Camilla Luddington recalled filming the kissing scene for Lifetime‘s 2011 made-for-TV film William & Kate
NEED TO KNOW
-
Luddington starred as Kate Middleton, while Nico Evers-Swindell played Prince William, in the movie
-
She has played Dr. Jo Wilson on Grey’s Anatomy since 2012
Camilla Luddingtonhas fond memories of starring asKate Middletonin a “cute movie” 15 years ago.
TheGrey's Anatomystarchatted exclusively PEOPLE about her experience portraying the Princess of Wales in the 2011 Lifetime film,William & Kate: The Movie, including the “really funny” day she had filming the kissing scene with costar Nico Evers-Swindell, who played Prince William.
"I think honestly ... oh my God, there’s a scene where Kate jumps into the water and swims to William. And I just remember it being freezing cold water," recalled Luddington, 42, while revealing her most memorable moment from the project.
"And it was so cold that we had to kiss that I was like, 'My lips are numb. I'm not even feeling the kiss at all.' That was a really funny filming day," she added of kissing Evers-Swindell, 47. "I had a blast though. We literally filmed it in three weeks and we all got so close and it was just such a cute movie and people still talk to me about it and enjoy it."
William & Kate: The Moviewas released on April 18, 2011, just days before thereal-life couple held their weddingat Westminster Abbey in London on April 29 that year.
Although Luddington portrayed Princess Kate in the movie, the two have never crossed paths over the years. "No, I have not met her. And I'm confused why I had not been invited to the palace, honestly," she told PEOPLE.
Luddington previously spoke about the movie's reception during aninterviewwithConan O'Brienon his talk show in 2014.
"People really liked it here, but then they showed it in England. I was curious, a Lifetime movie's a very specific kind of entertainment. How did it go over in England?" he asked her.
Advertisement
"Well, we don't have Lifetime in England, so they don't understand that Lifetime movies are cheesy and guilty pleasure," Luddington responded. "In England, I knew I was screwed with the reviews before it even came out because they were comparing it to the nextKing's Speech."
The 2010 film, a drama that centered around King George VI, won an Oscar for Best Picture, but was a very different tone to Lifetime'sWilliam & Kate: The Movie.
"I was like, 'Oh my god,' " Luddington said. "They thought it was going to be like a serious drama, maybe slightly controversial, and then it came out. And they were like, 'What is this?' — including my family."
She explained that her family thought it was "interesting" and O'Brien joked that "interesting's never a good word."
"I told them not to send me reviews," she replied. "They took great joy in sending me so many horrible reviews. I would say, 'Please, please don't send me anything.' And they'd be like, 'What, like this 1-star theDaily Mailgave you?' and they'd take a picture of it and send it to me. It was horrible. They thought it was hysterically funny, but it was humiliating."
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
In the years following the movie, Luddington has played Dr. Jo Wilson onGrey's Anatomysince 2012, made appearances inTrue BloodandCalifornicationand voiced Lara Croft in the 2013Tomb Raider Survivorvideo games.
Read the original article onPeople
