Bobby Cannavale Says His First Kiss With Eric McCormack In ‘Will & Grace’ Wasn’t In The Script: “The Audience Went Nuts”

Bobby Cannavale is reflecting on his first kiss with Eric McCormack, who played his onscreen boyfriend in Will & Grace.

The actor, along with his real-life wife Rose Byrne, stopped by this morning’s episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, where host Drew Barrymore enlisted the duo in a game of “Behind the Scenes.”

At one point, Barrymore asked for his fondest memories of his time on Will & Grace.

“You were such an icon in that show as Will’s boyfriend,” Barrymore said, to which Cannavale replied, “The nice thing about that show is that — I’m sure it’s what people felt over the years — that ensemble was so in love with each other. It was so, so kind and nice.”

From 2004 to 2006, Cannavale had a recurring role as Vince D’Angelo in the hit sitcom. His character’s relationship with Will (McCormack) was considered a milestone moment for LGBTQ+ representation on network television. His role even won him the 2005 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.

“That part was so well-written,” Cannvale told Barrymore. “They were clearly in love so it didn’t occur to me — I remember the first time we had a kiss, it wasn’t in the script. So we had just a quick kiss. I remember the audience went nuts.”

He continued, “I was like, ‘What happened?’ It didn’t occur to me that anything special happened because we were just playing two guys who were in love with each other.”

According to Cannavale, he “didn’t realize” that same-sex kisses on television were few and far between at the time.

“Now we take that for granted because we see that all the time on television, thank God,” he added. “But really it’s because of that show.”

Will & Grace originally aired on NBC from 1998 to 2006, before it was rebooted from 2017 to 2020.

The Drew Barrymore Show airs on weekdays on CBS. You can check the website for local airtimes.