Everyone knows that a film has a script, and this script must be followed when being filmed. However, sometimes, unscripted things happen which make movies what they become, whether it’s made up lines, or simply new ideas. This list features 15 of the best scenes and lines that were made up by either the actors or directors and were not in the original script.
In Mars Attacks, no dialogue was written for the Martians so Frank Welker made up his own language for them.
Fact: The Martian Girl dress had no zipper or buttons (to make it as smooth as possible), so Lisa Marie had to be sewn into it every day.
Paul Rudd and Seth Rogan played off each other brilliantly in this scene, however, a different version than the one in the video was used for the real movie. All of the “You know how I know you’re gay” insults were unscripted and in fact, a large portion of the film was improvised.
Fact: During the “you know how I know you’re gay” scene, Paul Rudd is wearing a t-shirt that has a picture of himself on it.
Bill Murray plays Dustin Hoffman’s play writing roommate, and in this scene, he is talking to a bunch of people at a party. Pollack wanted a monologue from Murray, and the other actors in the scene were not informed making any response, interesting. His stories are made to seem like they last the whole party and were all completely ad libbed by Murray.
Fact: Dustin Hoffman suggested the title, which was his mother’s dog’s nickname.
There are several different takes of the scene where Nick Frost’s character Ed attempts to cheer up Shaun by telling stories about the pub regulars. In the scenes, he describes the woman as an ex-pornstar, supposedly all made up on the spot. Simon Pegg’s laughter is genuine as a result of this.
Fact: The non-featured zombie extras were paid the princely sum of £1 a day for their troubles.
Kubrick’s classic about the adventures of a young man is one of his finest works, and one of three movies on this list alone. The scene in which the gang break into the house was shot many times, but Kubrick wasn’t happy with how it looked. He suggested to Malcolm McDowell, who played Alex de Large, that he add in a little dance spontaneously during the next take. He did, and it was included in the final film.
Fact: Filming the rape scene was so difficult for the actress originally cast in the role. She quit and the part was recast to Adrienne Corri, who was said to have been furious with Stanley Kubrick for the scores of takes he required for this infamous scene, feeling it should have been done swiftly.
Bill Murray improvised the “Cinderella story” sequence from two lines of stage direction. Director Harold Ramis simply asked Murray to emulate a kid announcing his own fantasy sports moment. Murray simply asked for four rows of ‘mums and did the scene in one take.
Fact: The scene where Carl and Ty are talking in Carl’s “house” was almost entirely improvised between Bill Murray and Chevy Chase.
One of my favorite scenes in Saving Private Ryan, involves Matt Damon’s character telling Tom Hank’s character a story about his three brothers and a girl from back home. All of this was ad libbed by Matt Damon.
Fact: The Omaha Beach scene cost $11 million to shoot and involved up to 1000 extras, some of whom were members of the Irish Army Reserve. Of those extras, 20-30 of them were amputees issued with prosthetic limbs to simulate soldiers having their limbs blown off.
R. Lee Ermey was actually a real drill sergeant and his part in this classic war film was largely unscripted. The beginning of the film is an absolute comic masterpiece, made famous by Ermey’s shouting at the guys who have just joined the army.
Fact: When Ermey said, “I’ll bet you’re the kind of guy that would fuck a person in the ass and not even have the goddam common courtesy to give him a reach-around. I’ll be watching you,”, Kubrick had to stop and ask what a reach-around was as he didn’t know.
This has been disputed as being a genuine ad lib or not as Dustin Hoffman (who plays ‘Ratso’ Rizzo) claims he made it up, and the director claims it was always in the script. The defense of both parties is understandable as the line has become incredibly famous. As Hoffman is walking down the street with Jon Voight’s character, Joe Buck, a yellow cab nearly runs him over which leads Hoffman to bash on the hood and shout “I’m walking here!”, before retorting to his on-screen partner, “Actually, that ain’t a bad way to pick up insurance y’know.”, all in his unique New York parlance.
Fact: Dustin Hoffman kept pebbles in his shoe to ensure his limp would be consistent from shot to shot.
A film adapted from the Stephen King novel about a father that goes mad while staying in an evil, isolated hotel for the winter, has become one of Kubrick’s most well-known films. The dark mood that is created as Jack Nicholson smashes his way through the door is juxtaposed with his version of a catchphrase used on the Johnny Carson Show (A hugely popular show at the time), giving an incredibly creepy, yet humorous effect and making it the best-known line from the film. It was, of course, improvised by Nicholson.
Fact: Allegedly, Kubrick would scream and shout at Shelley Duval (playing Wendy Torrance) in order to get her to show real fear, and it’s even claimed her slapped her in one take.
Harrison Ford plays the cocky rogue, Han Solo, and in one of his rare scenes where the script required him to show some compassion, the act Ford had cemented for Solo was so strong that the original line, “I love you too” didn’t work. 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.
Fact: Carrie Fisher stood on a box for many of her scenes with Harrison Ford in order to make up for the height difference and have her appear in the frame with him. Carrie Fisher is about a foot shorter than Harrison Ford.
This scene has been made famous not only for what it shows, but the story behind it. The original script had a long sword fight between Indiana (Harrison Ford) and the swordsman in black. However, a day before the shoot was due, Ford got terrible food poisoning and dysentery and after speaking to Spielberg, got the scene changed so that after the man’s impressive pre-fight moves, Indiana just shoots the guy dead, fitting in with the character’s ethos.
Fact: In a deleted scene, where the character of Sallah is confronted by a Nazi soldier, John Rhys-Davies who was suffering from cholera at the time was required to bend down. Unfortunately this prompted the very sick Rhys-Davies to soil himself.
The famous “you talkin’ to me?” monologue in Taxi Driver was actually completely improvised by Robert De Niro. The original script just said “Travis looks in the mirror”, but Scorsese liked what De Niro did so much, he kept it in the film.
Fact: What he’s saying is actually used as a warm up for actors, the idea being you put the emphasis on a different word each time you say it, i.e. “YOU talking to me?”, “You talking to ME?” and so on.
Although he has less than 25 minutes of screen time, Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal as the cannibal, Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The incredibly famous line, “A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”, was immortalized by Hopkin’s hiss, which he originally did as a joke. The result disturbed Jodie Foster (playing Agent Starling) so much that the look on her face in genuine.
Fact: The pattern on the butterfly’s back in the movie posters is not the natural pattern of the Death’s-Head Hawk Moth. It is, in fact, Salvador Dalí’s “In Voluptas Mors”, a picture of seven naked women made to look like a human skull.
Rated as one of the best films of all time, Peter Seller’s is often credited as the Co-Writer, improvising so many of his lines within the film. He plays 3 characters in the film, one of them being a wheelchair-bound nuclear weapons expert, who has past associations with the Nazis. Constantly calling the US president “Mein Fuhrer”, strangling himself, and pushing down his involuntary Nazi salutes all made Seller’s character what it is. The final line of the film, “Mein Fuhrer, I can walk!” was also apparently made up by Sellers, as he got out of his chair forgetting he was supposed to be disabled.
Fact: In the novel on which the film is based upon, (Red Alert by Peter George) the character of Dr. Strangelove, doesn’t even exist. A testament to Seller’s incredible talents.
The first one isn’t even from 40 year old virgin, its from knocked up.
I have scenes most of these films and enjoyed most of them I glade to learn there ad bid scenes.
http://printinghouse.dontexist.com
I have a suggestion about any future portrayals of drill sergeants. It would silence this marines vs soldiers spat, which is threatening to reach +Does God exist+ extremes and length.
The director should bring Peter Sellers back to life and show him just one short clip of a standard high quality genuine article doing his stuff. The rest would be history.
I could do a Brit one. We called them D.I.’s (to their face). The steely-eyed, thin-lipped, hard-faced character actor William Hartnell only needed to add a barking voice, stiff back and immaculate uniform to be one straight out of the book in his fictional portrayals. You’d think the public perception of them was a stereotype until you stood small in your boots before any of them. I remember one coming at us face-in-face (tobacco breath!) with a snarling, menacing growl, “Ye’re yellow thru an thru, the *****in boneless lot o ye. To think brave men died in wars so the likes of ye bleedin bastards could grow up an disgrace ye’re country!!” He probably went through that routine with every new bunch of raw sprogs. D.I.s acted proudly as a man to the stereotype. All the mates I knew went to different training centres, and all their D.I.s were like mine. We went out on drill practice at dawn one winter morn, the coldest day of the year, with a bitter wind, a skim of snow whipping across the ground and frost biting down deep into it. With every permissable shred of uniform on (and some unauthorised underneath) we were shivering like new born kittens. Our D.I. was there waiting for us, bolt upright, stripped to the waist except for a light, white cotton vest and perfectly comfortable!
The only difference of attitude I noticed between them was the isolation their ‘trade’ subjected them to. Once they’d knocked us into shape in their own sweet way (i.e. trained and disciplined us into a fighting unit so the first potential enemy stray bullet wouldn’t drop us, etc.), one of them relaxed and managed to make friends +after hours+. He was in fact a quiet, intelligent, likeable guy. The rest was just an act, but one he knew might save ours and other lives if the worst ever came to the worst. (Which it didn’t.)
The Empire Strikes Back quote was because Harrison Ford was *****ed off at all the retakes being done and said ‘I know’ as a joke. Also, The silence of the lambs line was in the film but the ‘thththththth’ he does was improvised.
The “Super-Cops” scene in “Beverly Hills Cop” where
Beverly Hills Cop
Detective Foley (Murphy) tries to explain how he, Rosewood (Reinhold) and Taggart (Ashton) foiled a robbery at the strip club.
When filming the “Beverly Hills Police Station” sequences, Eddie Murphy was feeling groggy from the stuffy environment and was described “to be so pure, that he didn’t drink coffee”. Eventually, Murphy relented by taking small sips of coffee just to stay awake for filming inside the building.
As a result of the first sips of coffee, Eddie’s performance in the scene skyrocketed and he ad-libbed the part about Rosewood and Taggart being super-cops without having the capes.
The result is in my opinion one of the funniest scenes ever in any movie!
Cheers
@Jesus Was A Fag [121]:
erm, no, its from 40 Year Old Virgin. The dialogue takes place when Rogen and Rudd are playing video games in Carell’s character’s apt.
scratch that, i suppose there’s a video, this network (at my work) blocks out videos, thought you were talking about the “know how I know you’re gay?” line itself!
I don’t think #5 should be on list because it is just stolen from the film Shaft (1971). Ford just gets credit because he said the line in a much higher grossing movie.
Most of Jay’s ramblings in Clerks were unscripted, because Jason Mewes was off his face for most of the filming (probably most of his life, actually). Silent Bob’s glares of digust are actually Kevin Smith’s, for real.
I surprised the big Lost in Translation scene isn’t even up for consideration.
If you replace the word “human” with “dumbass”, or “ignoramus”, or any of the dozens, hundreds, or thousands of words that describe someone of your simple upbringing, ou would be right on target.
And for those who question what or who this post is referring to, I was replying to the priceless comment made by eggnostrovia.
@Chorizo [1]:
Lighten up, Francis.
“You know what the fellow said – in Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace – and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”
Orson Welles in The Third Man, not scripted by Graham Greene.
@Moonbeam [117]:
Thanks Moonbeam, that’s not a bad idea at all. Finally, a constructive comment, and not just a rant because I don’t know the obviously huge difference between a drill instructor and a drill sergeant.
@Ike [19]: Of course you dont care. You were in the Army. I spent 4 years in the Marines and 2 1/2 in the Army. Trust me, there is a HUGE diference.
@billy [56]: Well then, Im glad you care too.
@Cola [23]: Does it really matter? Is there like a 2 comment minimum or something?
On #8, here is a favorite drunken debate question of mine – if more than one reach-around is given, what would the plural be called?
The “Tears In Rain” speech by Rutger Hauer was improvised by him at the end of Bladerunner.
@Bucketheadrocks [119]:
I agree Kubrick is a visionary!!!!!!!!
Lucas WAS NOT the Director of Empire so he DID NOT tell Harrison Ford to say what sounds best.
I never said he was the director. He was the writer, but he was present for a lot of the film's shooting. Read again before posting useless comments.
I have often wondered if Bob Newhart’s “talk nonsense on the ‘phone” scene in Hell Is For Heroes was scripted or ad-libbed?
(For those who don’t know or remember: Hell is For Heroes was a war movie produced back in the ’60′s starring Steve McQueen. In a bunker on the allied held side of the Sigfried Line it is discovered that the Germans had planted a bugging device and were listening in on important talk. To confuse the enemy, Bob Newhart, who plays a young quartermaster who has never seen combat, is handed a broken field-phone receiver and told to “say anything.” He then proceeds to wrattle off an incredible conversation with an imaginary general!)
@diogenes [20]: The opening monologue in Patton was NOT ad libbed. It’s a real speech given by Patton. Look it up. It’s not verbatim, but it was clearly “the speech” G.C. Scott was giving in the movie (cut down for time).
http://www.taphilo.com/history/Patton-speech.shtml
Whether it was in the script or it was decided by Scott on the spot to recite it is another matter, but I find it hard to believe that Scott could have modified it to get it in the shot on the spur of the moment. Either he already wrote it before hand and planned to include it in the shot or it was always in the script.
@swordsbane [144]:
Look, the power of the Hollywood movie industry is HUGE. Their control over history within the 20th century is not something to be scoffed at lightheartedly. It doesn’t take much to have school books printed up. It has long been known that great film directors have likened themselves to great generals.
Okay, long story made short:
Francis Ford Coppola always wanted to be in the winery business. He found himself living in the Napa Valley during the late 60′s… In order to put food on the table for a growing brood he had to take the dirty route of the film industry, working his way up from shoeshiner to scriptwriter to director. Patton happened to be one of these crap jobs he took (but hated) just because he didn’t want to give up on his dream. But dreams change over time and learning the art of wine got pushed into weekend nights… and as Coppola began to make a name for himself as a film director, he started to circulate the story about how he wrote the monologue.
Like I replied to commenter ‘me’ with my #60, Schaffner and Coppola enjoyed teasing Scott about his feminine ways (such as holding his pinky finger out when he drank his tea) and they would call him Georgie or Sweetie or Sweetheart Georgie. This was on set and it infuriated him. Scott’s inner Patton started boiling over and his ad-libbed rant IS what was caught on film. Patton himself said after watching the movie ” I can’t tell the real Patton apart from me! Did I say that?”. Or something to that effect.
All these years later it has become a Hollywood inside joke (like Bigfoot) and Coppola now has a thriving Winery and hillsides of grapes as far as the eye can see.
Number 14 is Knocked up not 40 Year Old Virgin
FAIL! Ermy was a Marine not in the army.
what about "Good Morning Vietnam" and the monologue of Robin Williams responding about the VP's visit
"Excuse me sir. Seeing as how the VP is such a VIP, shouldn't we keep the PC on the QT, because if it leaks to the VC, he could end up MIA, and then we'd all be put on KP." <<<< That one?
Noooooooo, Adam is absolutely right! The clip itself proves it. In "Knocked Up", the characters played by Rogen and Rudd go to Vegas and take "shrooms", which they elude to in the beginning of the clip. At the end of the clip, when talking about referencing a "*****ty movie", they are in fact talking about the scene in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" where they did, in fact have a scene just like this one, only it took place in an apartment while they were playing a video game.
Hey another good non-scripted line is when Robin Williams Tells Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting that his deceased wife used to fart, totally ad-libed but kept because it really made Matt Damon laugh.
The scene in the Lord of the Rings I, where Gandolf hits his head while visiting Frodo Baggins was an accident but the director loved it and left it in…..The scene in Gladiator where Joaquin Phoenix kills his father was mostly improvised. His father's line: Your faults as a son is my failure as a father" was ad-libbed. Rodney Dangerfield's Back to School, 90 percent of his jokes were ad-libbed…. "Shakespeare is on me…. You too honey…. I'd like to tame your shrew!", Whats a bath without Bubbles? Bubbles get in here! He was as high as a kite during most of his movies. God rest his soul.
the "What's a yoot?" dialogue between Joe Pesci and Fred Gwynne in "My Cousin Vinny" was entirely ad-libbed as well.
I noticed the mistake on the full metal jacket text were it should be Marines but I can get a civilian not noticing the difference. Great people in all uniforms and branches, and of course idiots
by the way I was ARMY not MARINES 
can't help but love Ermey! Great list!
R Lee. Emery was a drill instructor ordering around Marines. Get it right
The “Ack Ack” sounds from Mars Attacks were actually recorded by a now unknown delivery guy on a cheap tape recorder. They were used as temp by the editors, but Tim Burton liked them so much that they stayed in the final film. Frank Welker’s vocalizations were used elsewhere in the movie, as in the scene shown here.
Orson Welles' famous "cukoo clock" monologue at the end of the scene on the Prater Wheel in the Third Man was entirely improvised. One of the greatest lines in one of the very greatest films.
Full Metal Jacket was based on The Marines not the army please fix that
Peter Sellers was also suppost to play the part that eventually went to Slim Pickens aren't we glad! It was to much for him to play 4 parts he was eather sick or fake a ankle sprain to get out of playing the part
The quote from Silence of the Lambs was not adlibbed – its almost word for word from a line in the exact same scene in the book. The only difference is that Hopkins said Chianti instead of the type of wine that Lecter actually said, though the wierd slurping thing was adlibbed.
"Kubrick’s classic about the adventures of a young man is one of his finest works, and one of three movies on this list alone." Actually one of four movies on this list. Dr. Strangelove is also a Stanley Kubrick movie.
FULL METAL JACKET's beginning… umm… R.L. Ermey was not a DRILL SERGEANT he was a DRILL INSTRUCTOR… Jokey, Gomer Pile, Cowboy, and Snow Ball were MARINE RECRUITS… not guys who joined the Army… GET IT RIGHT GUY!
*****ty article.. The link to the Shawn of the Dead clip.. doesn't even work.. and it's the thing that made me click on this article.. LAME C'mon, Fix that *****!!!!!!!!
Alec Baldwin's entire "coffee is for closers" scene in Glengarry Glen Ross is not scripted, and it's classic. No way this list should be without this scene.
Good clips but the statements about reaction shots being real are extremely likely to be true
I don't know of any movie shot on multi cam.. they are lit for one shot of one actor… then they
turn around and shoot the other actor. the only way reactions shots would be real if it was
a two shot or more with both actors in the same framing..
oops…meant to say extremely 'UN-likely' to be true
Wow, pretty dude-centric. Branch out, people.
# 14 scene is not from the 40 year old virgin, its from KNOCKED UP!
If you see Dr. Strangelove again watch the scene where Sellers is playing the ex-nazi and his arm attacks him watch the actor who plays the Russian ambassador who is beginning to smile (not in character) at Sellers antics. I'm surprised Kubrick let that one slide past him since he was such a stickler.
SHAME ON YOU for omitting Quint's Indianapolis speech from Jaws, which was improvised by Robert Shaw.
In Lord of the Rings Return of the King at the end of the movie when Aragorn, Legolas, and such go to the gate to talk to the mouth they are on horseback. Minutes later when they being the charge they are all on foot, the entire army suddenly loses their horses.
I think it's a bit *****ty to call 'A Clockwork Orange' one of Kubrick's finest works. It's absolute bollocks compared to Anthony Burgess's original book. I only say this because you mention Stephen King with 'The Shining', yet not Burgess. Overall I thought this list was utter arse. It would have been a lot better if you had included 'This is Spinal Tap' as there is only about a page of instructions for the entire film, and yet it's one of the funniest of all time.
They forgot Rutger Hauer's ad lipped last line in Blade Runner.
Number 4 is a lie! The whole reason the scene in the Raiders of the Lost Ark was changed to a gun was because the British stunt double Terry Richards suggested it. Spielberg liked it so much it ended up in the movie. Nothing do with food poisoning.
Lee Ermey was not in fact a Drill Seargent. He was, more accurately, a Drill Instructer.
i guess these comments dont get read but, as said above, 14 is not 40 year old… but knocked up
C'mon guys! What about this geniusly improvised line from Shark Attack 3? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1XOfHax6Q8&fe…
If the Pesci sceane from goodfella's isnt here then this list is wrong.
#14 is Knocked Up not 40 year old virgin.
Name
Did nobody else notice that the scene supposed to be from 40 Year Old Virgin is actually from Knocked up?