Greatest Movie Scenes That Were Actually Improvised
When it’s about making films, it is really important to have a nicely thought-out plan so that one can go on to execute a seamless production. With that being said, filmmaking is seen as a creative process that will undoubtedly create some surprises along its way. Actors are supposed to be taking the direction pretty well, however, at the same time, they should also be able to get their own ideas to the table. There are shows, like Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, that rely completely on improvisation. While it is quite a risky technique, in most cases, it does create some entertaining content.
Throughout these years, there have been some really iconic improvised moments in our favorite films. These moments that we are going to ponder upon, are a result of the actors embodying their characters deeply and eventually working with literally anything that comes their way. Today, let’s take a look at the most memorable improvised moments in cinematic history.
Taxi Driver – “You Talkin’ To Me?”
In Taxi Driver, actor Robert De Niro gave us an iconic line that has gone on to repeat itself on a few occasions in pop culture history.
This well-known scene shows De Niro’s character preparing himself in the mirror while he pulls out his gun. As per the filmmakers, this line was done by De Niro on the spot, which proves his talent for creating a character. De Niro is known as a method actor, and you can observe it from the beginning to the end of Taxi Driver.
House Of Gucci – Lady Gaga’s “Father, Son, And House of Gucci”
This stands as one of the most iconic modern cinema scenes in history – and simply one of the most memorable parts of the initial trailers for the film, House of Gucci, where Lady Gaga was seen, saying “Father, Son, and House Of Gucci”.
This line is actually a twist on the biblical saying, showing the massive empire of the Gucci brand. Since its release, Lady Gaga has stated that this line was totally improvised by her, and the line has become quite famous ever since. To complete this scene, Gaga used Method acting, so some improvisation was certainly expected.
Titanic – “I’m The King Of The World!”
If you’re ever aboard a ship, it would be actually quite pleasing to spread your arms and shout this iconic line.
If you talk to James Cameron, who helmed and even wrote Titanic, he made this line on the spot and asked the film’s young star Leonardo DiCaprio to try it. It has become an iconic moment ever since and has also spawned various parodies. However, no one should ever forget that moment when James Cameron actually shouted the same line during his Oscar acceptance speech.
Midnight Cowboy – “I’m Walking Here!”
Made with a limited budget that prevented the director from closing down the city streets, Midnight Cowboy bought Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman back on the big screen.
Now, all of us know that New York City can be quite unpredictable, so it wasn’t surprising that some traffic totally changed the scene as the two main characters walked down the street. While Dustin Hoffman was almost struck by a car, he decided to stay in character, even after the hit, only to deliver the classic line, “I’m walking here!”.
The Shining – “Here’s Johnny!”
When it came to filming and directing, Stanley Kubrick was always open to improvisation whilst on set. However, Kubrick was also widely known for filming a lot of takes due to him being a perfectionist.
While filming The Shining’s climax, Jack Nicholson went on to scream the line, “Here’s Johnny!”, almost creating an eerie moment while doing so. The line was actually a reference to The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, however, Kubrick was unaware of the show while filming the movie. Ever since this line has stapled itself as one of the most iconic moments in the history of horror.
