Improvisation can take a scene to the next level whether it is a comedic or a dramatic
scene but a great improvisational scene is not known by the audience when watching it.
We are going to look at ten scenes that were improvised by their actors that actually worked
and you didn’t even know about.
Stick around for some of your favorite films and don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe
and join the notification squad for awesome content like this every day.
And don’t worry, we promise not to talk about Leonardo DiCaprio cutting his hand in
Django Unchained but we will show another gem from the actor.
Here is Screen Rant’s list of ten Improvised Movie Moments That Took the Scene To Another
Level.
The Hangover
Zack Galifianakis has this to say about this scene, “The one improv that will haunt me
for the rest of my life.”
Talk about a buildup.
When working with babies in films, it is common to use a doll for rehearsals and shots that
are not close-ups.
During a take Galifianakis took his prop doll he was holding and had it mimic a sexual act
to make the director laugh.
The director immediately said, “‘Oh, we have to put that in the movie.”
And that’s exactly what they did.
That’s one of the funniest moments in the movie and we’re glad Galifianakis did it
despite his regret.
Thor
Kenneth Branagh the director of Thor has directed some amazing Shakespeare adaptions including
1996’s Hamlet.
He knows how to get a performance out of his actors and with the chance to stray from the
script he took that advantage.
Branagh asked Anthony Hopkins to improvise his lines during Thor’s banishment scene
to achieve a higher stage of emotion.
Crew members and actors cried during his performance and even Hemsworth and Hiddleston said it
was hard not to break down during the filming of this scene.
Great job Sir Anthony Hopkins!
Good Morning Vietnam
Robin Williams was a comedy genius and even though you already knew this, we like to remind
you.
He worked with another comedy legend on the film Good Morning Vietnam, director Barry
Levinson who was a writer for comedy legends like Mel Brooks and Tim Conway.
During the filming of Good Morning Vietnam both men knew the broadcast scenes were poorly
written so Williams improvised all of them as Levinson gave him feedback and suggestions.
The improvisation between the two men worked out and gave Williams his first of four Academy
Award nominations.
Do you know which film Robin Williams won an Academy Award for?
We’ll tell you the answer at the end of our video.
Bridesmaids
One thing is certain about the movie Bridesmaids, if you have seen the film you cannot forget
the scene when Maya Rudolph’s stomach kicks in and she runs through the street.
As she crosses the street she fails to make it to a bathroom and sits in the middle of
the street to do her business.
You also got Melissa McCarthy doing the same thing a sink and even if you want to forget
the scene, you’re not going to.
Still it’s hilarious and 100% improvised, they didn’t even have it in the script and
it’s one of the funniest scenes in the movie.
Looks like potty humor still works.
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling have become quite the pair on screen with their success in La
La Land even if they only won best picture for a few moments.
Their first film together Crazy, Stupid, Love showed their dynamic on screen together and
some of that dynamic came from improvisation.
Gosling added the Dirty Dancing lift to their scene because when he went out drinking with
friends that’s what they would do.
For Goslings sake we hope it wasn’t in bars or someday it will show up on YouTube.
Do you know how many films Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling have been in together?
Was it one, two or three?
Stick around to the end of our video for the answer.
The Dark Night
There is a reason Heath Ledger won the Academy award for best supporting actor posthumously
for the role of the Joker in The Dark Night.
There are numerous little moments he improvised while filming that brought even more depth
to his character but only one that involved an explosion.
While blowing up the hospital, Ledger didn’t know there would be a small explosion before
the big one so his reaction to only a small explosion was improvised.
He nailed that scene and luckily he did because explosions are pricey.
Animal House
The loss of John Belushi hit the heart of the comedy community hard and his work in
Animal House shows why.
With the lift of an eyebrow he can make you burst into laughter.
One of the films highlights is his improvised moment in the cafeteria when he fills his
mouth with mashed potatoes.
The response from the actors are real because they didn’t know what he was going to do,
actually most of the dialogue at the table is improvised by Belushi.
It’s a shame he’s gone today because he was one funny guy and wouldn’t it be nice
to see a follow up to Animal House?
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Dawn of Justice brings three iconic heroes together in the same film to fight the same
villain, Doomsday.
This is probably good news for Batman since his reaction to seeing the villain born on
Krypton was not one of optimism.
When Batman gets his first glimpse of “The Ultimate” he lets out a realistic reaction
that we could all relate to.
This was improvised by Ben Affleck because he felt that’s the way his character would
react, he is only a man of course.
At least he didn’t turn around and leave the work to only Superman and Wonder Woman.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
With well-deserved Oscar nominations in Schindler’s List and The English Patient it was exciting
to learn that Ralph Fiennes was joining the cast of Harry Potter.
In his final scenes of the Harry Potter franchise he improvised his hallowing speech to the
cast because he wanted the cast to fear him and get a fresh reaction to his performance.
Even during rehearsal Fiennes improvised his final speech just to ensure he got what he
wanted.
Do you know which superhero film Ralph Fiennes played a character in?
We’ll give you a hint before we tell you the answer at the end of our video, he’s
miniature.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese have produced a great working relationship bringing
us films like The Departed, The Aviator and The Wolf of Wall Street.
The two men have a high regard for each other and trust each other’s instincts.
When filming The Wolf of Wall Street DiCaprio wanted to improvise his drugged out “walk”
to his car and Scorsese loved the idea.
A walk downstairs and getting into your car sounds easy but not when you are on Quaaludes
as DiCaprio shows us.
At least he made it home with no accidents or at least that’s what he thought.
There you have it ten Improvised Movie Moments That Took the Scene To Another Level.
Here are the answers to our trivia questions:
Robin Williams won a well-deserved Academy Award for 1997’s Good Will Hunting.
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling have been in three films together, Crazy Stupid Love, Gangster
Squad and La La Land.
And Ralph Fiennes played Batman’s butler Alfred in The Lego Batman Movie.
How many of those trivia questions did you get right?
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Thanks for watching.