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Movie sets are built around planning. Scripts are rewritten, stunts are rehearsed, marks are carefully placed, and enormous crews work to make sure everything happens exactly when it should. Fortunately, movies do not always cooperate. Actors get sick, props malfunction, extras miss their cues, and occasionally someone simply drops the thing they were supposed to be holding. Most mistakes lead to another take, but every so often the accident produces something better than what was planned. Directors keep the cameras rolling, actors stay in character, and a problem suddenly becomes one of the most memorable moments in the entire movie. Here are 15 famous movie scenes that only exist because something went wrong.
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Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Indiana Jones was originally supposed to have an elaborate fight with the swordsman in Cairo, but Harrison Ford was sick during filming. The exhausting sequence was replaced by Indy simply pulling out his gun and ending the confrontation immediately.
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Midnight Cowboy (1969)
While Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight were filming on a New York street, a taxi came dangerously close to them. Hoffman stayed in character and angrily confronted the driver, creating the movie’s famous “I’m walkin’ here!” moment.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Viggo Mortensen kicked a metal helmet while filming Aragorn’s discovery of the Uruk-hai remains and actually broke two toes. His scream of anguish was real pain, and Peter Jackson used the take.
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Django Unchained (2012)
Leonardo DiCaprio slammed his hand onto a table during Calvin Candie’s furious dinner speech and accidentally cut it on broken glass. He stayed in character, turning an injury into an unexpectedly intense part of the scene.
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Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Chris Pratt was supposed to smoothly present the mysterious orb to the Collector, but he accidentally dropped it. His quick recovery was so perfectly in character for Peter Quill that the mistake remained in the movie.
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The Usual Suspects (1995)
The police lineup was supposed to be considerably more serious than what audiences eventually saw. The actors kept laughing during filming, partly because of Benicio del Toro’s antics, and their inability to behave became the finished scene.
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Annie Hall (1977)
During the cocaine scene, Alvy was supposed to simply inspect the powder. Woody Allen sneezed instead, sending it flying everywhere and creating a joke that worked too well to discard.
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The Godfather (1972)
The cat sitting in Don Corleone’s lap during the opening scene was not originally part of the plan. The animal was reportedly wandering around the studio, and Marlon Brando simply incorporated it into his performance.
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Die Hard (1988)
Alan Rickman’s shocked expression during Hans Gruber’s fall was helped by some very effective stunt timing. Rickman was reportedly released earlier than he expected, giving the camera a genuine flash of surprise.
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A Knight’s Tale (2001)
The crowd was supposed to immediately cheer after one of Chaucer’s speeches, but many extras failed to respond on cue. His awkward attempts to encourage them ended up making the scene much funnier.
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The Princess Bride (1987)
Cary Elwes was supposed to fake being knocked unconscious by Count Rugen, but the attempt went badly enough that Christopher Guest actually knocked him out. The accident sent Elwes to the hospital, while footage from the take survived in the movie.
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Rain Man (1988)
During the phone booth scene, Dustin Hoffman unexpectedly passed gas while filming with Tom Cruise. Cruise’s reaction and the resulting exchange worked so naturally that director Barry Levinson kept the moment.
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Being John Malkovich (1999)
During the roadside scene, an extra reportedly threw a beer can at John Malkovich and shouted at him from a passing vehicle. Malkovich’s startled reaction helped turn an unplanned interruption into part of the finished movie.
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The Hateful Eight (2015)
Kurt Russell smashed a guitar during a scene without realizing the instrument in Jennifer Jason Leigh’s hands was a valuable antique rather than the intended replacement prop. Leigh’s horrified reaction was genuine, because she knew exactly what had just happened.
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The Other Guys (2010)
Michael Keaton repeatedly references TLC songs while insisting his character has no idea what everyone is talking about. The running joke grew from improvisation during filming and became one of Captain Gene’s strangest character traits.
The post 15 Famous Movie Scenes That Only Exist Because Something Went Wrong appeared first on Den of Geek.
