunn, where Holland’s character shares a kiss with Cena’s Christopher.

“It’s a weird experience,” Holland said. “I mean, I also understand that it must be weird seeing your wife kiss another person. I don’t ever think about it like that, though. When two actors are on screen, it feels so technical.”

Gunn added, “This was especially technical. We had the Phantom camera, and everything was in slow-motion. You guys had to go back in a certain way, and then you had to come together. Then the camera ramps down. Ramps down means it goes faster…And we had to do it over and over [again]. Then [Holland is] standing on the lazy Susan as we’re curling around you. 

“…It wasn’t only that I had to direct you kissing a man, I had to direct you kissing a man in front of, like, 200-300 extras or more, a lot of whom were fans. Just the whole thing was kind of weird. Before it happened, I was uncomfortable about it, admittedly. I was like, ‘I don’t want to do this.’ But then once we were doing it, I didn’t give a shit. I was totally fine. I was looking at the kiss as like, ‘I’m f—ing loving it,’ because it’s these beautiful shots. Some of our best shots ever in this series are in that sequence.”

All eight episodes of DC Studios and Warner Bros. Television‘s Peacemaker Season 2 are now available to stream on HBO Max.