It's no secret that improvisation has resulted in some of the most iconic lines in movie
history.
You know, like this one:
"You're gonna need a bigger boat."
And there's also this one:
"I'm in a glass case of emotion!"
But while comedies are often most well known for being full of improvised moments, you
can usually find some inspired unscripted gems tucked into rom-coms, action films, and
even the most celebrated dramas.
Here are some of the Netflix movie moments you might not realize were improvised.
Breaking Bad fans were excited about the epilogue El Camino for many reasons, not the least
of which is that we get to see Jesse Pinkman reunite with his former mentor Walter White.
Even though most of the film takes place after the events of Breaking Bad's finale - and,
thus following Walt's death - El Camino brings the two back together in a flashback to a
more optimistic time for them both.
In addition to being a satisfying reunion, the scene also features Jesse using his signature
line one last time.
"Yeah bitch."
Surprisingly enough, that callback is a bit of improv by Paul.
It may seem like a no-brainer for Jesse to drop his infamous catchphrase in El Camino,
but the line actually wasn't originally in the script.
Paul revealed on Conan that after noticing that his word of choice was missing from the
movie, he found the perfect place to drop it in himself.
It's hard to pick a year when Keanu Reeves has not been on top of the world, but that
was especially true in 2019 thanks to his indelible performance as, well, himself in
Always Be My Maybe.
Reeves was an inspired choice for the role of Sasha's new boyfriend, especially since
Reeves brought his own characteristics and charisma to the role.
"Now I know what it feels like to be completely starstruck."
"The only stars that matter are the ones you look at when you dream."
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Ali Wong revealed some of the details Reeves came up
with for the character, telling the magazine,
"He pitched a couple of things that made it in.
Like wearing glasses that had no lens.
[...] And the part in the game night scene where he lists all of these Chinese dignitaries,
that was all his idea."
Perhaps the funniest moment that came straight from Reeves' own brain was the moment when
he randomly starts practicing karate moves after a fight with Marcus.
"What the hell is your problem?"
"I don't have a problem, Sasha.
What's your problem?"
It's not just Noah Centineo's winning smile that earned him the title of the internet's
boyfriend when To All the Boys I've Loved Before dropped in 2018.
Centineo is also personally responsible for some of the most charming Peter Kavinsky moves
of the entire film.
Director Susan Johnson spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the many scenes to which Centineo
brought his own touch, and now it's even harder to imagine anyone else in the role.
According to Johnson, it was Centineo who decided to move Kitty's popcorn bowl out of
the way during their pillow fight, saying:
"I didn't ask him to do it.
Kitty didn't place it there every time, but she did that time and he was clever enough
to figure out how to move it while throwing a pillow and leaning over, and I thought that
was brilliant so we kept that take."
Even more inspired was Centineo's impromptu move to introduce the pocket spin with Lara
Jean during their swoony cafeteria scene.
So, as it turns out, the most envy-inducing move Peter ever makes in the movie is all
Centineo.
The Irishman is based upon the real life story of how Frank Sheeran fell into and out of
favor with the Bufalino crime family over the course of two decades.
But even still, there was room for a little improvisation.
Actor Stephen Graham, who portrayed Tony Pro, was particularly thrilled to bring some of
his unique flair into the film and improvised not one but two of its most memorable moments.
In a key prison scene with Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa, when Tony Pro confronts Hoffa in the
cafeteria, he slaps Hoffa's ice cream off the table.
According to Graham, he was the one who added that cherry on top of the scene.
Graham told Esquire that he didn't even warn Pacino or Martin Scorsese beforehand, but
Pacino in particular loved the energy.
"Oh, look at that.
A work of art."
Graham said he also encouraged De Niro to speak up in a scene that would otherwise have
him remain silent, as Tony Pro and Hoffa disagree over how late he is to their meeting.
"At one point Stephen popped in my head and went, 'I'm in a scene with Robert De Niro
and he says nothing.
[...] I just went bosh: just looked round and went, 'What do you think Frank?'
And he says the best line in the scene."
"I still say 15."
"No, 10."
"Fine, we disagree on that."
"How about 12 and a half minutes."
"There we go."
"Twelve and a half.
The middle.
Right in the middle.
Beautiful.
Beautiful."
Not many actors can say they improved on a Scorsese scene, but it appears that Graham
has that rare distinction twice over.
Mark Wahlberg and Winston Duke are certainly the ones driving the action in Spenser Confidential,
but it's Spenser's dog Pearl who drives the cuteness.
"Baby I'm sorry that I was gone.
I know five years is way too long."
"Thirty-five years from her perspective."
Early in the film, Spenser gets out of prison and discovers that not only does he have a
new roommate in Hawk, but Hawk has also become best pals with Spenser's beloved dog.
Duke told Decider that he came up with the genius idea to meditate with the dog as a
way to show how much they had bonded in Spenser's absence, saying,
"That was all improvised.
We just wanted a moment.
I was like, 'I'll just do some reiki on the dog!'
[I] watched some videos, and then I practiced on Pearl.
And she actually relaxed!"
"Henry, he's a very strange person."
Michael J. Fox's very presence in a film about a couple of high school kids experimenting
with time travel would be Easter egg enough, but the actor managed to make his part in
See You Yesterday even more meta.
Fox appears in the film as the high school teacher of young science genius C.J. Walker,
who talks to him about her interest in time travel, leading Fox's character to drop a
Back to the Future callback.
"Have a great summer."
"You too."
"Time travel...great Scott."
Director Stefon Bristol revealed that it was Fox who decided to throw in the classic line
from his career-making films, telling ScreenRant:
"I did not direct him to say that!
In the script, it was a completely different line.
As a director, you just let them do whatever they want once you've got the scene.
So we do a couple more takes, and once he said 'Great Scott,' the whole set went bananas!"
We can only imagine how much energy there was on set that day.
Maybe...1.21 gigawatts?
"1.21 gigawatts!
Great Scott!"
"What… what the hell is a gigawatt?"
It doesn't take Dominique Fishback long at all to make a lasting impression in Project
Power.
In her very first scene in the gritty action film, her character Robin is rescued from
would-be thieves by Joseph Gordon-Levitt's New Orleans police officer character Frank
Shaver.
There, he gets into a tense stand-off with one of the thieves.
"So the question is, what's your power?
Might be good, might be bad.
Nobody knows."
"Take the pill, Tommy."
"Take it.
Go ahead.
I want to see what happens."
Afterwards, Robin playfully teases Frank for his dramatic speech.
"So what, you practice that in the mirror?
Yeah, you did.
I bet you had your gun out, too.
Pointed at yourself, talking all hard like you Clint Eastwood."
"You don't know me."
"Yeah I do."
"What do you know about Clint Eastwood?"
"I know enough."
"What have you seen of his?
"Bridges of Madison County."
"That's actually a pretty good one."
It was actually Fishback who came up with that reference.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Gordon-Levitt revealed:
"That's one of my favorite lines in the movie, and she just totally improvised it."
Thanks for watching.
Click the links in our video to watch more from Netflix Film Club.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest exclusive videos.
Plus hit the bell so you don’t miss a single one.