"Harry Potter" stars felt pressure to "ace"

NEW YORK (Reuters) - "Harry Potter" stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint felt the pressure of millions of fans of the boy wizard series when they recently filmed a highly anticipated kiss between their characters Hermione and Ron.

The kiss happens in the seventh and final book in author J.K. Rowling's series and Watson told a news conference on Thursday -- promoting the sixth film "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" -- that the scene was filmed two weeks ago.

"Rupert and I were quite nervous that it might look ingenuous as we were so desperate to get it over with," Watson, 19, said. "Rupert and I felt the pressure of this kiss, there's so much interest."

"This is 10 years worth of tension and hormones and chemistry and everything in one moment. We had to ace it," said Watson. "Kissing is awkward, kissing is always awkward."

The final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," is being split into two films and it remains unknown which of the final two movies contains the kiss.

"It's not something we were really looking forward to," said 20-year-old Grint. "It was quite a strange thing to have to think about doing."

But it doesn't seem strange for fans because a lot appear to be excited about it. In a poll conducted by online ticket seller Fandango.com, 59 percent of fans said the on-screen kiss they most want to see is between Hermione and Ron.

Only 40 percent said they can't wait to see the peck in "Half-Blood Prince" between Potter, played by Daniel Radcliffe, and Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister in the film who is played by Bonnie Wright.

By Michelle Nichols