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13 greatest movie lines you didn’t know were improvised

It's not just scriptwriters who conjure up the most memorable one-liners. Occasionally, when actors are completely immersed in the scene and on set, they take a detour from the script to deliver a phrase that becomes the film's most iconic catchphrase.

An incredible amount of attention to detail goes into every second of a major film production. But the impact of a well-timed quote should never be underestimated.

Considers 13 of the most excellent illustrations of improvised dialogue from various times.

Good to be looking at you, old chap Casablanca 1942)

A rather amusing anecdote surrounds the authorship of the phrase, which is said to have been coined by Bogart during a poker-teaching session with Ingrid Bergman. Whilst instructing the actress, who portrayed Ilsa Lund, on the popular card game, he casually dropped the phrase into conversation. It was later incorporated into the movie script.

The film's stressed writers, who were continually working on the script while filming scenes, were so fond of it that they had Bogart remark it on multiple occasions. The aphorism has since become an established part of popular culture and Blaine's catchphrase by default.

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Looks like you're going to require a larger vessel Jaws 1975)

This famous quote was spoken by Roy Scheider, who played Martin Brody, when he caught sight of the massive shark wreaking havoc on Amity Island's residents. The line originated as a joke amongst the crew, which Scheider himself tried to insert during filming, repeating it on several occasions. Ultimately, it became a part of the final cut during this pivotal scene.

It was a combination of a genuine issue in real life and a conundrum faced by the characters on the programme.

In the real world, there was a problemsolving barge, which was affectionately called the "SS Garbage Sale". It was being used to serve as a support rig for cameras and lights. However, during filming, the barge was too unruly, causing it to move around excessively, so the team called in the help of a smaller support vessel to keep it stable. Unfortunately, the vessel was found to be too small for the task at hand, prompting crew members to mutter the now-recognisable phrase whenever they saw it.

"Like raindrops falling through the clouds"(Multiple possible translations are available but this US classic does not really translate well, so I took guesses at the meaning, changed some common idioms) Blade Runner 1982)

Rutger Hauer, playing the dying replicant Roy Batty, contributed this famous line to the script at the last minute, just hours before filming. It proved to be quite a challenging passage for the team to master, necessitating several revisions before it was ready for filming.

There's a lot of technical jargon in the final cut, but Hauer "put a knife to it" on the night before, and chopped the speech down to a more straightforward version (without the writers' knowledge or approval). His edited version ended with "like tears in the rain".

After footage of the altered version was captured on camera, it is reported that the cast and crew expressed their appreciation with applause.

Your head can't cope with the raw facts A Few Good Men 1992)

This was a brave decision considering Aaron Sorkin, who originally developed the film as a 1989 play, is renowned for being cautious with his written dialogue.

In the screenplay, Nicholson was meant to say "You already have the truth" originally, but he later changed the line to its more outspoken version.

"I’m walkin’ here!" ( Midnight Cowboy 1969)

While on the streets, as the quick-witted character Ratso Rizzo, Hoffman plays it for drama: a taxi seems to be heading straight for him, but he uses this to improvise a convincing stunt, exclaiming, "I'm walking here!" His genuine alarm and urgency actually came from near-miss accident.

“so they were planning on nicking it.” In other words, they were going to film the scene without the necessary permissions. This meant the cameraman was stationed in a van across the road while Hoffman and his co-star Jon Voight dealt with traffic and pedestrians.

At first, the actor was irked with the taxi driver for spoiling the take, but the director John Schlesinger liked it immensely. Hoffman alleged that Schlesinger applauded and exclaimed: "We must have that, we must have that," and asked that the scene be re-shot two or three times because he adored it.

Are you speaking to me? Taxi Driver 1976)

In a nostalgic scene, we witness Travis Bickle's character harboring fantasies in front of the mirror, where he imagines scenarios that involve him drawing his pistol.

The actor in an interview mentioned that the assistant director was attempting to hurry them all out of the room while the scene was being captured.

Paul Schrader, the screenplay writer, later stated: "In my opinion, it's the best aspect of the film. I didn't write it."

“Here’s Johnny!” ( The Shining 1980)

Jack famously adopted the 'Redrum' method. During the scene where his character Jack Torrance uses an axe to break through a bathroom door, he improvised the now-famous line.

He would announce his entrance with the same phrase to which he is now accustomed.

You're fond of me." - "I'm aware of that. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Retaliates 1980)

As Hann Solo is about to be encased in carbonite, Harrison Ford, in the role of the character, shoots back with his typical wise-cracking remark in response to Carrie Fisher's character Princess Leia declaring her love for him.

As one might anticipate, Ford was originally supposed to respond with a straightforward "I love you too." However, after discussing the matter with Irvin Kershner, the film director, Ford felt that Han Solo's character wouldn't typically express himself that way and so decided to make the scene more authentic to the character by deviating from the script.

“Hu-thuth-thuth-thuth-thuth” ( The Stillness of The Lambs 1991)

Little importance was given to the particular moment in the film, which manifests as a sound casting Hannibal Lecter (played by Anthony Hopkins) makes when he first encounters Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster). This particular sound has since become widely associated with the movie.

During filming, Hopkins had been joking around with Foster about the sudden noise, and then, when the cameras were running, he decided to incorporate it into the scene as an impromptu addition after revealing his infamous Hannibal-inspired dinner anecdote.

Blimey, he's pinched my phrase! Good Will Hunting 1997)

Robin Williams delivered this poignant line of dialogue during his Oscar-winning performance alongside Matt Damon. It brought a fitting conclusion to the film after his character came across a heartfelt final note from the now-absent Damon.

Damon described this scene as Williams's "best addition" to the film. He explained: "There was nothing scripted then. Every time he delivered a new line I would read the letter to him because it's a voiceover. He would come out with different words every single time. When he said, 'Son of a sditch – he pinched my line,' I grabbed the director, Gus, and he said it was like a bolt of inspiration."

“Oi, whatcha did just now, mate? You've gone and clipped me right on the ear, haven't ya?” Fight Club 1999)

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In fact, the line wasn't the only part that was done on the spur of the moment; the punch also wasn't scripted. During the day's filming, director David Fincher was said to have approached Edward Norton just before the scene was to be filmed and whispered, "Hit him in the ear."

While initially hesitant to receive a head punch from a big name celebrity, Jett had a change of heart. The subsequent take where that happened was included in the movie, complete with Matthew's genuine reaction.

I wasn't aware you knew that was possible.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
When the start of the school year begins, Harry is waiting in his home to receive a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Diagon Alley's Owl Post delivers the letter. Wizarding money in his Gringotts Wizarding Bank vault, like a Muggle bank, has increased after a visit there; money for books and school expenses also appears in his vault.
On the Hogwarts Express on his way to school, Harry meets a fellow student who thinks his parents were Muggles, believes his career is to remain ignorant of potential magic, is born in prefabricated homes, and is good at video games.
Somewhere between Platform 9 3/4 and the Hogwarts Express, Harry and Ron acquire a disguised copy of a Ravenclaw car key, and Neville is embarrassed when he overexert himself as he's ranked last year in his class.
At the welcome feast, Lockhart fancies Ginny and six of her friends have vanished. R.Patr Headquarters does not consider it to be a real crime case and advises not to pursue it after hearing of Headquarters maxim "No fan mail-that does't incense any of these issueseng groups."
2002)


Here is the paraphrased text:
Tom Felton delivered this line as he played Slytherin student Draco Malfoy. In the scene, his friends Crabbe and Goyle were, unbeknownst to him, actually Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, disguised courtesy of a Polyjuice Potion. When he asked Goyle why he was "wearing glasses", Potter - in his Goyle disguise - replied, "Reading", which prompted Felton's witty response: "I didn't know you could read."

It was a growing experience, but Felton definitely takes the prize for his cleverness, given his age of just 13 at the time.

“SUBLIME!” ( Barbie 2023)

Looking back on the 'Barbie' of the summer, credit should be given to Ken actor Ryan Gosling's improv skills after Barbie accepts his offer to be his 'long-term, long-distance, low commitment casual girlfriend'.

Margot Robbie, who played alongside Gosling as Barbie in the film, commented that the amusing line was not in the original script. She further noted: "There are many things that Ryan thought of on the spur of the moment. He brought people to tears of laughter on several occasions in this film." To illustrate this, Robbie pointed out that Gosling also improvised Ken's scene in which he wears two pairs of glasses simultaneously.

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