Bryan Cranston "went for it" when he kissed Julia Louis-Dreyfus at the Emmy Awards

Speaking to reporters backstage after the kiss, she quipped: "I thought it was pretty good. He went for it, man. He goes for everything."

Julia, 53, confirmed she and Bryan, 58, planned the romantic moment in advance and asked permission from their respective partners to take part in the gag.

The cheeky kiss stemmed from an earlier skit in which 'Seinfeld' veteran Julia joked that Bryan - who played her boyfriend Tim Whatley in the sitcom - looked familiar but appeared to forget they had once locked lips on the show.

Meanwhile, the 58-year-old actor - who attended the ceremony with his wife Robin Dearden - was one of the night's biggest winners as his show swept the Emmys in a fitting tribute to its final season and Bryan was overwhelmed by its haul of six prizes.

Bryan, who won Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for his role as drug lord Walter White, said: "This is the answer to a wish and prayer of mine. I've been blessed in the past, and this show has been nominated in the past, but what I wanted, we really got - to celebrate the entire [cast and crew]. What a way to go!"