‘I felt young and uncomfortable having to kiss two boys on the show,’ says former Disney star Alyson Stoner.

The former Disney star Alyson Stoner has spoken out about feeling pressure as a child actor to have a first kiss onscreen.

Stoner, who uses the/them pronouns, discussed in a recent episode of their “Dear Hollywood” podcast “A Child’s Body: Open Access” being told they were going to kiss Dylan and Cole Sprouse of “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.”

Because they had already booked the role of Max and filmed a previous episode, Stoner felt obligated to perform the scene.

“Writers and executives might make your character do anything in the next episode, and it’s assumed you’ll agree,” Stoner said. There were several times when I was kissed on camera, including my first kiss.

I didn’t know that when I auditioned for Max,” the actor, now 30, said. “I didn’t know what I was getting into.” 

Although I felt young and uncomfortable, I was already under contract and didn’t want to be difficult since I was only a recurring role, closer to a guest star than a lead.

A part of being an actor, Stoner said, is justifying it to yourself.

“As I rationalized my decision, I figured, ‘This is part of my job. I chose to act and audition for this project. It’s only a character.’ So I justified, ‘OK, I can kiss here and then I’ll kiss separately.'”