During the production of a movie, things don't always go as planned. Bringing more drama or comedy to the scene, which can actually surprise the performers, is something that many directors like doing on set through improvising and making last-minute changes to the script. It's not uncommon for unplanned scenes or lines of conversation to make it into the final draft. On the other hand, some occurrences are entirely coincidental, such as when a performer forgets their lines. Today, we list 7 times when actors did wonder for movies by improving scenes.
1. Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter
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One of the most cringeworthy moments in The Goblet of Fire is when Daniel Radcliffe plays Harry's first dance at the Yule Ball, and that's not a coincidence. Books portray Harry as a poor dancer, and due to Radcliffe's hectic filming schedule, this trait is reflected in the final product. The actor explained, "I only had about four days to learn because I was doing another scene, and everyone else had about 3 weeks."
2. Kate Winslet In Titanic
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The Pacific Ocean provided the water for the
Titanic scene where Rose is searching for Jack on the set in Baja, California, Mexico. Kate Winslet was trembling so badly from the cold water that she couldn't even swim. She received several bruises and a chipped elbow. She almost abandoned the project because of her fear of becoming hypothermic.
3. Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
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Jim Carrey's character in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was frequently frustrated on set because the film's director, Michel Gondry, would contradict himself. To tell Kate Winslet to "go as big as you want!" Gondry claimed he had to leave the room. In other words, a comedy! "This is a drama, not a comedy," I'd tell Jim.
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Francis Lawrence, director of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1, shot and edited a practice interview with Peeta to air during Jennifer Lawrence's scenes. In an interview, he stated that having
Josh Hutcherson appear in scenes with Lawrence would only add a few hours of shooting time but would help her elicit an emotional response from the audience because Lawrence had missed working with him.
5. Steve Carel In The Office
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In this episode of The Office, Steve Carell's character, Michael, was supposed to give Oscar a bear hug, lean in for a kiss, pull away, and then kiss him on the forehead. Carell, however, veered away from the script and improvised his performance. The entire cast, including Oscar Nuez, was taken aback by the unexpected peck on the lips.
6. Samuel L. Jackson In Star Wars
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Lightsabers were either blue or green on the side of good in George Lucas' Star Wars universe, while red belonged to the bad guys. During filming, Samuel L. Jackson made a special request to the director for a purple lightsaber to use in his role as Mace Windu. The actor claimed that by doing so, his character in Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones would stand out more in the film's climactic battle. Jackson was happy with the outcome, and Lucas was okay with it.
7. Alan Rickman In Die Hard
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After Alan Rickman counted to three during the final scene of Die Hard, the director gave the go-ahead for Hans Gruber to jump out of the window. Actor Alan Rickman was dropped onto an airbag from about 25 feet up, and director John McTiernan tricked Rickman into a look of panicked surprise by letting go when the actor least expected it.