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Even the most professional and talented actors sometimes forget the lines. Nevertheless, most of them have the talent to improvise and deliver the best performance. You'd be surprised to know how many famous movie scenes happened because the actor was ill, accidentally slipped and fell, or simply improvised. And while in movies, everything looks like it happens for a reason, the truth is that a lot of things happen as happy accidents.

We here at Bored Panda gathered a list of some of the most famous movie bloopers and unscripted scenes that made movies better. Scroll below to see them!

#1

The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather (1972)

One of the most memorable scenes where mob boss Don Vito Corleone delivers brutal orders while stroking a cat wasn't scripted to involve a pet. The cute kitten somehow wound up on the set and ended up on actor's lap during shooting helping to create an iconic scene from this famous movie.

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#2

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

While the safest choice for a scene like that is to use special effects and make-up, Steve Carell thought that it would be much better if the waxing was real. The reaction the character is having is completely genuine. Carell said that his experience was so horrible that he promised to never do that for a movie ever again.

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#3

The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight (2008)

While it's hard to imagine Jim Gordon's promotion scene without the Joker clapping sarcastically, this scene was never in the script. It is a work of Heath Ledger’s excellent improvisation.

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sunnyrei82
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think he definitely NAILED The Joker. He portrayed him like a real mastermind, someone intelligent with a sarcastic and unique sense of humor. Not just a crazy guy.

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#4

Rocky (1976)

Rocky (1976)

The movie had a small budget so most of the people you see in the background are not extras, they are regular people who had no idea they were being filmed. So the scene where Rocky runs through a market and a man throws him an orange was completely unscripted.

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#5

The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

During the scene where Eowyn stares into the distance, we can see a flag being ripped off a pole and flying away. While this scene may look intentional and metaphorical, the flag flew away by accident but it fit so well with the scene, that it was kept in the final cut of this popular movie.

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Kaisu Rei
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The flag ripping off and flying away is such a symbolically cool moment, I can't believe it wasn't intentional!

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#6

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

The scene where Mrs. Doubtfire had to cover her face with icing didn't go as planned. When the icing started dripping down the actor's face because the heat from set lights made it melt, Robbie Williams had to improvise. At the moment when the icing dripped into Mrs. Sellner’s tea, he decided to say, “There you go, you’ve got your cream and your sugar now.”

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#7

Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)

Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)

The scene where Indiana Jones meets a warrior armed with a sword was scripted to be an intense duel. However, the actor Harrison Ford was ill from food poisoning and didn't have the strength to perform, so the director made a small change - instead of dueling, Indiana pulls out the revolver and shoots the villain. The scene became one of the most iconic moments in movie history.

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Naomi Armitage
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw this in the theater with my dad. He laughed so hard at this. One of my favorite memories.

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#8

Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

The moment when Peter drops the orb was not scripted. The clumsy actor Chris Pratt accidentally dropped it but quickly picked the orb up. Since Chris didn't break character and the scene looked good it stayed in the film.

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#9

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

The scene where Thor hangs his hammer on a coat rack was so good that everyone probably thought it was scripted, however, it was not. Chris Hemsworth was just trying to be funny but his improvisation was so good, the scene was put into the final cut.

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#10

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

In the scene, when Princess Leia tells Han Solo that she loves him, he was supposed to respond by saying "I love you too". However, Harrison Ford felt that this response wasn't suitable for his character, so instead, he improvised and responded by saying "I know".

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Kaisu Rei
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And by that he created one of the most iconic moments in the movies; it wouldn't have been as memorable if he had just replied "I love you too" back

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#11

Forrest Gump (1994)

Forrest Gump (1994)

The line "My name’s Forrest Gump. People call me Forrest Gump" wasn't scripted, Tom Hanks said the last bit by accident.

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#12

Avengers

Avengers

The director could not stop Robert Downey Jr. from sneaking snacks behind the scenes, so he had no other choice but to make his snacking habit a part of his character. So all the scenes of Tony Stark eating are probably not scripted.

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#13

The Princess Diaries (2001)

The Princess Diaries (2001)

In this film, Anne Hathaway portrayed an awkward and geeky girl who finds out she's heir apparent to the throne of Genovia. While filming a scene where the character was supposed to walk on bleachers with her friend, Anne took a pretty nasty tumble. However, it fitted so well with the clumsy character that this unscripted accident was left in the film.

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Kaisu Rei
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's funny how accidents like these fit so well in the movie!

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#14

Django Unchained (2012)

Django Unchained (2012)

Leonardo DiCaprio is an excellent actor who doesn't break character even when he hurts himself. He proved that during an intense scene when he hurt his arm with a shard of glass and blood started gushing from his wound. This scene wasn't scripted and the blood was real, it was left in the final cut because of the amazing acting.

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#15

The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

In this movie, Anthony Hopkins only had 25 minutes of screen time, however, it was enough time for him to create one of the most chilling performances of all time. One of the most iconic scenes was when Dr. Hannibal Lecter is talking about his crimes with an FBI agent and starts to hiss. It was completely improvised and the reaction on Foster's face is genuine.

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Misterscooter
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And if you believe what you read on the internet: “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.” Great line from Silence of the Lambs everyone knows. But most people don’t realise Dr Hannibal Lecter is making a medical joke. Lecter could be treated with drugs called monoamine oxidase inhibitors – MAOIs. As a psychiatrist, Lecter knows this. The three things you can’t eat with MAOIs? Liver, beans, wine. Lecter is a) cracking a joke for his own amusement, and b) saying he’s not taking his meds.

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#16

Titanic (1997)

Titanic (1997)

The famous line "I am the king of the world" wasn't scripted, it was made up on the spot by the director. After trying several different lines, James Cameron realized that nothing was working and told Leo to just say "I am the king of the world" and really sell it. This scene became probably the most iconic part of the movie.

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Christina Sersif
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think everyone who has ever been on a boat or a mountain top says this. You just have to.

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#17

The Usual Suspects (1995)

The Usual Suspects (1995)

The line-up scene where we see characters laughing was supposed to be a serious one. The director was angry at the actors for cracking up, but they said they couldn't keep a straight face on because one of them was farting during filming.

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#18

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)

During the scene where a character played by Kate Winslet disappears, the look on Jim Carrey's face is genuine. He wasn't told that Kate will disappear, so he was really trying to find her.

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#19

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

R. Lee Ermey, who played Gny. Sgt. Hartman, was a real-life Parris Island Marine drill instructor during the war. At first, he was hired as a technical adviser but later was given a part in the film and improvised all training scenes himself.

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#20

Dirty Dancing (1987)

Dirty Dancing (1987)

The scene in Dirty Dancing where Johnny and Baby are crawling towards each other on the floor wasn't scripted. They were just warming up before filming, but the director loved it, so it was kept in the film.

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varwenea
Community Member
5 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I miss Swayze. He was an amazing dancer and person. Imagine Ellen and Swayze dancing together during one of her interviews.

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#21

Rain Man (1988)

Rain Man (1988)

While filming, Dustin Hoffman accidentally passed gas, however, he and Tom Cruise made it look like it was part of the scene. Actors managed to stay in character and spontaneously created such a good scene that it became a fan favorite.

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sunnyrei82
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That was great. It totally makes sense with Hoffman's character.

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#22

Scent Of A Woman (1992)

Scent Of A Woman (1992)

Al Pacino prepared for his part by not allowing his eyes to focus on anything. He got so good at simulating blindness, that he could barely see anything. The scene on the street, where the actor fell over a garbage can, happened by accident because of his bad vision.

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#23

Fast And Furious 6 (2013)

Fast And Furious 6 (2013)

Do you remember one of the funniest scenes in the movie, when Roman said "Hey Mia, You better hide your baby oil" and Hobbs responded with "You better hide that big ass forehead"? Well, actor Dwayne Johnson came up with this comeback on the spot because in the script his character wasn't supposed to respond at all.

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#24

Blade Runner (1982)

Blade Runner (1982)

The scene where actor Daryl Hannah runs away panicking, but along the way slips and shatters a window of the van with her elbow looks completely scripted, however, it was an accident. Turns out Hannah slipped accidentally and was taken to the hospital because she broke her elbow.

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#25

The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

It's probably not so surprising that cringy scene in which Matthew McConaughey is banging his chest wasn't in the script. Matthew revealed that he was doing it before each take as a relaxation technique. Leonardo DiCaprio suggested using in the scene and it fit perfectly.

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#26

Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

The famous scene where Nick the Greek breaks the coffee table with a juice glass wasn't scripted. In fact, it was an accident and the shocked look on the actor’s face is genuine.

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#27

Scream (1996)

Scream (1996)

The line “Ah... Houston, we have a problem” which Matthew Lillard says in the scene where his character Stuart realizes that the gun is missing was improvised and not scripted.

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FatBaby
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought he was just super crazy, but turns out it really fit his charcter

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#28

The 'Burbs (1989)

The 'Burbs (1989)

The scene where Tom Hanks picks up the gurney himself and throws it into the ambulance wasn't scripted, he thought of doing it that on the spot.

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KarmaQueen
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OMG that is such an old movie and I forgot all about that part.

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#29

The Other Guys (2010)

The Other Guys (2010)

Remember the scene where Terry says that if he were a lion and Allen were tuna, he would swim into the ocean and eat Allen? Well according to the script, Aleen wasn't supposed to respond, but the actor decided to improvise by explaining why a swimming lion is a stupid idea.

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#30

American Beauty (1999)

American Beauty (1999)

The epic plate throwing scene in this movie was improvised. In the script, Lester Burnham throws the plate at the floor, however, Kevin Spacey decided to violently throw it into the wall right behind Thora Birch's back, landing genuine reactions from the actors in the scene.

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Christina Sersif
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a shame he's another example of a great actor who in real life is a monster. It's like he is two different people.

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