Many actors immerse themselves in their
roles so much that sometimes they improvise their own
scenes instead of following the
script. These Unexpected But Reasonable Scenario
Changes can sometimes cause some trouble on set, but they can also lead to incredibly suitable additions to the character and the story. In fact, some of our favorite movies would not be the same without these unexpected parts!
These Script Changes In Movies by actors make these movies better.
#1 Sense and Sensibility
Source: Sense And Sensibility / Columbia Pictures and co-producers
Actress Emma Thompson used to state in the 1990s that "There are a lot of highly intelligent women who can act, and there are not too many roles to fill — that’s the problem." When she played in the classic movie
Sense and Sensibility, adapted from Jane Austen's novel, she changed this quote and put it on the screen. She was complimented by critics for both her acting and ability to improvise the script and eventually won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay: “I wrote and then I bloody well played it.”
#2 Midnight Cowboy
Source: Midnight Cowboy / Jerome Hellman Productions and co-producer
The limited budget didn't allow the studio to close down a New York street, so there were people all around during the filming. That's why a cab almost hit actor Dustin Hoffman when he was crossing the street. He tried not to throw a fit and stay in the character, so he said "I’m walking here," meaning "We’re shooting a scene here, and this is the first time we ever got it right, and you have fucked us up." Schlesinger loved that scene, so he decided to leave it in.
#3 The Fast and the Furious
Michelle Rodriguez had spent 14 years with the legendary series Fast & Furious, though no one in her family supported her acting career. However, there was a time when she almost quit.
Source: Fast & Furious / Universal Pictures and co-producers
According to the original script, her character Letty Ortiz would cheat on her boyfriend Dominic Toretto (Diesel) with Brian O’Conner (Walker). When the actress got into the role, she realized the love triangle wasn't suitable, so she made a mess: “I basically cried and said, ‘I’m going to quit. I’m sorry, but I can’t do this in front of millions of people.’” Fortunately, Vin Diesel agreed with her and persuaded the producer to change that part.#4 Rampage
Source: Hahn Lionel / ABACA / East News
Do you know that Dwayne Johnson had a principle in acting? He was always determined to make only happy-ending movies. That was why his character in
Rampage didn't die as in the original script. “I don’t want it in my movies. When the credits roll, I want to feel great," he said. It took 2 months for him to successfully convince the studio to change the scene.
#5 Spider-Man 2
Source: Spider-Man 2 / Columbia Pictures and co-producers
In
Spider-Man 2, Kirsten's natural smile didn't satisfy the producer, so the studio wanted to replace her teeth. Nevertheless, the actress believed in her intuition and kept her original image, which was supported by many people: “I had very good influences personally of women who were like, ‘You’re great, love your teeth, don’t change a thing’”.
#6 Gone Girl
Source: Gone Girl / New Regency Productions and co-producers
Ben Affleck showed absolute opposition to being a Yankees fan. While his character was supposed to wear a Yankees cap during the airport scene, he refused to do it. This led to a 4-day delay during the filming, but the studio eventually compromised on a Mats cap.
#7 Lost In Translation
Source: Lost in Translation / Focus Features and co-producers
Film director Sofia had a wise decision by choosing Bill Murray for the character Bob Harris in
Lost in Translation. The actor made his role alive by adding many improvisations. An example is a scene where he was talking about an awful Shiatsu massage. The director admitted that what Murray whispered in Johansson's ear was totally improvised, and no one but the two actors knew what was said.
#8 How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Source: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days / Paramount Pictures and co-producers
Actress Kate Hudson had made up a line without McConaughey knowing: “You can’t watch Meg Ryan for 2 hours and not be thinking about another girl” in the scene where she threw the platter of veggies during Ben’s “boys’ night”.
#9 The Harry Potter film series
Harry Potter's fans probably can't imagine a Lucius Malfoy without long blond hair and a cane. However, this character was supposed to wear short, black-and-white hair, according to the scriptwriters. The actor Jason Isaacs found it not right for his character, so he decided to wear a long white wig: “In order to keep the hair straight, I had to tip my head back, so I was looking down my nose at everyone. There was 50 percent of the character.”
Source: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets / Warner Bros. and co-producers
He also used a walking stick and an accent for the role, which was inspired by his teacher in drama school: “I just wanted to find a voice that made him drip with the millennia that his family had been in power, complete disdain and contempt for anybody and everything else.”
#10 Mean Girls
Source: Mean Girls / Paramount Pictures and co-producers
Daniel Franzese played Damian in
Mean Girl film. He confessed that the film was
funny enough, so there was no need for improvisation. Nonetheless, he still made his character funnier with the iconic line “I want my pink shirt back!” and Christina Aguilera’s remark “don’t look at me” while talking to Tina Fey’s character.
#11 Good Will Hunting
Source: Good Will Hunting / Miramax and co-producers
Williams's joke has become one of the most hilarious scenes in the movie. It was when his character told a story about how his late wife used to fart while sleeping. Though it was totally made up, the line made Damon burst out laughing, making the scene so natural. It fitted the movie perfectly, so the studio decided to keep it.
#12 Forrest Gump
Source: Forrest Gump / Paramount Pictures and co-producers
You may still remember the touching moment after Forrest Gump, acted by Tom Hanks, proposed to Jenny. He slammed the door and put his hands on his hips, which was not included in the transcript. The filmmaker found this pose a bit weird, but the actor said he copied the pose from Michael Humphreys, who played little Forrest. This made sense and eventually succeeded in conveying the character's feelings.
#13 Shrek
Source: RE / Westcom / starmaxinc.com / East News
When Chris Farley was supposed to voice Shrek, all the dialogue was recorded in a light New York accent. Surprisingly, the entire script was forced to be rewritten and recorded in a Scottish dialect by Myers, who replaced Farley. He explained that Shrek’s nemesis Lord Farquaad spoke with a posh English accent. Shrek was in the working class, so his accent must show a class struggle between the fairy-tale kings and queens and the common people.
#14 Jaws
Source: Jaws / Universal Pictures and co-producers
“You’re gonna need a bigger boat” is a popular joke the cast of Jaws used behind the scenes whenever something went wrong. This line was said unexpectedly by the character Roy Scheider and became legendary in film history.
Unexpected But Reasonable Scenario Changes, What do you think about these facts? Do you know any other situation when actors change scripts and get away with it? Let's share your view with us in the comment below!