Brilliant Movie Lines That Weren’t Actually In The Script
One of the best things of watching a movie is quoting those lines that have become part of pop culture lore. We often assume that everything was written by the screenwriters, but surprisingly some of the best lines in film history are actually unscripted.
They come from talented, witty, and hilarious actors who take a moment to throw something new, wild, and exciting into the ring. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. In this case, these unscripted lines made some of these movies iconic because of the actor’s improvisation. See which lines from movie history were all the actor’s doing…
A Few Good Men
The climax of Rob Reiner’s military courtroom drama, A Few Good Men, sees Colonel Nathan Jessup, played brilliantly by Jack Nicholson, being questioned strongly by Tom Cruise’s Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee. Tensions are high as Kaffee demands of Jessup “I want the truth!”
Nicholson was scripted to say, “You already have the truth!” However, Nicholson didn’t love the line and out popped the famous line “You can’t handle the truth!” Many don’t realize that Jack Nicholson only had a little less than 15 minutes on camera, yet was nominated for an Academy Award for the film.
Dr. Strangelove
Dr. Strangelove was one of those cheesy anti-war films that proved a point by poking fun at military life. While the movie got good laughs, it was Peter Sellers, who played Dr. Strangelove in addition to two other lines, that added his own excellent lines to the script.
When the wheelchair-bound titular doctor gets out of his chair at the end, miraculously healed, he exclaims, “Mein Fuhrer, I can walk!” It was so well done, with perfect comedic timing, that it became one of the more quotable lines from the film.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Harrison Ford’s portrayal of everyone’s favorite heroic archeologist in the Indiana Jones franchise became one of the most popular trilogies of the 1980s, with its final film being Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
When Indiana, played by Harrison Ford, and his father, Henry, played by Sean Connery, are captured at one point, Indiana asks his father how he knew Elsa, who double-crossed them, was a Nazi. He wasn’t supposed to answer in the script, but Connery decided to ad-lib, “She talks in her sleep.” The line and innuendo were golden, and the whole crew loved it.
Caddyshack
Caddyshack is a beloved film that has become considered one of the greatest comedies of all-time. With a powerhouse cast of comedic legends from Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase, and Bill Murray, it’s not surprising it became a legendary hit.
One of the most memorable scenes in the movie is Bill Murray’s monologue, narrating his fantasy golf career, which begins, “What an incredible Cinderella story….” Director Harold Ramis had the script that merely said, “Carl is outside of the clubhouse practicing his golf swing, cutting the tops off flowers with a grass whip,” and Bill Murray turned it into a classic moment.
Animal House
John Belushi’s character of Bluto in Animal House is one reason the movie has become such a classic comedy. Aside for his impeccable timing and delivery, Belushi was also a master of physical comedy, which he displays many ways in the film.
During one scene, he is loading up an obscene amount of food onto his cafeteria tray when someone calls him a pig. He then says, “See if you can guess what I am now.” He then puts a piece of food in his mouth, and presses on his cheeks, splattering remnants on the others. He then quips, “I’m a zit. Get it?” The SNL legend’s entire performance in the cafeteria was completely improvised.
Jaws
Jaws is arguably one of the greatest horror movies of all-time. Steven Spielberg’s ability to frighten audiences for a long duration of the film without even showing the titular shark is a genius tactic that builds suspense.
The crew is preparing for the menace they are facing when Roy Scheider’s character gets a sudden up-close look at the beast. He slowly slinks back and with the iconic cigarette dangling from his mouth, improvises the line, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” It’s also a great dig at the cheap film producers for them not springing for a larger ship.
Midnight Cowboy
Some great parts of cinematic magic occur by mistake. Midnight Cowboy stars Jon Voigt and Dustin Hoffman as two con men. Amidst one of Hoffman’s monologues, the most New York moment happens.
Hoffman and Voigt’s characters of Rizzo and Joe Buck, are walking down the street when a real-life taxi accidentally broke through the set and came roaring down the road, screeching to a halt as the pair are nearly hit. Hoffman bangs on the hood and yells, “I’m walkin’ here!” and curses the driver out. That little unexpected moment is likely what people remember from the film.
When Harry Met Sally
It is hard to forget the scene in the classic romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally where Meg Ryan’s Sally very loudly fakes “it” in a public restaurant. She does this just to prove a point to Billy Crystal’s Harry.
After the suggestion was made by Crystal, Ryan’s theatrics certainly became a highlight of the film famous, and the line that follows is even more iconic. Everyone is starting open-mouthed at Sally, and a woman (who happened to be played by director Rob Reiner’s mother) tells the waiter simply, “I’ll have what she’s having.”
The Godfather
The Godfather is full of all sorts of memorable lines and scenes. The movie has been a classic and will continue to be, as it’s regarded as one of the best movies ever made. There was brilliant writing, but equally good improvisation as well.
In this scene, Peter Clemenza, played by Richard Castellano, and a random henchman take Paulie Gatto out of town to kill him. When Paulie is shot, Clemenza is relieving himself nearby. As the portly Clemenza comes back to the car, he tells his cohort to “leave the gun; take the cannoli.” Those last three words added a perfect balance of subtle humor to a movie with serious drama and violence.
Dumb and Dumber
Jim Carrey is a one-of-a-kind talent, known for an amazing ability to make nearly anything funny. In the classic ’90s comedy, Dumb and Dumber, there are plenty of standout lines that fans love. One of which some may find more cringeworthy, was completely made up by Carrey.
Carrey’s Lloyd and his co-star Jeff Daniels’ Harry are constantly hitting each other and acting juvenile, as their recent hitchhiker sits between them and is very annoyed. After he tells them to stop, Carrey pauses and improvises “Want to hear the most annoying sound in the world?” He then makes a sound that only Jim Carrey could do. If you look closely, you can see Jeff Daniels’ start to laugh before the camera pans away.
Forrest Gump
Like some of these other films on our list, Forrest Gump has plenty of quotable lines that have made it into regular conversation, most of which were scripted. But there’s a great improvised moment when the protagonist meets his best friend Bubba.
Bubba introduces himself with, “People call me ‘Bubba.'” While Tom Hanks’ was supposed to respond with “My name is Forrest Gump,” he instead parroted Bubba and said, “People call me Forrest Gump.”
Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket received an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, and it comes as no surprise. However, what you might find surprising is that the probably the most memorable character from the movie, Sergeant Hartman had no scripted lines.
The man who played him, R. Lee Ermey, was actually a former Parris Island Marine drill instructor. Directing legend, Stanley Kubrick, simply told him to say on camera what he said back then, which is how we got the famous line, “I’ll bet you could suck a golf ball through a garden hose.”
Ghostbusters
Before becoming a movie star, Rick Moranis was known as a master improviser. He was well known for being an ad-lib king, with many of his roles still being fan favorites even though he hasn’t acted in a couple decades. His portrayal as Louis Tully, the perfect depiction of an uncool guy in Ghostbusters, is one of the reasons the movie is such a classic.
At one point, he is holding a party for many of his clients, instead of his friends. The line most people may remember is when the monster is about to burst from the coat room, and Louis says, “Ok, who brought the dog?” It was revealed later that the majority of the scene was completely improvised, mostly by Moranis.
Avengers: Infinity War
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was over a dozen films that slowly built its climactic story. In Avengers: Infinity War, the stakes are arguably at their highest in any film thus-far. The heroes are trying to stop the villain Thanos from wiping out half of the universe’s population, but surely it being a superhero movie, the villain won’t actually win, right?
The film indeed ends with Thanos indeed snapping his fingers and turning half the population into literal dust, tugging at a lot of heartstrings, especially for an action film. As Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is fading away, he sadly says to his mentor Tony Stark, “I don’t want to go…” What most fans didn’t know was that the heartbreaking line was completely unscripted.
Good Will Hunting
Robin Williams is a comedic legend, and what’s even more impressive is his amazing acting in the serious roles that he took in his career. His portrayal as Will’s therapist Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting, earned him an Oscar.
During one of Sean and Will’s sessions, Williams was supposed to tell a story about how his deceased wife would turn off the alarm, but instead he improvised a story about she used to pass gas in her sleep, and that it was so loud sometimes it woke the dog up. Damon’s (and the cameraman’s) laughs are completely genuine, and it’s one of the most memorable scenes in the hit movie.
Reservoir Dogs
The 1992 film Reservoir Dogs, one of Quentin Tarantino’s first movies, tells the story of diamond thieves whose plan to rob a jewelry store goes all sorts of wrong. While Tarantino movies are known for having great, witty dialogue, the actors he casts often contribute their own share of lines as well.
One of the more famous and hard-to-watch scenes in the film is when Michael Madsen tortures a guy to the song “Stuck In The Middle With You” and cuts his victim’s ear off. He then holds up the severed ear and talks into it “Can you hear me?” The improv is a funny and dark addition to the ruthlessness of Madsen’s Mr. Blonde.
Ghost
Many people today may not realize that Whoopi Goldberg was a comedian before anything else. She has used her comedic chops to serve her well in various movie roles that she’s had. In the 1990 film Ghost, she adds some much-needed comic relief to a thriller movie.
Her Oda Mae Brown has been pretending to be a real medium until she actually accidentally communicates with the deceased title character, Sam. She is relaying messages from Sam, played by Patrick Swayze, to his girlfriend Molly, played by Demi Moore. Goldberg ended up tweaking the original scripted line and more efficiently saying, “Molly, you in danger, girl.”
Aliens
The sci-fi thriller Alien established a horrifying concept of being trapped on a spaceship with a creature. James Cameron’s sequel, Aliens takes it to a new level in terms of fear and special effects.
The crew are trying to stay positive, but actor’s Bill Paxton perfectly encapsulates the guy who panics and expresses everyone’s fear. Complaining about how hopeless their situation is, he asks “What are we gonna do now?” Paxton decided to add “Game Over, Man. Game Over” to give it the scene a little extra oomph. Those few words became cemented in cinema history.
Dazed and Confused
Matthew McConaughey apparently improvised the phrase that people forever associate with him. In the teen comedy Dazed and Confused, McConaughey plays someone much older than the rest of their characters who are still in high school, but gives advice on trying to stay young.
The simple line of “Alright, alright, alright,” which has now become legendary, the actor revealed was inspired while he was listening to a live album by The Doors. Apparently, lead singer Jim Morrison said “all right” four times in a row. The line is great, and McConaughey’s unique vocal fry adds the perfect sound to it.
The Silence of the Lambs
In the terrifying The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal Lecter, played by the legendary Anthony Hopkins, made the movie the success it was, despite appearing for only around 16 minutes onscreen. Naturally, the accomplished thespian added his own improvisations to the role, one of which was the perfect touch.
Lecter is telling Jodie Foster’s FBI agent Starling about how a census taker once stopped by his house. He says, “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.” He pauses, letting Starling digest the horror of what he’s just said and then lets out a low hissing sound, which Hopkins completely threw in himself. The noise became iconic with the character and movie history.
Clueless
In the 1995 movie Clueless, the slang term “buggin'” was a popular phrase throughout the movie. However, one rendition of it certainly wasn’t planned by the director or the cast; it just slipped out.
When Paul Rudd’s character of Josh, who is the stepbrother and later boyfriend to Alicia Silverstone’s Cher, he was trying to relate to her. When he was supposed to say “I’m always buggin,'” he ended up saying the more memorable “I’m totally buggin’ myself.” The cast ended up laughing so hard that it had to stay in the movie.
Taxi Driver
In the 1976 classic Taxi Driver, Travis Bickle, played by Robert De Niro, was talking to himself in the mirror in his apartment to amp himself up to help someone. Bickle ends up becoming more of a villain than hero, but this scene exemplifies his misplaced confidence.
The script of the movie simply stated that he was supposed to talk to himself. But Robert De Niro being the actor that he was did turned that note into gold. He ended up repeating the now iconic words that people have said into mirrors since then: “You talkin’ to me?”
Third Man
This script was written by the great screenplay author Graham Greene. Combine that with Orson Welles’ performance, and Third Man was one for the history books.
One of the greatest actors of all time, Welles was known for adding his own little twist to every script including when he said “And what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.” In the end, this improvised idea was kept as part of the movie.
The Fugitive
Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones had plenty of memorable scenes in the 1993 hit The Fugitive. One of the most notable is when Jones’ U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard has found Ford’s Dr. Richard Kimble in a dam.
At one point, Gerard slips and Kimble pulls a gun on him saying “I didn’t kill my wife.” Jones was supposed to reply, “That’s not my problem,” but instead came back with the more powerful, “I don’t care.” It conveyed Gerard’s conviction to his job as a Marshal, became an instant hit, and got Jones the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
The Devil Wears Prada
In the modern classic The Devil Wears Prada, Anne Hathaway’s Andy Sachs is trying to make it in the extremely high-pressured and demanding world of fashion. Her boss played by Meryl Streep is notoriously impossible, hence the movie title.
Streep’s sassy senior assistant Emily is played excellently by Emily Blunt. In one scene she is on a phone call and says to the person on the end, “I am hearing this [with her hand mimicking a chatting motion] and I want to hear this [hand closed].” This line was something that Blunt heard a mom say to her child, and adapted it well to the scene.
The Princess Diaries
Many young girls have initial dreams of being a princess at some point? But it was Heather Matarazzo’s portrayal of the princess’s best friend, Lilly, in The Princess Diaries, that got some us thinking that the sidekick was the best role after all.
In The Princess Diaries, Matarazzo’s character is running down the street trying to catch up with Anne Hathaway’s Princess Mia. At the producer’s suggestion, Matarazzo said to a random extra on the scene, “Not you! Not you, I don’t even know you.” It was an ideal match for her character and the scene.
Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead is a horror comedy detailing the story of friends seeking refuge in a pub together during a zombie apocalypse. British actor Nick Frost was particularly praised for his witty one-liners and wicked sense of humor.
During the movie, Frost’s descriptions of local pubgoers were all unscripted, including the line “And he invented the mobile disco.” It is hard to imagine if the movie would have become such a cult classic if a different actor without Frost’s quick wit had been chosen.
Avengers: Endgame
Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Iron Man in the Marvel movies completely reshaped his career and set the tone for much of the rest of those movies. The climactic film, Avengers: Endgame sees our heroes, half of whom had been erased in the previous movie, face off in a final battle against the villain, Thanos.
Josh Brolin’s Thanos is ready to erase half of existence for the second time, and cockily reiterates his “I am inevitable” line from Avengers: Infinity War. Downey was supposed to reply “And I am the guy in the suit,” but decided to instead say “And I…am… Iron Man,” making the ultimate callback to his original line from Iron Man that kicked off the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Saving Private Ryan
In the World War II saga Saving Private Ryan, Matt Damon, who plays the titular character, is reminiscing about an old story with his brothers, all of whom have been killed at the beginning of the movie. His tale of growing up in a small town with a close-knit family adds some real heart to his character, who we aren’t sure deserves to have a special mission devoted to saving him.
Apparently, Damon improvised this entire scene. There was zero script, but Damon was just super into character, which is how the line ‘picture a girl who took a nosedive from the ugly tree’ managed to pop out of his mouth.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Arnold Schwarzenegger has become someone whose lines from Terminator 2: Judgment Day have become quoted countless times by movie lovers. The usual phrases that are repeated are “I’ll be back,” or “Hasta la vista, baby.” However, he had another famous line, but this one wasn’t scripted.
Toward the end of the movie, Schwarzenegger’s Terminator has just destroyed the film’s villain but it has taken a toll on him. He has lost an arm and looks like he is falling apart. As John is helping him get to his feet, the cybernetic organism that is learning to absorb human emotions and slang added the perfect comedic line of “I need a vacation.”
The Empire Strikes Back
The Empire Strikes Back to many fans of the Star Wars franchise is the best movie of the entire series. Luke’s battle with Darth Vader and twist relationship helps thicken the plot, as well as the cliffhanger with Han Solo’s fate easily explain why.
Part of the reason Star Wars‘ fans love Harrison Ford’s Han Solo is because of his ability to be cool without really trying. Here he is about to be frozen in carbonite when Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia, confesses to Han that she loves him. In the script, Han was simply supposed to say a classic, “I love you too.” Ford decided that was too mushy and went with the much more Han Solo-like response of “I know.”
Blade Runner
During the final scene in the 1980s classic sci-fi movie film Blade Runner, Rutger Hauer’s Batty delivers a long soliloquy about the futility of the world. It comes just after Batty saves Deckard from plummeting to his demise.
Hauer, who was a beloved legendary actor, possibly best known his role in this movie, decided to rewrite his own monologue. Nearly the entire final speech from Batty is from Hauer’s own creation. The ending of his speech is appreciated by movie-lovers in its beauty and poetry: “All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.”
Being John Malkovich
Being John Malkovich is one of the most unique and “out there” movies in terms of plot. John Cusack’s character discovers a way to go inside the actor John Malkovich’s head, and it gets more complicated than that. This line from Being John Malkovich arose due to a drunken extra. And no, he wasn’t supposed to be drunk.
During the scene, as the truck speeds past John Malkovich, the extra yells, “Hey Malkovich, think fast!” and whips a can at his head. The can hit the actor, who, in turn, let out an involuntary curse word. The reaction was so great that the director decided to keep it.
They Live!
While They Live! wasn’t a box office success, it did become a cult classic, especially among wrestling fans. Part of that was likely due to this off-script moment.
In this scene, Roddy Piper, playing Nada, walks into a bank to kill aliens. He said, “I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick a** … and I’m all out of bubblegum.” He claims to not know what he was going for, that it just happened. The line became a classic that people still use today.
Die Hard
Bruce Willis cemented his status as an action star portraying hero cop John McClane. As he is playing cat-and-mouse with bad guy Hans Gruber, the villain asks him if he thinks he stands a chance against them.
Willis was supposed to say a different curse world and instead responded, ‘”Yippee-ki-yay motherf—er!” The crew was nervous that it wouldn’t make it through the first screen testing, but everyone loved it. The line became McClane’s signature catchphrase throughout the series.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The earlier couple Harry Potter films closely follow the books pretty well, but sometimes there are movie moments that are better than the book. In the second installment, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the school bully, Draco Malfoy, played excellently by Tom Felton, embodied the character extremely well.
In one scene, Harry and his friend Ron take a potion to look like Crabbe and Goyle, Malfoy’s dimwitted best friends, and henchmen. At one point, Harry made up something about reading, to which, Malfoy pauses and says, “I didn’t know you could read.” This perfect little barb was a nice addition from Felton.
Blazing Saddles
Gene Wilder was known as a comedy genius, and had incredible talent for humor. He became famous for his creating incredible off-script lines on the spot. This particular line comes from the hit classic comedy Blazing Saddles, which he helped write with friend and fellow comedy giant Mel Brooks.
When Wilder’s character is trying to console the new Sheriff, he tells him, “You’ve got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know … morons.” That last bit was wholly off-script, and he even laughed, but still, it stayed.
Zoolander
Sometimes actors forget their lines, but that can lead to incredible accidents. This is especially true if the supporting cast can improvise as well, which happened in the movie Zoolander.
In the scene where titular male model played by Ben Stiller, learns of the plot to use male models for political attacks, Stiller forgot his line. Instead of looking blankly at the camera, he just repeated the line he had just said, “Why male models?” Actor David Duchovny rolled with it and responded with, “You serious? I just told you that a moment ago.” It’s now part of comedy lore.
Good Will Hunting
Robin Williams acting in Good Will Hunting was so good that we have to include just one more improvised line. As the movie ends, Will leaves a note for Sean telling him thank you.
The letter is read by Damon as a voiceover, with him saying that he’s going to try and get back together with his girlfriend. He says, “I gotta go see about a girl,” something Sean said earlier. After reading the letter, Williams says out loud “Son of a b**** stole my line.” A great addition and comedic moment to a heartfelt ending.
Apocalypse Now
Marlon Brando was famous for ad-libbing a tremendous number of lines in Apocalypse Now. Francis Ford Coppola, the director even estimates that only about 50% of his lines were in the script.
This particular line comes when the character accepts the darkness within the soul, and states “The horror” as his final line. Whether people have seen the movie or not, many would recognize this line as something they have heard before and may recognize it from the original book that the movie is based on, Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness.”
This is Spinal Tap
Rob Reiner’s hit 1980s movie This Is Spinal Tap follows the lives of rock metal band. Its success introduced the entire “mockumentary” concept, paving the way for movies and shows to follow suit.
The three lead actors, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer were so excellent at ad-libbing that many of their improvised lines stayed in the movie. They even each got writing credits at the end of the movie. Of course, one of the most famous of those lines was, “It’s such a fine line between stupid and clever.” That pretty much says it all.
Titanic
It’s crazy to think that one of the most famous lines from the ultra-blockbuster hit that was Titanic wasn’t scripted. Leonardo DiCaprio’s real introduction to the world was through his infectious, positive Jack Dawson.
When Dawson sees the view from the deck of the ship, he can’t believe his luck, considering he just won the tickets on the boat earlier that day. He joyously whoops “I’m king of the world,’ a line that DiCaprio originally made up prior to the shoot that drunk young men have shouted ever since. Director James Cameron loved the line and added it to the script.
The Princess Bride
In Rob Reiner’s beloved cult classic The Princess Bride, it has been reported that Billy Crystal wasn’t so good at following his script, preferring instead to improvise lines. While a lot of his ad-libs didn’t make it to the movie, this one did.
In this scene, Crystal and his wife are wishing the main characters off on their journey. Like parents sending their kids off the camp or school, he perfectly added the line, “Have fun storming the castle!”
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Speaking of McConaughey, this line was said to him instead of by him. In How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Kate Hudson gets the drop on McConaughey when she says, “You can’t watch Meg Ryan for two hours and not be thinking about another girl.”
It’s been told that the director would sneak improvised lines to Kate so as to surprise McConaughey. It got their natural chemistry going on camera and added genuine reactions by McConaughey.
Julie & Julia
In Julie & Julia, is about a woman trying to make all of cooking legend’s Julia Child’s recipes. Julia Child is played by acting legend Meryl Streep.
In one scene, Julia Child asks her husband Paul, played by Stanley Tucci, what she would do in Paris, he asks her, “What is it that you really like to do?” Julia responds with, “Eat.” Tucci revealed that he came up with his next line, “And you are so good at it. Look at you!” on the spot.
Casablanca
Casablanca is a film classic and so are some of its lines. This line wasn’t ad-libbed on the screen but actually came from a poker game. It’s hard to believe that this became one of the most famous lines in the movie.
The story goes that leading man, Humphrey Bogart, would teach costar Ingrid Bergman how to play poker on the set, during a break. Bogart said to her. “Here’s lookin’ at you, kid.” After it was heard, they couldn’t help writing it in.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Judd Apatow’s first breakout comedy film 40-Year-Old Virgin, follows Steve Carrell’s Andy as he tries to become more smooth with women. He turns to his coworkers and friends for advice. At one point, he is led to a Chinese salon to get his chest and back waxed, so he can look more appealing.
Unfortunately for Carrell, the actor had to be waxed for real. The moment is hilarious as his mild-mannered character screams obscenities in pain at his waxer. At one point, one of the things he yelled was the name of pop star, “Kelly Clarkson!” Why? We’re not sure, but it helped make the scene even more memorable.
Frozen
How can you ad-lib in an animated movie? When Josh Gad is involved, anything is possible. Gad was the voice actor for Olaf, the magical snowman in Frozen.
At one point, Olaf is dancing around and an icicle pierces his body. Gad throws out the line “I’ve been impaled” after Olaf was actually impaled by an icicle. This deadpan delivery of the line was so perfect that the crew decided it had to be kept in.
The Shining
In the highly successful movie, The Shining, Jack Nicholson had an improvised moment of pure gold. It almost didn’t make the cut, but luckily it did since it turned out to be one of the most famous lines from the movie.
When Jack is trying to break down the door with an axe to try to get to his wife, the tension is palpable. Nicholson had to destroy nearly 60 doors to finally get the visuals for the scene perfectly. It comes as no surprise that his ad-libbed “Here’s Johnny” adds a moment that escalates the terror, making it perfect for both on and off camera.
A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange was extremely controversial for its gratuitous violence and seemingly-encouragement of disturbing behavior. Even with the violence and utter chaos of the movie, the improvised line fits seamlessly.
While the main characters are doing horrific things during a home invasion, apparently, actor Malcolm McDowell decided to start singing, “I’m singing in the rain.” This seems to follow the same pattern of The Shining, where a horribly violent and scary scene becoming even scarier when a moment of calm or comedy is thrown in. Stanley Kubrick, the same director of The Shining decided to keep this improv in as well.
Anchorman: The Legend of Run Burgundy
When you mix a bunch of well-to-do comedians together on a set, you are bound to get a few weird things coming out of their mouths. That is exactly what happened during the recordings of Anchorman: The Legend of Run Burgundy.
Apparently, the director, Adam McKay wanted more lines for Steve Carell’s character of Brick, but he didn’t have any ready to go, so he told him to “just say something.” Carell was looking at a lamp, so out came, “I love lamp,” and now its often quoted from fans.
The Devil Wears Prada
Here is another line from The Devil Wears Prada that we just had to include. This line occurs after Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep, and Andy, played by Anne Hathaway, are lamenting about the difficulties of the fashion industry.
In the script, the line was written as “Everyone wants to be me.” But, Streep changed the line to “Everyone wants to be us” during the table read, and everyone decided that the one-word change was better as it lured Andy’s character in more.
The Warriors
This seemingly calm line from The Warriors is all about context, and it hit home with the audience. Actor David Patrick Kelly channeled his neighborhood bully growing up for inspiration as he improvised the line as he is calling out the title characters.
Everything has become iconic from this scene, from his rattling of mini glass bottles together, to his repeated utterances of “Warriors! Come out to play!” Little did Kelly know that this become the unofficial tagline for the movie.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Time to throw in one more for Harry Potter lovers, this one was from the final movie of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. Ralph Fiennes was known for delivering his lines differently than expected, and this was no exception.
At one point, Fiennes’ Voldemort is daring anyone on the side of good to join them, when one character steps forward. He says, “Well, I must say I’d hoped for better,” a perfect comedy aside in a moment of tension and fear.