Going Off-Script
There’s a reason actors are actors and not writers, right? Well, it means that it’s important that they stick to the script. But that doesn’t mean they don’t make mistakes like the rest of us.
The funniest thing is that sometimes when actors make a mistake when trying to follow the carefully created script, the blooper is funny enough to include into the final cut of the movie, get ready to learn about some unscripted scenes you may not have known about.
The Wizard Of Oz
The Wizard of Oz instantly became a hit when it debuted in 1939. In its day, it was an incredible milestone for the film industry. It was one of the first full-color movies.
ODorothy’s slippers became an instant icon that anyone will recognize today. But in one of the scenes, she can be briefly seen in black shoes.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl
1JUX
People became interested in pirates again when Pirates of the Caribbean came out in 2003. Johnny Depp led an amazing cast that set a good standard for the sequels to come.
But there’s a funny detail in one scene on the pirate ship. Take a look at the background and you’ll see a man wearing a cowboy hat. Maybe he’s a time traveler, or maybe he’s just a part of the film crew. But who can say for sure?
Commando
IMCDB
Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a retired Special Forces colonel, his daughter gets kidnapped and he has to rescue her. Sounds like a typical ’80s action movie, right?
But there’s a funny detail in this film too. Arnold gets into a high-speed chase where he bangs up his Porche, but in the next scene, you can see the Porche unscathed.
Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines
Go Social
Here’s another Arnie classic. Since the first Terminator debuted people were captivated by the franchise. But there’s a funny detail about the third installment.
So in Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines, John Conner climbs into a small plane. But between scenes, the plane’s tail number changes from an N3035C to an N3413F.
The Last Samurai
Esquire
Here’s a classic that starred Tom Cruise as an American Soldier who gets captured by Japanese forces and well, you’ll have to watch the movie to know the rest.
This one isn’t a glaring mistake on the director’s part but more of an unfortunate accident. So when Tom Cruise dismounts from horseback in one scene, his horse kicks one of the extras in the stomach. It was kept in the final cut of the film.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
The Philadelphia Inquirer
No one knew that the Iron Man film would lead to a Cinematic Universe that would be one of the biggest franchises in history. They cleverly put a lot of easter eggs into the movie, but while fans were looking for them, they noticed some bloopers.
Spider-Man: Far From Home takes place in Venice for a lot of the film. So large vehicles are prohibited on the main island, so why did the students leave on a bus?
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
LAist
The latest of Quentin Tarantino’s masterpieces, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood has a star-studded cast like Brad Pitt, Leonardo Dicaprio, and Margot Robbie. But the film still has a few mistakes.
The film is set in the 1960s or “the golden age of Hollywood”. The funny thing is a Starbucks can be seen at one point which wouldn’t have been around until 1971.
Braveheart
The Sun
Mel Gibson, most famously known for his roles in movies like Mad Max and Lethal Weapon has directed numerous films, despite many of them being the center of some controversy. His third directorial outing was the critically acclaimed Braveheart, which tells the story of William Wallace and the Scottish revolt against the King of England.
Since it is set during the 13th century, transportation was limited to carriages, horseback, or walking. That’s why it was such a jarring moment when a car was clearly visible in one of the scenes. Either this was a mistake or history books forget to mention that the Scots had cars 7 centuries before the rest of the world.
Pretty Woman
Casa Veneración
Undoubtedly one of the most beloved romantic comedies of all time is Pretty Woman, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. While it is a typically cliched 90s film, it is also very heartwarming. However, one of the most endearing moments was never in the script.
During the scene in question, Edward (Gere) presents Vivian (Roberts) with some jewelry in a case. As she reaches for it Gere snaps the lid closed giving her a fright. Gere had snapped the lid closed as a joke to scare Roberts and the director decided it was too perfect to remove from the film.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the last installment of the Harry Potter franchise and it’s divided into two parts. Both films received critical acclaim, but here’s one detail we can’t believe the screenwriters missed out on.
In all of the books, J.K. Rowling stresses the fact that Harry had his late mother’s same eyes. However, when we finally get to see Lily Potter as a child, her brown eyes look nothing like Harry’s crystal-clear blue eyes. The best part is that, according to the books, both characters had green eyes! Come on, folks, do some proof-reading before shooting the movie!
Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction is one of the greatest cult films of all time as well as Quentin Tarantino’s most iconic masterpiece. In fact, everyone agrees on the fact that Pulp Fiction losing the Best Picture Award to Forrest Gump was one of the greatest Oscar blunders ever.
But even masterminds like Tarantino make mistakes! In the scene where Travolta and Jackson go to pick up a briefcase, they find themselves in the middle of a shooting. However, if you pay close attention, there are bullet holes in the walls before the shooting takes place!
Roman Holiday
Wanted in Rome
Let’s take a trip down memory lane and relive one of Audrey Hepburn’s Oscar-winning performance in the 1953 period drama film Roman Holiday. Hepburn plays a princess who escapes from her guardians and falls in love with an American journalist, played by Gregory Peck.
In one of the scenes, Peck’s character teases the Princess by hiding his hand beneath his sleeve, telling her that he had lost it to the Mouth of Truth. This line was actually improvised, so when Hepburn bursts into laughter, her reaction was completely natural.
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
Harry Potter is most definitely one of the most successful film franchises of all time, and its second installment, The Chamber of Secrets, is definitely the most thrilling one! We all remember (and secretly love) Draco Malfoy’s scornful remarks, but what you probably never knew is that one of his most famous lines were improvised.
As actor Tom Felton told the LA Times, the director always encouraged the actors to improvise lines whenever they felt like it. In one of the scenes, Malfoy scathingly says to his sidekick Crabbe: “I didn’t know you could read”. Actually, Felton improvised this line because the actor who played Crabbe had forgotten his next line.
Pretty Woman
WhatCulture
And we’re back to Pretty Woman! Don’t get me wrong, I think the movie is great, but they should’ve paid a little more attention to the details. In one of the scenes, Julia Roberts’ character is eating a croissant, but seconds later, this happens.
The camera then cuts to Richard Gere, but when it goes back to Roberts, the croissant is gone. Instead, there’s a half-eaten pancake! I can’t help but wonder the reason behind this blooper. Maybe the actors couldn’t help gobbling it up?
The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring
YouTube
Released in 2001, The Fellowship of the Ring is the first installment of the legendary, record-breaking film franchise. It received a whopping 13 Academy Award nominations, of which it won 4. But you know what they say, even geniuses make mistakes, so let’s see the silly mistake made by the genius who played Gandalf, Ian McKellen.
In one of the opening scenes, Gandalf and Frodo pay a visit to Bilbo who, just like the rest of the hobbits, lives in a ridiculously small house. Gandalf hits his head against the roof and grabs his head in pain, but actually, that wasn’t in the script! However, McKellen stayed in character, so the director left the scene as it was.
A Series Of Unfortunate Events
Fanpop
If you were born in the 90s, there’s a high chance Jim Carrey was one of your favorite actors thanks to his role in the children’s mystery film The Mask. However, if you grew up in the 2000s, you probably came to love him thanks to his villainous role in the adventure movie A Series of Unfortunate Events.
In one of the scenes, we hear Carrey’s character say “Wait, let me do that one more time. Quickly, while it’s fresh in my mind”. Carrey was actually speaking to the script supervisor, but he stayed in character and the cameras kept on rolling.
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Nerdist
The release of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope was a turning point in the history of modern cinema, especially as far as the sci-fi genre is concerned. The Stormtroopers are one of the film’s many villains, and these faceless creatures are constantly trying to hunt down Luke Skywalker and his crew.
In one of the scenes, one of the actors playing a Stormtrooper accidentally bumps his head against a doorway. Director George Lucas actually had this scene shot twice more, but for some reason, he chose to stick with the one with the bump in the head. I wonder why!
Titanic
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At the time of filming, Titanic was the most expensive movie ever made, and no one could have predicted the monstrous success headed its way. The blockbuster went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time (before being dethroned by James Cameron’s 2009 film Avatar) and has entered the pop culture as one of the essential films to see before you die.
According to director James Cameron, the scene in which Di Caprio shouts “I’m the king of the world!” with his arms open wide, was made up on the spot. Cameron told BBC that “I was in a crane basket, and we were losing the light. And I said, ‘Alright, I’ve got one for you. Just say, ‘I’m the king of the world,’ and just spread your arms out wide”.
Midnight Cowboy
Starring Dustin Hoffman and John Voight, Midnight Cowboy won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1969, becoming the first X-rated film to ever receive that award. Curiously, one of the film’s most famous scenes was the result of a blooper.
At one point, Voight and Hoffman are nearly run over by a car when crossing a road, so Hoffman screams out “Hey! I’m walkin’ here!”. Actually, the crew didn’t have a permit to close down the streets, so the car was actually a real taxi who really almost ran over them! The director couldn’t stop laughing, and decided to leave the scene as it was!
Zoolander
Zoolander may well be one of the most bizarre films ever made. Starred by comedy legends Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, it follows the steps of a goofy male model who is brainwashed to commit a political murder. At one point, when they’re at the cemetery, Duchovny’s character points out that most of the political crimes during the past decades had been carried out by models. Do you remember what happens next?
Stiller’s character, Zoolander, is startled by this, and asks “Why men models”? Duchovny explains it to Zoolander, but seconds later, he asks one more time: “But why men models”? It happens to be that Stiller had forgotten his next line and that’s the only reason why he asked the same question twice. Duchovny, however, improvised by saying: “Are you joking? I’ve just explained it”. Producers thought that the whole improv was hilariously bizarre, so it made it to the final cut!
Back To The Future – Part III
Universal Pictures
Time travel films have become somewhat of a cliché, but the movie that triggered this trend was the 1985 classic Back to the Future. The third and last installment of the franchise was released 5 years later, and let me tell you that it’s just as thrilling as the other two.
In the last scene of all, Doc’s son is shown making a rather rude gesture, but in reality, he was just trying to tell the crew that he needed to go to the toilet. While the editors never noticed it, the viewers most certainly did!
North By Northwest
Metro
Alfred Hitchcock is widely regarded as the founder of the modern thrillers and he has directed over 70 mystery films. One of his greatest classics is the 1959 film North by Northwest, which received three Academy Award nominations.
In one of the most dramatic scenes, Eve Kendall’s character unexpectedly shoots Thornhill in a café. Obviously, they had us on the edge of our seats, so I doubt anyone realized this tiny detail in the background. Among the crowd, there’s a young boy dressed in blue who is covering his ears, obviously knowing that the sound of shots was about to come. I guess that not even the editors took notice.
Passengers
Columbia Pictures
Passengers is a 2016 sci-fi drama starring Hollywood icons Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence. It tells the story of a spaceship that is traveling to a faraway planet, but as a result of a technical problem in the sleeping chambers, two of its passengers unexpectedly wake up. Can you think of a more twisted plot?
In one of the movie’s most romantic scenes, the two lead characters are meant to kiss for the first time, just after having walked in space. However, the two actors nearly tumble over each other thanks to their giant spacesuits, making the scene silly rather than romantic. We didn’t expect less of Pratt, did we?
You’ve Got Mail
Warner Bros
Released in 1998, You’ve Got Mail is one of Meg Ryan’s most iconic rom-coms of all time. It tells the story of two business rivals who hate each other in real life, but totally fall for each other by e-mail. The film is filled with comic scenes, but one of them wasn’t scripted at all.
Remember when Joe (played by Tom Hanks) leaves the bookshop carrying a bunch of balloons in one hand and a goldfish on the other? The balloons get stuck in the door, and we hear Hanks say “It’s great it wasn’t the fish!”. Funnily enough, this line was totally improvised, as the balloons weren’t actually meant to get stuck in the door!
Being John Malkovich
Focus Features
Being John Malkovich is a very unusual comedy film, beginning with the fact that lead actor John Malkovich plays himself! You don’t see that every day, don’t you? The movie definitely makes everyone laugh their heads off, but there was this one scene that was actually a blooper.
At one point, Malkovich is walking down the road when a car passes by, and one of the passengers throws a beer can at his head. You’d be surprised to know that this scene was the direct result of the lack of security on set. The man who threw the can and screamed “Hey Malkovich, think fast!” was only a very drunk extra!
The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
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The Two Towers was released in 2002 and was a critical and commercial success. It earned 926 million dollars and to this day has 96% approval on Rotten Tomatoes. The Lord of The Rings is the only film trilogy to have all three films nominated for the top 100 greatest films of all time by the AFI (American Film Institute).
As war looms, Eowyn (played by Miranda Otto) stares off into the distance as the camera reveals a wide scenic shot. As she does, a flag on a pole whips nervously and wildly in the wind. And then, aptly expressing the mood of uncertainty and destruction to come, the flag rips off the pole and flies away. The metaphor was apt, but it was really also a blooper.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise Of Electro
Sony Pictures
If you’re a major fan of superhero films, then you should definitely see how Spider-Man saves the day once again in The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro. As you know, Spider-Man’s identity is top-secret. However, in one of the scenes, this happens.
When Spider-Man ties Gwen to the car and leaves, she screams out his name right there in the middle of the street. Emma Stone immediately realizes she wasn’t supposed to reveal Spider-Man’s real name in public, so she covers her mouth with her hand. This scene wasn’t scripted, but somehow, the director chose to leave it!
American Beauty
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In 1999, American Beauty put every frustrated suburbanite’s darkest fantasy on display. Screenwriter Alan Ball’s black comedy told the story of Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), a depressed family man who succumbs to the inevitable midlife crisis. The debut film of director Sam Mendes was so resonant that, in 2000, it brought home five Oscars, including the coveted Best Picture statue.
That unforgettable scene where Kevin Spacey’s character, Lester, throws a plate of asparagus at the wall, behind Thora’s Birch back, was meant to be thrown at the floor. Despite the fact that it was intended by the director to be that way, Spacey improvised the now-famous scene and threw the plate violently to the wall. The reactions from Annette Bening and Thora Birch are genuine.
The Other Guys
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The Other Guys focuses on two New York City police detectives Allen Gamble and Terry Hoitz (portrayed by Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg respectively) that have been office pencil pushers for years, while the station’s two top cops Highsmith and Danson garner praise from not only the NYPD but from the entire city for their cowboy, take-no-prisoners antics. They crash a lot of cars, don’t play by the rules, and always have a one-liner at the ready and a lady at their sides.
One of the most memorable scenes of the film was unscripted. When Terry says that if he were a lion, and Allen, a tuna, he would go swimming into the ocean and eat him whole. According to the script, Allen was not supposed to answer to the taunt. Nonetheless, the actor improvised a whole dialogue explaining why a swimming lion would not be a feasible idea.
The Burbs
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Joe Dante’s 1989 horror-comedy The ‘Burbs is an all-time favorite film starring Tom Hanks. The ‘Burbs is a very unusual film and Tom Hanks plays a man who moves into a new neighborhood where it appears that all is not what it seems, with one family, in particular, being very creepy and leaving him wondering what’s going on.
We all know that Tom Hanks is a very versatile actor, and he was hesitant about playing a part in this film. Regardless of that, the part where he picks up the stretcher and tosses it in the ambulance before collapsing on top of it again wasn’t scripted but it was kept since it was funny.
Scream
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Released in September 1997, Scream is one of the most famous slasher films. Screenwriter Kevin Williamson was partially inspired by a real-life series of student murders in Gainesville, Florida in 1990, perpetrated by killer Danny Harold Rolling who was later dubbed “The Gainesville Ripper”. Williams was also inspired by John Carpenter’s 1978 horror classic, Halloween, his favorite movie.
When actor Matthew Lillard, who plays the role of Stu, discovered that the gun was missing from the house, he ad-libbed the line “Ah…Houston, we have a problem”. That line was not scripted, but the director felt that it fitted the scene perfectly, and decided to keep it.
Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels
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Guy Ritchie is the guy who made Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, his debut film, a smash hit in England, a cult hit in the U.S., and instigator of a new cycle of rough British crime comedies. The story is a heist involving a self-confident young card sharp who loses £500,000 to a powerful crime lord in a rigged game of three-card brag.
Bacon, the character portrayed by Jason Statham, asks “Have you forgotten those guns?” to the guys preparing to rob the other gang of robbers. The forgotten gun joke was actually added because the prop guns were actually forgotten that day!
The Wolf Of Wall Street
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The Wolf of Wall Street was supposedly the true story of Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker that made his fortune by lying to people and swindling anyone that he could. Leonardo DiCaprio played a rather interesting version of the character and Margot Robbie was a stunning but very cold individual that complimented him quite nicely.
The chest-beating and humming performed by him was improvised and actually a warm-up rite that he performs before acting. DiCaprio encouraged them to include it in their scene and later claimed it “set the tone” for the rest of the film.
Blade Runner
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Blade Runner is based on the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by visionary science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, though many liberties were taken with the story. Ridley Scott’s 1982 dystopian epic film Blade Runner has still entrenched itself in the history of sci-fi, collecting an utterly devoted following along the way. The film’s dark, dank, neon-lit world was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before.
Blade Runner made a star out of Daryl Hannah, who plays a replicant. In her first scene, she runs away into the rain, but along the way, she crashes into a van window and breaks it with her elbow. The scene continued and made the final cut, but Hannah would up in the hospital.
Fast And Furious 6
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If you’re an action movie fan, you’re no doubt familiar with the Fast & Furious franchise. The behemoth car-centric extravaganza has been burning rubber for years now, and the same crew continues repeating the formula. The fifth installment in the franchise, Fast 5, was the biggest box-office hit the series had seen, bringing in $626,137,675 worldwide. Fast and Furious 6 is the biggest and baddest yet.
In Fast & Furious 6, as Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), enters a scene, Roman quips to Jordana Brewster’s character, “Hey, Mia, you better hide your baby oil!” Going off-script, Johnson retorts, “You better hide that big forehead.” Also unscripted, is Ludacris’s spit take “I was really laughing,” he admitted later.
Scent Of A Woman
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A loose adaption of the Giovanni Arpino novel Il buio e il miele and the 1974 movie Profumo di Donna, Scent of a Woman* (1992) stars Al Pacino as the bitter, angry, depressed, and blind Lt. Col. Frank Slade in a role that would earn him his first Oscar. Chris O’Donnell plays prep school student Charlie Simms, who is tasked with assisting Slade in New York City.
In an interview with Larry King, Al Pacino told him that to play blind, “you don’t focus your eyes. And what happens is, you just go into a state”. This is the case in the scene where he falls over a garbage can. It was not scripted, it happened out of sheer bad luck, but it was kept in the final take.
Rain Man
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Rain Man was a classic film that helped shoot Tom Cruise to superstardom and helped cement Dustin Hoffman as one of the great character actors of a generation in one of his career-defining performances. The film has become an even bigger hit over the years and is loved by audiences new and old. Let’s look at one of the most famous improvised scenes ever.
Rain Man has one of the most memorable fart scenes in movie history: both Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise are in a phone booth together, and Hoffman’s character passes gas. To almost warn Cruise, he quips, “Uh-oh, fart”. Cruise is overwhelmed by the big smell in the tiny place, and the scene from then on is entirely improvised.
Dirty Dancing
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Dirty Dancing, released in 1987, was a pretty low-budget film that didn’t really have any huge names in starring roles. Yet, it swiftly became one of the best-remembered movies in recent history. Some of the scenes are absolutely unforgettable! Not only is the movie unforgettable to a lot of viewers, but it was also the first to sell over 1 million copies on home video.
The scene in which Johnny runs his hand down Baby’s arm during rehearsal, Baby’s laugh was completely real and off-script. Actress Jennifer Grey said that she feels tickles very easily in her arms. The director loved the laugh so much that he kept it in.
Full Metal Jacket
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By the time The Shining had been released in theaters, Stanley Kubrick had already decided that for his next project he wanted to make a film that depicted what war was like. Based on Gustav Hasford’s novel The Short-Timers, and little more than seven years later, Kubrick presented Full Metal Jacket to the world. The film also served as a star-making opportunity for Vincent D’Onofrio, who gained 70 pounds to star in the film.
R. Lee Ermey was the technical advisor for the movie before telling Stanley Kubrick that he wanted to play the drill instructor instead. As Kubrick wasn’t convinced, Ermey decided to shoot his own audition tape where he shouted obscenities and insults into the camera, for a full 15 minutes. Kubrick also let Ermey write his own lines. The drill instructor is thought to have written around 150 pages of insults that could have been used in Full Metal Jacket.
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
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The brainchild French director Michel Gondry and writer Charlie Kaufman’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a tender and often heart-wrenching look at love in reverse, carefully cataloging a relationship from the moment of detonation to the first blush of love. Pierre Bismuth, the co-writer of the film, had the notion to randomly pass out cards, similar to the ones used by Lacuna Inc. in the film, telling strangers they’d been erased from someone’s memory.
Every actor in the film was encouraged to improvise their scenes, except for Jim Carrey, because his character is reserved and un-spontaneous. This led to some frustration on Carrey’s part, especially when Gondry was urging Winslet, Dunst, and Mark Ruffalo to cut loose with their characters. The reaction of Jim Carrey in the scene in which Kate Winslet’s character disappears is completely real.
The Usual Suspects
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The Usual Suspects set Hollywood on fire when it was released in 1995. It quickly became a modern classic, winning Oscars and taking its place in the pop culture. The film also did wonders for the careers of its cast and crew. Actors like Kevin Spacey and Benicio del Torosaw big career boosts after the movie’s initial release.
The police lineup scene early in the movie is crucial to the plot of The Usual Suspects. And yet, as each character steps forward to read the line the police told them to read, all can barely contain their laughter. They couldn’t stop laughing because actor Benicio Del Toro couldn’t stop farting. Co-star Kevin Pollak says he farted on “like 12 takes in a row”.
Titanic
Screenmusings
Obviously, the most nominated movie in the history of the Academy Awards had to appear on our list at least twice! You obviously remember the scene in which DiCaprio’s character, Jack, paints a nude portrait of Rose, don’t you?
At one point, he was meant to say “Over on the couch”, but he accidentally says “Over on the bed… uh… the couch”. I wonder what Freud has to say about this! This blooper foreshadowed the steamy sex scene that would take place moments later, so director James Cameron decided to leave it.
The Silence Of The Lambs
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In 1991, one of the most iconic and terrifying horror movies of all time was released: The Silence of the Lambs, based on Thomas Harris‘ novel of the same name, the film achieved both critical and commercial success, paving the way for future sequels which would never quite live up to the success of The Silence of the Lambs.
Jodie Foster claims that during the first meeting between Lecter and Starling, Anthony Hopkins’s mocking of her southern accent was improvised on the spot. Foster’s horrified reaction was genuine; she felt personally attacked. She later thanked Hopkins for generating such an honest reaction.
Django Unchained
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In 2012, director Quentin Tarantino came back after a three-year absence for another Oscar-scooping epic in the shape of blistering slavery western Django Unchained which boasted stellar performances, including an Oscar-winning one from Christoph Waltz, and Tarantino’s trademark mix of finely picked music and unforgettable imagery.
The meeting between Django and Calvin is one of the most extremely tense scenes in the film, and for a more dramatic effect, DiCaprio slams his hand right onto a glass. He didn’t stop at all during his blooper-fueled take, despite the fact that he’d just seriously lacerated his hand. He continued his monologue, and the scene, while nonchalantly picking out pieces of glass.
The Princess Diaries
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The Princess Diaries took the world by storm when it was released in August 2001. Based on a novel series of the same name by Meg Cabot, moviegoers all over the world fell in love with her story and, of course, with breakout star Anne Hathaway. Director Garry Marshall —who was also in charge of Pretty Woman —brought these movies to life in a way that nobody else could have.
At one point in the film, Mia is dancing on some bleachers in the rain at her private school with her best friend. Then she takes a pretty nasty tumble. That’s no stuntwoman, and that was not supposed to happen: Hathaway really did slip and fall down, and hard. But it fit in so well with the character’s awkwardness that it was kept in the finished film.
Avengers
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Do you remember the first time you saw Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye all on-screen at one time? It was a dream come true for comic fans everywhere! Leading up to The Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America all received feature films to set up the movie. Despite this competition, The Avengers was the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to make one billion dollars.
At one point, Iron Man crashes in front of a restaurant called Shawarma Palace, and it must have given him a craving for Mediterranean food. In a post-credits scene, the Avengers relax at the restaurant, but it wasn’t in the original script. The cast and crew filmed the scene quickly a day after the global premiere.
Forrest Gump
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In 1994, Tom Hanks gave one of the finest performances of his career in the Robert Zemeckis-directed film Forrest Gump. With the perfect blend of palpable humor and emotional depth, the film managed to resonate deeply both with moviegoers and with critics, and it performed exceptionally well at the box office. However, there are several aspects of the film that remain unknown even to the keenest Forrest Gump fans.
Forrest first meets Bubba on the bus before the pair embark on their stint in the military. Bubba says to Gump, “My given name is Benjamin Buford Blue. But people call me Bubba, just like one of them old redneck boys. Can you believe that?” Forrest then introduces himself. “My name is Forrest Gump. People call me Forrest Gump.” The iconic line was not in the script, but Zemeckis liked it so much he kept it.
Star Wars V – The Empire Strikes Back
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In order to avoid sharing creative rights, George Lucas decided to avoid using a major studio to finance this film. Instead, he bankrolled the $33 million production himself, using a combination of his profits from Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) and a bank loan. Although the move was risky, it paid off several times over. Lucas recovered his investment within three months of the film’s release. He then showed gratitude far beyond the Hollywood norm, by sharing the profits with his employees.
Described by George Lucas as “a cynical loner who realizes the importance of being part of a group and helping for the common good“, the captain of the Millenium Falcon, Han Solo (portrayed by Harrison Ford) is frozen in carbonite by Darth Vader. Previous to that scene, Princess Leia (portrayed by Carrie Fisher) finally confesses her feelings for the rogue, telling him: “I love you“. The original response in the script for Ford was “I love you, too,” but George Lucas told Ford to just say what he thought was best and “I know*” was the result, fitting in with his character’s persona perfectly.
Thor: The Dark World
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Thor: The Dark World is a 2013 American superhero movie based on the Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It’s the sequel to 2011’s Thor and the eighth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the aftermath of Marvel’s Thor and Marvel’s The Avengers, Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos, but an ancient race, led by the vengeful Malekith, returns to plunge the universe back into darkness.
There were about 30 hammers made for Thor of various weights for different uses. The main hammer was made from aluminum but is replicated in different materials and weights, including a “soft” version for stunts. Of the 30, 5 versions were used most often, including the “lit hammer”, that emits light when lightning strikes. Chris Hemsworth improvised hanging Mjolnir on a coat hook in a polite manner, after playing with it between takes.
Guardians Of The Galaxy
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When it came to Hollywood movies, Guardians of the Galaxy was the biggest surprise of 2014. Guardians first premiered in the Marvel comic books way back in 1969, but you wouldn’t recognize them now, as the team has changed drastically over the decades. For instance, characters like Groot and Rocket Raccoon didn’t join the Guardians until much later. Since then, the Guardians have popped up in comics across Marvel’s numerous comic book series fighting alongside Avengers, X-Men, and even The Fantastic Four.
With a cast as talented as the Guardians of the Galaxy, some improv is to be expected. But actual accidents, like star Chris Pratt dropping an all-powerful orb of universal destruction, are a different story. Director James Gunn has confirmed that Chris Pratt really did drop the orb by accident, but stayed in character and finished the shot, meaning it could be still be used in the finished cut. Proving once and for all that it’s nearly impossible to find where the actor’s clumsy personality ends, and Peter Quill begins.
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
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Producer George Lucas first told director Steven Spielberg about his idea for Raiders of the Lost Ark when they were both on vacation in Hawaii in May 1977. Lucas promised him he had that beat and proceeded to lay out his idea for a swashbuckling throwback adventure movie based on Saturday matinee serials that would eventually become Raiders of the Lost Ark.
In the middle of a wild chase in the markets of Cairo, Indiana Jones runs into a crowd, which disperses to reveal a black-robed warrior handling a large sword. After facing some intimidating sword spinning, Jones decides to conserve some energy, so he takes out his revolver and shoots the villain down. Jones was meant to engage in a massive sword fight with the blade-wielding antagonist, but when Ford came down with food poisoning the day before the shooting, the actor asked if the scene could be altered to be less strenuous. The result is arguably far better than scripted.
Mrs. Doubtfire
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Mrs. Doubtfire was the quintessential 90s-kid movie memory and still holds up as a classic to this day. After voice-over actor Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams) gets divorced and loses custody of his three children, he resorts to dressing up and speaking like a matronly grandmother to get hired as his kids’ nanny. Scenes were shot between fifteen to twenty-two times because Robin Williams wasn’t satisfied until he had the scene worked out of his system.
One of the most memorable scenes in the movie is when Mrs. Doubtfire frantically smashes her face in a cake to disguise herself. The icing drips into Mrs. Sellner’s tea and she says, “There you go, you’ve got your cream and your sugar now.” This hilarious detail was actually completely unintentional. Because it was so hot on set, the icing dripped from Robin Williams’ chin and he just improvised from there.
Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
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We already mentioned the scene in which a flag falls off a post while Éowyn is gazing at the horizon, but this is not the only blooper that made it to the final cut of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers! Remember the fire scene where Viggo Mortensen kicks the helmet of an orc?
Well, in real life, the helmet was actually super heavy and Viggo kicked it so hard that he broke one of his toes and screamed out in pain. His reaction was 100% real, and in spite of the pain, Viggo continued with the rest of the scene. Even though he wasn’t meant to literally break his toes in the original script, director Peter Jackson decided to leave the blooper as it was, in honor of Viggo’s sacrifice!
Rocky
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When Sylvester Stallone came onto the scene with a movie that he’d written and starred in called Rocky, it changed the world of cinema forever. We got an immortal story of a scrappy underdog fighting to be recognized, and it won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. With a little bit of screenwriting experience and the idea for Rocky in his head for almost a year after witnessing a Muhammad Ali fight, Sylvester Stallone spent about 84 hours using a pad and a pen to write the first draft of Rocky.
The scene of Rocky running past a boat moored along the docks was a spur-of-the-moment decision from Avildsen, who made the shot himself after having Stallone get out of the car and run alongside it while they were out scouting locations. The part where Rocky’s loan shark boss pulls out an inhaler and puffs on it mid-convo? You guessed it —unscripted as well
The Dark Knight
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Christopher Nolan didn’t set out to make sequels. After reenvisioning the Caped Crusader with 2005’s Batman Begins, though, Nolan couldn’t stop thinking about how his version of Batman would respond to the introduction of The Joker. The result was The Dark Knight, a hyper-real exploration of how chaos shakes up the mission of the righteous, complete with huge stars, incredible stunts, and an Oscar-winning performance by the late Heath Ledger.
One of The Joker’s creepiest tics in the film was his frequent lip-licking and cheek sucking. This wasn’t intentional but rather Heath Ledger’s genuine reaction to the uncomfortable prosthetics. But he was told to keep it for the character.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
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The 40-Year-Old Virgin helped launch Steve Carell into comedy stardom, reintroduced audiences to Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen, introduced Mindy Kaling to the big screen, featured one of Jonah Hill’s first movie roles, and began the Judd Apatow Comedy Filmmaking Empire. We laughed at his awkward social skills, kooky collectibles and failed attempts at romance.
Because the obviously and painfully real chest-waxing scene could only be done in one shot, five cameras had to be used so that nothing was missed. Because it was one take and Carell’s screams were genuine you can also see several cast members breaking character and laughing.