Netflix’s new romcom spy-thriller The Union concerns the romance of two estranged high school sweethearts: blue-collar construction worker Mike (Mark Wahlberg) and secret agent Roxanne (Halle Berry).

However, throughout the film’s runtime, the pair never kiss — a decision that director Julian Farino says was “long debated” but ultimately made to leave fans wanting more.

“We take the relationship to a certain place, and then I think you’ve got to leave a lot of space to go,” Farino said at the film’s L.A. premiere on Monday night. “Netflix always said to us at the beginning, ‘You have to think of this as a possible three-movie idea.’ So if an audience comes out wanting a kiss, then we’ve probably done alright, in my opinion.”

Berry and Wahlberg echoed Farino’s logic about skipping the kiss. “Once they kiss, then it’s over. We’re hoping if we get to do a second one, we’ll let that chase continue,” Berry explained. “You want to see the journey — to see these two high school sweethearts find each other.”

Along with the romance, “The Union” serves up plenty of practical action. The film’s shooting schedule was split between New Jersey, New York, London and Solvenia, casting a wide scope of production uncommon in an increasingly prudent industry. Berry was thrilled to be part of a production that shot on location rather than sticking to sound stages.

“We could be on a stage somewhere, just making it all up and pretending that we’re in Italy, that we’re in London or Croatia. But we really got to go to these places, and I think that adds to the authenticity of the filmmaking,” she said. “It helps us as actors get in the right headspace. And then we get to have fun in the off time.”