Some movies are planned down to the second, with each frame carefully crafted for the ultimate viewing experience. However, not everything always goes according to plan when filming, whether a prop malfunctions, someone forgets their lines, or an actor decides to go off script.
Sometimes those errors end up on the film’s blooper reel, while other times, these mistakes and improvizations make scenes all the more interesting and end up in the finished product. Though they weren’t originally in the script, here are just a few unscripted movie moments that made the final cut.
Django Unchained – Unexpected hand slicing
Probably one of the most jaw-dropping scenes in Django Unchained was when Calvin Candie, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, wiped a bloodied hand on Broomhilda von Shaft’s face, a character played by Kerry Washington.
This scene becomes more horrifyingly amazing when there wasn’t supposed to be blood involved. As the actors played it out, DiCaprio managed to slice his hand open after slamming the table and breaking the glass, but still pushed through the take. Yes, the blood wiped on Washington was real and definitely unexpected!
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back – Han Solo’s iconic reply
Most of the time, actors know better how their characters will act and think. Actor Harrison Ford, playing Han Solo in Star Wars, is one example.
Right when Princess Leia confessed her love for Han Solo, Ford felt that his character’s supposed reply of “I love you too” was out-of-character, and changed it to the now iconic comeback, “I know.” After seeing Ford’s revision, the producers couldn’t help but agree that it was certainly the most fitting “Han Solo” reply for the scene!
The 40-Year Old Virgin – Painful wax reaction
In The 40-year Old Virgin, Andy Stitzer, played by Steve Carell, had his chest waxed, bringing out a very pained reaction from Andy. Normally, productions do effects or camera tricks to make viewers believe that scenes like this actually happened.
Carell thought it would be more believable to actually have his chest waxed, not knowing what to expect. The scream of pain retained in the movie was actually a genuine one from him.
The Godfather – The cat partner in crime
In the scene, Don Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando, rigidly sits on his chair, plotting crimes while a cat sat on his lap. This could have been the origin of the stereotypical mob-boss-with-a-pet-cat portrayals commonly seen in movies.
In some claims, the cat was actually an accident – being a stray that suddenly jumped on Brando’s lap while filming. According to other reports, the director himself did some last minute changes and Corleone having a pet cat was one of them.
Titanic – I am the king of the world!
Yes, one of Titanic’s famous lines around the world was actually an unscripted one! After having a bad set day, Director James Cameron told Leonardo DiCaprio to try out saying “I am the king of the world!” while standing at the edge of the ship.
Suffice to say, that unscripted take was a successful one for them!
The Dark Knight – Joker’s dramatic clap
Nothing can bring more depth to a character than a very much dedicated actor… like Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight movie.
Ledger embodied the Joker so perfectly that he was able to make in-character ad-libs that make to the final cut. One example is when the Joker was behind bars and Lieutenant Gordon entered with the entire precinct applauding. Joker wasn’t supposed to react, but Ledger decided to mock clap – a very Joker act that was kept in the movie.
Fast & Furious 6 – Dwayne Johnson’s witty forehead comeback
Of course, the world-famous Fast & Furious franchise would have an entry here. Dwayne Johnson’s debatably most memorable line in his overall stint in the Fast & Furious movies would have to be his unscripted one.
In the final cut, after Roman Pearce, played by Tyrese Gibson, delivers the line “Hey Mia, you better hide your baby oil,” Johnson’s character, Luke Hobbs, comedically rebuts with “You better hide that big-a** forehead,” even when he wasn’t supposed to have a line in the script.
Thor: The Dark World – Thor’s hammer hanging on cloth rack
Thor’s hammer, or the Mjolnir, is one of the iconic symbols attached to the hero – mainly because it was a hammer that couldn’t be lifted up by anyone other than Thor.
In Thor: The Dark World, Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, decides to put on a quirky persona and hangs the supposedly unliftable hammer on the coat rack. The hammer, of course, remained hanging in the air. The producers decided to include this in the final cut without any effects, as the funny take was very much in line with Thor’s comedic theme.
Mission: Impossible 2 – Tom Cruise’s true-to-life stunts
From swinging knives and almost slicing an eyeball, the action-packed Mission: Impossible movies always keep viewers at the edge of their seat.
This only goes to show that there are bound to be accidents on set. Tom Cruise, playing the main character of the movie, wasn’t exempted from these accidents. Caught in one of the scenes, Cruise failed to pull back as one of the stunts swung their leg close to him, knocking him at the jaw. Hard work paying off, the director chose to use the shot in the final cut of the movie!
Forrest Gump – “My name’s Forrest Gump.”
What turns out to be a memorable scene from Forrest Gump was a result of Tom Hanks, the one who plays the movie’s main character, having trouble delivering his lines. The iconic greeting of “My name’s Forrest Gump. People call me Forrest Gump.” had so much impact in its delivery, it deserved to be included in the final cut.
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – Flag flying away
Yup, the universe is on their side! In Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, it can be seen in the frame how the flag slowly flies away until it is not seen in the frame anymore. While it added a metaphorical value to one of the movie’s pivotal scenes, the flag wasn’t actually intended to fly away.
Back to the Future 2 – Stuntwoman’s real body slamming accident
Shooting the future back in the past is bound to be hard. In one of the Back to the Future scenes, a blast was supposed to throw three stunts out of a courthouse window, and they were supposed to land safely below.
However, stuntwoman Cheryl Wheeler-Dixon landed on a pillar, causing her serious injuries. The accident was kept in the movie – seen briefly as they only pulled the stunt one time.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – Jim Carrey’s shocked act
To bring out the most genuine reaction they could from Jim Carrey’s character, Joel Barish, the producers decide to do something without a heads up to Carrey. In a scene where Clementine, played by Kate Winslet, was supposed to disappear, they really made Winslet slip off the set while Carrey wasn’t paying attention.
The minute he was supposed to look for Winslet, he was genuinely surprised that she was nowhere to be seen!
The Silence of the Lambs – Hannibal Lecter’s creepy sounds
Anthony Hopkins, playing Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, embodies his character all too well, applying appropriately creepy quirks here and there.
After an astounding delivery of the line “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti,” Hopkins follows through with an unscripted slurping sound. This, added with his co-actor Jodie Foster’s genuinely stunned look, was too good to not be included in the movie.
The Wolf of Wall Street – The memorable chest beating
One of the most memorable scenes in The Wolf of Wall Street was an unscripted one, courtesy of Matthew McConaughey, who plays Mark Hanna. During a lunch with Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Jordan Belfort, Hanna was seen beating his chest while making some sounds.
This was actually a real-life ritual McConaughey does before shooting a scene. As the gesture was so in-character of Hanna, the producers couldn’t help but retain it to the final cut!
Scream – “Houston, we have a problem.”
It’s always good to be reminded that most of the movies’ settings happen in the same world as ours. In the horror movie Scream, just before the climax, Stu Macher, played by Matthew Lillard, delivered another movie’s iconic line as an ad-lib.
Upon realizing that a gun was missing, implying danger for them, Stu said a line from the movie Apollo 13: “Ah… Houston, we have a problem.” This breaking-the-fourth-wall moment was too good to not include in the final cut!
Pretty Woman – The necklace scene
Right when Edward Lewis, played by Richard Gere, snapped the necklace box shut and almost caught the fingers of Vivian Ward, played by Julia Roberts’ fingers, the reaction he got from Roberts was actually genuine! The bit was a playful act between the two actors, and producers decided to keep the scene as it fit the movie well.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Harry Potter’s brave comeback
As one of the world’s most successful movie series, it actually goes to show that every actor and crew in Harry Potter put in hardwork and talent… especially the younger ones!
In the earlier installments, Harry Potter, played by Daniel Radcliffe, daringly stands up to one of the portrayed villains in the show, Lucius Malfoy, played by Jason Isaacs. The two had an improvised scene, staring down at each other, and delivering unscripted lines that eventually made it to the movie’s final cut.
The Princess Diaries – The in-character tumble down
Mia Thermopolis, played by Anne Hathaway, was painted to be a clumsy girl, a complete opposite of the prim and polished princess she was apparently supposed to be. One of the outtakes that made it to the final cut was when Hathaway accidentally lost footing in the bleachers at school, causing her to tumble down.
It was definitely cut out from what her character, Mia Thermopolis, would do!
The Other Guys – The coffee toss
It’s a series of unexpected events in The Other Guys! One of the movie’s most unforgettable scenes was actually unscripted, and of course, it’s a comeback after comeback between comedian Will Ferrell and actor Mark Wahlberg.
After Ferrell threw in an unscripted comment which caught Wahlberg off-guard, the latter did the next natural thing to do – spill a coffee at Ferrell. The back-to-back comedic timings were too good to leave in the outtakes.
