There’s no denying that a great screenwriter can make or break a film, but it turns out
that sometimes they’re not the only ones who deserve the credit.
Some of the best lines in movie history were actually improvised by the actors who spoke
them.
How frustrating must it be for those poor screenwriters to slave away on a script, only
to have someone else come in and make up the perfect line off the top of their head.
Well, their loss is our gain.
Here's a look at some of the best improvised moments in movie history.
The Fugitive
It's a line that not only defined a character and a movie, but an entire career.
When Harrison Ford's character tries to convince Tommy Lee Jones he's innocent of murder, Jones
perfectly sums up the worldview of his federal marshal with a single response.
"I don't care!"
With that improvised line, Jones immediately jumped from respected character actor to A-list
star.
The script merely called for him to say "So you didn't kill your wife."
We're guessing that wouldn't have had quite the same effect.
Taxi Driver
In the original screenplay for Martin Scorsese's classic, there's a scene that simply reads
"Travis talks to himself in the mirror."
That's it.
Doesn't seem like something that would go on to become a cultural touchstone, but that's
where Robert De Niro came in.
"You talkin' to me?
You talkin' to me?"
Tasked by Scorsese with improvising dialogue for this sequence, De Niro ended up crafting
the unhinged Travis Bickle's legendary tough guy monologue—and turning "you talkin' to
me?"
into a permanent catchphrase.
"You talkin' to me?"
"ARE you talkin' to me?"
"Are you talking to me?"
"Talking to me?"
Scorsese is no stranger to awesome improvizations, though, as seen in this next moment.
Goodfellas
"Funny how?
Funny like I'm a clown?
I amuse you?
I make you laugh?"
Joe Pesci went from engagingly funny to chillingly psychotic in the blink of an eye during this
classic scene from Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas.
But if the other actors in the scene look legitimately surprised and scared, well, that's
not just good acting.
See, none of them had any idea what was coming.
Before the scene, Pesci told Scorsese that he had some lines he wanted to try out based
on a bizarre real-life experience.
Scorsese told him to go for it.
That's not it for excellent improvisations under the watchful eye of Scorsese.
Casablanca
"Here's looking at you, kid."
It might be the most famous catchphrase in movie history, but here's an odd bit of trivia:
it was actually a catchphrase even before Humphrey Bogart said it in Casablanca.
In fact, that's what inspired Bogey to ad-lib the line during filming.
It was a popular saying that just seemed to fit the character and moment.
Ironically, we're no longer sure why this was the case; the line has become so famous
from Casablanca that now nobody knows where it came from or what the original context
was.
The Shining
Hard to believe, but one of the most famous movie lines of all time almost ended up on
the cutting room floor.
While filming this adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel, Jack Nicholson borrowed a line
from pop culture.
More specifically, the opening of The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, giving us this
iconic scene.
"Heeere's Johnny!"
One problem: director Stanley Kubrick had been living in England so long he had no idea
what Nicholson was referring to, so it just seemed like a weird non sequitur.
Nicholson convinced him to keep it in, and the movie gained another iconic moment.
It’s not the first time that Nicholson proved his improvisational genius, however...
A Few Good Men
The scene: a tense courtroom showdown at the climax of A Few Good Men.
Tom Cruise's crusading lawyer demands the truth.
Nicholson was supposed to respond by saying "you already have the truth."
That seemed too tame to Nicholson, so he punched it up on the spot with an angry rant that
instantly became the stuff of movie legend.
"You can't HANDLE the truth!"
The Dark Knight
Heath Ledger's incredible commitment to his role as The Joker was evident from the first
moment he stepped onto the screen.
His dedication to the chaotic character manifested itself in at least one of movie's most memorable
moments.
As the Joker walks to his getaway bus after rigging a hospital to explode, he hits the
button for what's supposed to be the final explosion... only to be disappointed when
it isn't immediately set off.
His next move, frustratedly futzing with the remote detonator until it eventually goes
off, startling him into the bus, was reportedly an unscripted moment courtesy of the brilliant
Ledger.
The Empire Strikes Back
It's the moment that cemented Han Solo in our hearts forever as the ultimate romantic
rogue.
Faced with what seems like his imminent death, Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia finally admits
her love for him.
His response?
"I know."
Classic Han, but it wasn't actually in the script.
Instead, Ford was supposed to say, "Just remember that, 'cause I'll be back."
Terrible, right?
Well, Harrison Ford thought so too, and just before filming the scene, he came up with
the new line instead.
Even Fisher didn't know he was going to say it.
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