Out of all the gin joints in the world, she may have walked into his, but it wasn’t chemistry or magnetism that drew them together. When Casablanca was released in 1942, Rick and Ilsa became one of the greatest on-screen couples of all time. But when the cameras weren’t rolling, actors Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman did not harbor the same chemistry between each other.
Casablanca blended wartime tension, romance, intrigue, and the human heart in conflict with itself to tell an enduring story that continues to captivate audiences decades later, following the whirlwind romance between Ilsa and Rick set against the ever-encroaching threat of World War II. But drama of a different sort unfolded behind the scenes too.
The on-screen love between Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart did not carry over
Actors act and Bogart and Bergman certainly acted their hearts out. None of their on-screen chemistry came from a real place; no sparks flew between takes and no steamy romance threatened to bloom. Film historian and author of We’ll Always Have Casablanca Noah Isenberg discussed this stark dichotomy for the 75th anniversary of the film.
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“Off-screen, Bergman and Bogart, they really didn’t have much chemistry at all,” said Isenberg. Bergman herself had a very famous quote, saying, “I kissed him, but I never knew him.” This amounted to Bogart reportedly outright ignoring Bergman. She said, “He used to stay very much to himself.”
But when the two did interact, it was not always friendly.
Sometimes, no tension is better than having some
At the time of filming, Bogart was married to actress Mayo Methot, so the choice to not pursue any romance can be respected. But there was no friendly sentiment between them; Isenberg writes in his book that whenever Bergman invited Bogart to dinner, he turned her down every time. He also preferred playing chess by himself over spending free time with her.
“[Bogart] was going through a nasty period with his wife – actress Mayo Methot – and there were a lot of gin-fuelled rages,” notes Isenberg. As a result of this, Bogart sometimes turned up to the set while still drunk. Despite keeping his co-star at an arm’s distance, Bogart was often accused by his wife of having an affair with Bergman.
Nothing happened – but Bogart himself reportedly said that it was kissing Bergman that transformed him into his leading role, with Isenberg calling it “the pixie dust that needed to be sprinkled over him.”
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