20 Iconic Movie Moments That Were Actually Improvised

Carly Tennes Published 06/03/2024 in wow

Though it may seem as though things not going according to plan on movie sets may be a recipe for an extremely expensive disaster, sometimes things pan out — just ask the actors who came up with some of the most iconic film moments while on the fly.

From one of the most famous lines in John Carpenter's They Live to Mrs. Doubtfire's several spicy cuts, here are 20 iconic movie moments that were actually improvised.

List View
Player View
Grid View

1. Zoolander
“Ben Stiller's repeated ‘but why male models?’ line was improvised, because he forgot his actual line”
2. The Lord of the Rings
“LOTR, the scene where Viggo Mortensen kicks the helmet near a pile of orcs, he actually screams so hard because he broke two toes. They actually used the footage in the movie.”
3. Mrs. Doubtfire
“TIL that during the filming of Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) Robin Williams improvised so much that there were PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17 edits of the film.”
4. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
“40 yo Virgin. The waxing scene. I heard Steve Carrell had them actually wax him and each scene only had one take. He improvised everything he said when he was waxed. He was apologizing to the actresses he was yelling at between takes. Or something along those lines.”
5. The Shining
“TIL that Stanley Kubrick encouraged improvisation during the filming of The Shining and that the legendary ‘Here's Johnny!’ line, delivered by Jack Nicholson, was never in the script.”
6. Titanic
“In Titanic when Leo and Kate are holding on to the guardrails on the stern and the ships begins its final plunge, she says ‘Jack, this is where we first met.’ DiCaprio looks at her confused for a moment, then just kisses her forehead. Kate Winslet improvised the line.”
7. The Princess Bride
“Billy Crystal's hilarious lines in The Princess Bride were nearly all improvised. That includes the classic "MLT -- mutton, lettuce, and tomato" bit. Supposedly, his takes were a problem because his ad-libbing kept making people crack up -- not just the crew, but even Westley, who was supposed to be lying there ‘mostly dead.’”
8. Half Nelson
During the filming of Half Nelson, Ryan Gosling picks up a random cat that appeared out of nowhere which they decided to leave in the final product as Dan Dunne(Ryan's character in the film) had lost his cat just a few scenes before.
9. Top Gun
“Val Kilmer calling Maverick's story b—t when he was talking about the MiG. He coughs into his hand *b—t* and then Anthony Edwards continuing the improvisation by responding to the “b—t” comment.”
10. Fast & Furious 6
“The Rock improvised the "big a—forehead" line in Fast & Furious 6. Ludacris spitting his drink was his genuine, unscripted response.”
11. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
“In ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ when Cliff is dropping Rick off at set, Brad Pitt yells out ‘HEY! You're Rick f—g Dalton’. Don't you forget it!’ That line was completely improvised and Tarantino apparently loved it.”
12. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
“In Lemony Snickets a Series of Unfortunate Events the movie, Jim Carrey goes off script, addressing the director and actor playing Klaus and asking him to repeat his lines, as he thought of a funnier way to react in the moment. They ran with it and kept that scene in the movie, when the children first go to live with him. One of the funniest parts in my opinion.”
13.  Apocalypse Now
“Martin Sheen famously cut his hand for real in the opening sequence in Apocalypse Now. Moments later while on the boat you can still see the wound when he offers a cigarette.”
14. The Departed
“The I smell a Rat scene where Jack Nicholson creeps back into frame behind Leo and makes rat faces and Shhh motions.”
15. John Carpenter's They Live
“Roddy Piper improvised the ‘I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick a—…. and I'm all out of bubblegum,’ line from They Live. John Carpenter told Roddy that he wasn't gonna rob the bank, but he was holding a shotgun and wearing sunglasses, so he needed to say something.”
16. Best in Show
“Pretty much the entire role of Fred Willard in Best in Show but especially: ‘He ran at her like she was made of bacon.’”
17. Goodfellas
“In Goodfellas, Paul Sorvino slaps Ray Liotta in the face unrehearsed, causing Liotta's character to have a genuinely surprised reaction.”
18. The Wolf of Wall Street
“In The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Matthew McConaughey's chest pounding chant originally wasn't part of the script. It was actually a ‘relaxation technique’ that McConaughey performed before each take. Leonardo DiCaprio noticed it and asked if it could be included in the scene.”
19.
20. Midnight Cowboy
“Midnight Cowboy (1969)- The infamous scene where Dustin Hoffman yells ‘I’m walking here!’ To a cabbie as he and Jon Voight are crossing the street.”
21. Mad Max 2
“In Mad Max 2 during the final chase a bad guy flips through the air when the car he's on crashes. He wasn't supposed to go through the air like that, but his foot hit some debris when he launched causing him to tumble through the air. Almost got killed but it's a pretty good shot so they kept it.”

1. Zoolander
“Ben Stiller's repeated ‘but why male models?’ line was improvised, because he forgot his actual line”
2. The Lord of the Rings
“LOTR, the scene where Viggo Mortensen kicks the helmet near a pile of orcs, he actually screams so hard because he broke two toes. They actually used the footage in the movie.”
3. Mrs. Doubtfire
“TIL that during the filming of Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) Robin Williams improvised so much that there were PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17 edits of the film.”
4. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
“40 yo Virgin. The waxing scene. I heard Steve Carrell had them actually wax him and each scene only had one take. He improvised everything he said when he was waxed. He was apologizing to the actresses he was yelling at between takes. Or something along those lines.”
5. The Shining
“TIL that Stanley Kubrick encouraged improvisation during the filming of The Shining and that the legendary ‘Here's Johnny!’ line, delivered by Jack Nicholson, was never in the script.”
6. Titanic
“In Titanic when Leo and Kate are holding on to the guardrails on the stern and the ships begins its final plunge, she says ‘Jack, this is where we first met.’ DiCaprio looks at her confused for a moment, then just kisses her forehead. Kate Winslet improvised the line.”
7. The Princess Bride
“Billy Crystal's hilarious lines in The Princess Bride were nearly all improvised. That includes the classic "MLT -- mutton, lettuce, and tomato" bit. Supposedly, his takes were a problem because his ad-libbing kept making people crack up -- not just the crew, but even Westley, who was supposed to be lying there ‘mostly dead.’”
8. Half Nelson
During the filming of Half Nelson, Ryan Gosling picks up a random cat that appeared out of nowhere which they decided to leave in the final product as Dan Dunne(Ryan's character in the film) had lost his cat just a few scenes before.
9. Top Gun
“Val Kilmer calling Maverick's story b—t when he was talking about the MiG. He coughs into his hand *b—t* and then Anthony Edwards continuing the improvisation by responding to the “b—t” comment.”
10. Fast & Furious 6
“The Rock improvised the "big a—forehead" line in Fast & Furious 6. Ludacris spitting his drink was his genuine, unscripted response.”
11. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
“In ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ when Cliff is dropping Rick off at set, Brad Pitt yells out ‘HEY! You're Rick f—g Dalton’. Don't you forget it!’ That line was completely improvised and Tarantino apparently loved it.”
12. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
“In Lemony Snickets a Series of Unfortunate Events the movie, Jim Carrey goes off script, addressing the director and actor playing Klaus and asking him to repeat his lines, as he thought of a funnier way to react in the moment. They ran with it and kept that scene in the movie, when the children first go to live with him. One of the funniest parts in my opinion.”
13.  Apocalypse Now
“Martin Sheen famously cut his hand for real in the opening sequence in Apocalypse Now. Moments later while on the boat you can still see the wound when he offers a cigarette.”
14. The Departed
“The I smell a Rat scene where Jack Nicholson creeps back into frame behind Leo and makes rat faces and Shhh motions.”
15. John Carpenter's They Live
“Roddy Piper improvised the ‘I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick a—…. and I'm all out of bubblegum,’ line from They Live. John Carpenter told Roddy that he wasn't gonna rob the bank, but he was holding a shotgun and wearing sunglasses, so he needed to say something.”
16. Best in Show
“Pretty much the entire role of Fred Willard in Best in Show but especially: ‘He ran at her like she was made of bacon.’”
17. Goodfellas
“In Goodfellas, Paul Sorvino slaps Ray Liotta in the face unrehearsed, causing Liotta's character to have a genuinely surprised reaction.”
18. The Wolf of Wall Street
“In The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Matthew McConaughey's chest pounding chant originally wasn't part of the script. It was actually a ‘relaxation technique’ that McConaughey performed before each take. Leonardo DiCaprio noticed it and asked if it could be included in the scene.”
19.
20. Midnight Cowboy
“Midnight Cowboy (1969)- The infamous scene where Dustin Hoffman yells ‘I’m walking here!’ To a cabbie as he and Jon Voight are crossing the street.”
21. Mad Max 2
“In Mad Max 2 during the final chase a bad guy flips through the air when the car he's on crashes. He wasn't supposed to go through the air like that, but his foot hit some debris when he launched causing him to tumble through the air. Almost got killed but it's a pretty good shot so they kept it.”

“Ben Stiller's repeated ‘but why male models?’ line was improvised, because he forgot his actual line”

Share This Image

REPLAY GALLERY
20 Iconic Movie Moments That Were Actually Improvised

NEXT GALLERY
21 Awkward Real Names of Celebrity That You'd Probably Change Too

RELATED MEDIA

Zoolander
“Ben Stiller's repeated ‘but why male models?’ line was improvised, because he forgot his actual line”

21/21

1/21

Share
Tweet
Flip
Email
Pin It

Tags: improv movie film

NEXT GALLERY 21 Awkward Real Names of Celebrity That You'd Probably Change Too

1. Zoolander “Ben Stiller's repeated ‘but why male models?’ line was improvised, because he forgot his actual line”

2. The Lord of the Rings “LOTR, the scene where Viggo Mortensen kicks the helmet near a pile of orcs, he actually screams so hard because he broke two toes. They actually used the footage in the movie.”

3. Mrs. Doubtfire “TIL that during the filming of Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) Robin Williams improvised so much that there were PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17 edits of the film.”

4. The 40-Year-Old Virgin “40 yo Virgin. The waxing scene. I heard Steve Carrell had them actually wax him and each scene only had one take. He improvised everything he said when he was waxed. He was apologizing to the actresses he was yelling at between takes. Or something along those lines.”

5. The Shining “TIL that Stanley Kubrick encouraged improvisation during the filming of The Shining and that the legendary ‘Here's Johnny!’ line, delivered by Jack Nicholson, was never in the script.”

6. Titanic “In Titanic when Leo and Kate are holding on to the guardrails on the stern and the ships begins its final plunge, she says ‘Jack, this is where we first met.’ DiCaprio looks at her confused for a moment, then just kisses her forehead. Kate Winslet improvised the line.”

8. Half Nelson During the filming of Half Nelson, Ryan Gosling picks up a random cat that appeared out of nowhere which they decided to leave in the final product as Dan Dunne(Ryan's character in the film) had lost his cat just a few scenes before.

9. Top Gun “Val Kilmer calling Maverick's story b—t when he was talking about the MiG. He coughs into his hand *b—t* and then Anthony Edwards continuing the improvisation by responding to the “b—t” comment.”

10. Fast & Furious 6 “The Rock improvised the "big a—forehead" line in Fast & Furious 6. Ludacris spitting his drink was his genuine, unscripted response.”

11. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood “In ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ when Cliff is dropping Rick off at set, Brad Pitt yells out ‘HEY! You're Rick f—g Dalton’. Don't you forget it!’ That line was completely improvised and Tarantino apparently loved it.”

13. Apocalypse Now “Martin Sheen famously cut his hand for real in the opening sequence in Apocalypse Now. Moments later while on the boat you can still see the wound when he offers a cigarette.”

14. The Departed “The I smell a Rat scene where Jack Nicholson creeps back into frame behind Leo and makes rat faces and Shhh motions.”

16. Best in Show “Pretty much the entire role of Fred Willard in Best in Show but especially: ‘He ran at her like she was made of bacon.’”

17. Goodfellas “In Goodfellas, Paul Sorvino slaps Ray Liotta in the face unrehearsed, causing Liotta's character to have a genuinely surprised reaction.”

19.

20. Midnight Cowboy “Midnight Cowboy (1969)- The infamous scene where Dustin Hoffman yells ‘I’m walking here!’ To a cabbie as he and Jon Voight are crossing the street.”

1. Zoolander

2. The Lord of the Rings

3. Mrs. Doubtfire

4. The 40-Year-Old Virgin

5. The Shining

6. Titanic

7. The Princess Bride

8. Half Nelson

9. Top Gun

10. Fast & Furious 6

11. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

12. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

13. Apocalypse Now

14. The Departed

15. John Carpenter's They Live

16. Best in Show

17. Goodfellas

18. The Wolf of Wall Street

19.

20. Midnight Cowboy

21. Mad Max 2

Share This Image

2 Comments

eBaum's Picks

1. Zoolander
“Ben Stiller's repeated ‘but why male models?’ line was improvised, because he forgot his actual line”

2. The Lord of the Rings
“LOTR, the scene where Viggo Mortensen kicks the helmet near a pile of orcs, he actually screams so hard because he broke two toes. They actually used the footage in the movie.”

3. Mrs. Doubtfire
“TIL that during the filming of Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) Robin Williams improvised so much that there were PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17 edits of the film.”

4. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
“40 yo Virgin. The waxing scene. I heard Steve Carrell had them actually wax him and each scene only had one take. He improvised everything he said when he was waxed. He was apologizing to the actresses he was yelling at between takes. Or something along those lines.”

5. The Shining
“TIL that Stanley Kubrick encouraged improvisation during the filming of The Shining and that the legendary ‘Here's Johnny!’ line, delivered by Jack Nicholson, was never in the script.”

6. Titanic
“In Titanic when Leo and Kate are holding on to the guardrails on the stern and the ships begins its final plunge, she says ‘Jack, this is where we first met.’ DiCaprio looks at her confused for a moment, then just kisses her forehead. Kate Winslet improvised the line.”

8. Half Nelson
During the filming of Half Nelson, Ryan Gosling picks up a random cat that appeared out of nowhere which they decided to leave in the final product as Dan Dunne(Ryan's character in the film) had lost his cat just a few scenes before.

9. Top Gun
“Val Kilmer calling Maverick's story b—t when he was talking about the MiG. He coughs into his hand b—t and then Anthony Edwards continuing the improvisation by responding to the “b—t” comment.”

10. Fast & Furious 6
“The Rock improvised the "big a—forehead" line in Fast & Furious 6. Ludacris spitting his drink was his genuine, unscripted response.”

11. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
“In ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ when Cliff is dropping Rick off at set, Brad Pitt yells out ‘HEY! You're Rick f—g Dalton’. Don't you forget it!’ That line was completely improvised and Tarantino apparently loved it.”

13.  Apocalypse Now
“Martin Sheen famously cut his hand for real in the opening sequence in Apocalypse Now. Moments later while on the boat you can still see the wound when he offers a cigarette.”

14. The Departed
“The I smell a Rat scene where Jack Nicholson creeps back into frame behind Leo and makes rat faces and Shhh motions.”

16. Best in Show
“Pretty much the entire role of Fred Willard in Best in Show but especially: ‘He ran at her like she was made of bacon.’”

17. Goodfellas
“In Goodfellas, Paul Sorvino slaps Ray Liotta in the face unrehearsed, causing Liotta's character to have a genuinely surprised reaction.”

20. Midnight Cowboy
“Midnight Cowboy (1969)- The infamous scene where Dustin Hoffman yells ‘I’m walking here!’ To a cabbie as he and Jon Voight are crossing the street.”

13.  Apocalypse Now