40 Times Hollywood Stars Forced The Director To Change Track — And Made Movie History

Movie stars can be a difficult bunch. With their often huge egos and sense of entitlement, they’re frequently known to insist that they get their own way — as the directors of these 40 films found out. But that’s not always a bad thing: changes demanded by actors can sometimes lead to iconic moments. Here, then, are 40 times that actors got it right — along with a few times it went horribly wrong — featuring alterations to everything from the script to the movie title. You won’t believe what Marlon Brando did on The Island of Dr. Moreau...

Scheider steamrollers Spielberg

The most seminal line in Jaws is probably, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat!” But the quip by Roy Scheider’s Brody nearly didn’t make it into the famous shark-attack movie. No, the actor had to force in the cast’s in-joke about the small vessel provided by the stingy production team. He tried to deliver it at numerous points of the film, before Steven Spielberg finally relented and sanctioned it in the memorable climax.

Clash of the egos

If you’re unfortunate enough to remember the big money remake of ’80s B-movie Clash of the Titans, then we pity you. Interestingly though, the sci-fi flop from 2010 could have been quite different, had it not been for the meddling of its star Sam Worthington. Indeed, the arrogant Aussie threw his weight around to alter director Louis Leterrier’s vision of the film. He declined to don a toga and even ensured Bubo the old mechanical owl was dumped from the plot. Crikey!

Bogart bundled in legendary phrase

There’s a good chance you’ve seen the classic movie Casablanca. The 1942 film features some fine performances from the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. But the legendary motion picture only included the famous line “Here’s looking at you, kid” after Bogart went rogue and threw it in unannounced. The phrase was born out of the co-stars’ between-takes poker games, and director Michael Curtiz must have wondered what on Earth was going on when it was uttered!

Costly change of accent

Shrek’s strong Scottish drawl is a key part of the green ogre’s character and his down-to-Earth charm. But it only came to be due to actor Mike Myers, who voiced him in the original 2001 film and its sequels. Yes, after originally recording the whole script in his normal Canadian accent, Myers – who replaced the late funnyman Chris Farley – decided it didn’t feel right. He forced DreamWorks and the directors to let him re-record it with Scottish intonations – all at a cost of about $5 million dollars!

Butler’s king of all roars

Who can forget King Leonidas’ impassioned yell in 300? But the legendary cry of “This is Sparta!” was only included in the movie in its famous shouted guise due to actor Gerard Butler. Instead of whispering the line softly as he had done in the first take, the Scot decided to roar it, stunning his fellow cast members. Director Zack Snyder was won over though, and celluloid – and indeed meme – history was made.

Superstar stopped sneaky title switch

Snakes on a Plane falls in the category of “so bad it’s good.” But the ridiculous-yet-fun movie almost had a far less memorable title, until star Samuel L. Jackson stepped in. Yes, upon landing in Vancouver, the legendary actor was seriously irked to learn that it had been retitled Pacific Flight 121 by New Line Cinema bigwigs. And he would strike down upon them with great vengeance and furious anger… to erm, ensure the title returned to the snappy original we know and love.

Nicholson’s needs nurtured

If any actor should be able to make wholesale changes to a movie he’s in, it’s Jack Nicholson. And the veteran A-lister did exactly that when he got involved with Martin Scorsese’s The Departed. Nicholson seriously beefed up the role of Irish-American gangster Frank Costello, making his love scenes raunchier and even vetoing plans for him to wear a Red Sox hat. Nicholson is a fan of their hated rivals the New York Yankees, after all.

Ford’s food misfortune

Remember the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indiana Jones pulls out his gun and takes out his enthusiastic sword-wielding foe? Effortlessly cool and iconic, right? Well, it wasn’t supposed to be that way. But Harrison Ford contracted food poisoning, and thus what was going to be an epic sword fight was turned into a nonchalant gunning-down by a weak and suffering Ford. Take that!

Actor’s afterlife

The critically panned spiritual film Quigley at least has an interesting story surrounding it. The motion picture’s star, the – ahem – quirky Gary Busey, talked the producers and director into getting the set redesigned. Why? Well, Busey alleged that he had gone through a near-death experience himself. So he pushed the entire crew to redesign the movie set to resemble what he claimed to have experienced in the afterlife.

Hats your lot

The acclaimed movie Gone Girl almost lost its lead actor during filming in astonishing circumstances. Yes, Ben Affleck almost walked from the set after director David Fincher tried to make his character wear a New York Yankees cap in an airport scene. As a die-hard Red Sox fan, Affleck was having none of it. A four-day stand-off ensued, during which production was hilariously halted. But the Bostonian got his way, and donned a less offensive New York Mets hat instead.

Shawarma silliness

Have you ever tried shawarma?” asked Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, rather memorably at the end of The Avengers movie. But the iconic line was forced in by Robert Downey Jr., who rejected the boring “What’s next?” line originally in the script, uttered after Iron Man thumped the ground. Luckily, director Joss Whedon backed down, and Downey Jr. got his way, and a cool post-credits scene too.

“I’m Irish or I’m out” 

Liam Neeson gave a memorable performance as Clinch in Seth McFarlane’s amusing A Million Ways to Die in the West. But the movie from the Family Guy creator could have been different if it was not for a joke in that series about Neeson that the actor noted. The gag mentioned how ridiculous it would be for him to star in a Western, because of that “funny accent of his.” So the proud Irishman forced MacFarlane to make his outlaw to be Irish, with hilarious results.

Fiennes’ finer details

Remember the awkward hug between Lord Voldemort and Draco in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2? Well, it wouldn’t have been there if not for the insistence of actor Ralph Fiennes. The Englishman was not impressed by the original and forgettable walk-past, so insisted on adding the not-so-warm-looking hug.

Classic catchphrase nearly cut

“Heeeere’s Johnny!” The crazed Jack Torrance’s madcap cry is one of the most terrifying in horror-movie history. But the iconic phrase was actually pushed into the film by actor Jack Nicholson, who cribbed it from chat show king Johnny Carson’s nightly intro. U.K.-based director Stanley Kubrick wasn’t aware of this, but ultimately agreed to let Nicholson use the line. Good call!

Hamill’s haunting kiss

Star Wars: The Last Jedi was not the most popular entry in the franchise, it’s fair to say. But there is one really moving scene in the movie, which was added at the insistence of Mark Hamill. It’s the moment that Luke Skywalker embraces Princess Leia with a kiss. He even states, “No one’s ever really gone,” before smooching her forehead. This dialogue became prescient, as Leia’s portrayer Carrie Fisher tragically died before the movie was released.

Hemsworth’s hijinks

Chris Hemsworth convinced director Taika Waititi to let him bring the funny in Thor: Ragnarok, and if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll realize he got his way. But so did a Make-A-Wish kid who visited the set. Indeed, that child actually came up with the iconic line “We know each other. He’s a friend from work,” uttered when the titular God of Thunder prepared to face the Hulk. Good work, kid!

Rodriguez’s resolute refusal

Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty Ortiz is such a huge part of The Fast and the Furious franchise it is almost impossible to imagine it without her. But did you know the actress almost quit the film series? Yes, Rodriguez clashed with director Rob Cohen and the writers over a purported love triangle between her character, Dominic Toretto and Brian O’Conner. She got her way, and later told website The Daily Beast that she wasn’t willing to be a love cheat “in front of millions of people.” Erm, it’s not real though, Michelle.

Rock’s character-cull Rampage  

Albino gorilla George lit up the movie Rampage. But if it wasn’t for lead actor Dwayne Johnson’s intervention, the giant primate would have met an untimely end. The former wrestler went back and forth with director Brad Peyton to try and stop the great ape from being killed off, and ultimately won. Because who beats The Rock in a duel? Anyway, Johnson revealed why he was so keen for his gorilla sidekick to survive, telling Rolling Stone magazine, “I don’t like a sad ending. Life brings that— I don't want it in my movies.”

Titanic tinkering

James Cameron doesn’t strike us as a director who would take too kindly to meddling actors. But the fearsome American auteur did allow Leonardo DiCaprio to throw in a couple of improvised moments. Firstly, the moment Jack screams, “I am the king of the world!” was added by the actor. Also, the mistaken speech during the drawing-of-Rose scene – namely “Over on the bed... ugh... the couch” – was not corrected by Cameron, who liked how it provided a window into Jack’s lustful mind.

Stand-out Samuel

With the plethora of big-name actors playing a host of colorful characters in the Star Wars universe, it can be difficult to stand out. So Samuel L. Jackson came up with a cunning plan for his Jedi Master Mace Windu, in the second prequel movie in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. Jackson insisted he be given a bright-purple lightsaber to wield, and director George Lucas relented. Cool!  

Just desserts

As one of the greatest movies of all time, The Godfather has many memorable moments. One that we love which you may remember involves Richard S. Castellano. After a Mafia hit on a man in a car, he urges his cohort, “Leave the gun, take the cannoli.” Anyway, the late actor was only meant to say the first part, but instinctively added the second bit. Why? Well, Castellano recalled an earlier scene in which his on-screen wife implored him to bring some of the delicious, ricotta-filled Italian pastries home. Sweet!

Adams’ amorous ad lib

Crime caper American Hustle opened to strong reviews back in 2013. But the David O. Russell movie had a memorable scene forced in by actress Amy Adams. That being where Jennifer Lawrence’s character Rosalyn Rosenfeld kisses Adams’ Sydney Prosser forcefully before breaking into laughter. Russell was won over by the idea, and an iconic moment was born.

Brando’s on-set apocalypse

Though he is undoubtedly one of America’s greatest ever actors, Marlon Brando could be, ahem, difficult. Francis Ford Coppola knew this better than most, having cast him in The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. And it was in the latter that the two had a considerable falling-out, with Brando’s girth and alleged lack of preparation seriously irking the director. Indeed, Brando would wind up improvising much of Colonel Kurtz’s lines, including the famous speech, of which only two of the full rambling 18 minutes survived.

Howard’s high heels

Ever wondered why Claire in Jurassic World is wearing high heels whilst running away from a T-Rex? Well, the reason is the steadfast refusal of actress Bryce Dallas Howard to take them off. Director Colin Trevorrow tried to make her wear flatter shoes, but Dallas Howard was having none of it. Perhaps it was to do with femininity. Still, the way she ran through the jungle in them without tripping up and injuring herself was mightily impressive.

Affleck’s amendments

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice brought two legendary superheroes into the same movie, with decidedly mixed results. But perhaps the script could’ve been even worse than it actually was. That’s because Academy Award-winning writer and actor Ben Affleck reportedly rewrote much of it, after being unimpressed with what he found. It has even been alleged that he reshaped the screenplay whilst donning his Batman armor. That’s a cool thought, it has to be said. Let’s hope it was true.

Damon-devised backstory

Steven Spielberg’s epic Saving Private Ryan captured the horrors of World War II very effectively. Interestingly though, there was some deviation from the script. Yes, Private Ryan’s portrayer Matt Damon concocted his titular character’s backstory himself, which is shared in a scene with Tom Hanks’ Captain Miller. Spielberg was evidently impressed with Damon’s vision about his brothers and his youth, so left it in the movie.

Cruise control

In Hollywood, there are few actors with egos bigger than Tom Cruise’s. So it should have come as little surprise that the Top Gun star demanded in his contract with Universal a dictator’s level of control over The Mummy. Cruise hired his own screenwriters, who hugely bolstered their master’s part, and chucked in a possession storyline for him. Despite or maybe because of all this – and Cruise handling editing and marketing – the film was a monumental flop, losing an eye-watering $95 million dollars. Ouch.

Homecoming hug hilarity

Spider-Man: Homecoming was a critical and commercial success for Marvel. And we imagine a good chunk of that is down to its humor. One scene, in particular, made us laugh, and it was an improvisation from the actors who went off-script. That moment finds Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark seemingly reaching in for a warm embrace in a car with Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. But Downey Jr. amusingly quipped “It’s not a hug, I’m just grabbing the door for you.” The director was evidently impressed and left it in the final cut.

Cage’s madcap changes

Con Air is the epitome of ’90s excess. So it didn’t really surprise us to learn that the king of over-the-top Nicolas Cage made some notable changes to the action blockbuster. Firstly, the Face Off actor added a strong Southern accent to his character, and long hair. He was also the creative mind behind John Malkovich terrorizing, erm, a stuffed rabbit, with a firearm. The movie was meant to be a dark drama, but winded up anything but thanks to Cage and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

Marlon’s madness

Oh Marlon Brando. What a madcap genius you were. But the legendary thespian arguably pushed the crazy too far during filming for The Island of Dr. Moreau. If you’ve seen the film you’ll know what we’re talking about. In it, Brando turned his mad scientist even madder. He demanded he should be hypersensitive to sunlight and thus always wear thick white makeup. Plus, he had to, ahem... wear an ice bucket on his head and have his own mini-me before Dr. Evil was even a thing.

Un-Wanted sequel

Angelina Jolie didn’t want to be involved with a sequel to the 2008 action thriller Wanted in which she starred. So [spoiler alert] the Tomb Raider actress came up with an ingenious way to stop that from happening: ensuring she died in the movie. Jolie demanded that the plot be changed to her liking, and lo-and-behold, her character took a self-inflicted bullet to the head in a dizzying late action sequence.

Skinny for Shakira

The spellbinding Zootopia was a gargantuan success for Disney back in 2016 both critically and commercially, with over $1 billion raked in at the box office worldwide. But one of its voice actors used her considerable star power to make a visual change to the movie. Yes, curvy Colombian singer Shakira was not happy with how thin her character Gazelle was, and told the animators as much. They listened, and some meat was added to her animated bones.

Atwell’s abs adoration

We suspect a fair number of females are fans of the scene in Captain America: The First Avenger where the titular character gets his perfect body. And they aren’t alone either. Chris Evans’ co-star Hayley Atwell was evidently also impressed by his physique, to the extent that she impulsively reached out and touched it. Luckily for her, the director liked her moment of covetousness and kept it in the movie.

Meddling Ed

Now Marlon Brando has passed away, Ed Norton is often cited as the most difficult American actor to direct. Whether that’s true or not, Tony Kaye, the director of neo-Nazi thriller American History X clashed with him throughout filming. Indeed, in post-production Norton made numerous big alterations, ensuring Derek Vinyard received violent karma despite going good. Meanwhile, former advertising director Kaye fought to have his own name taken off the credits entirely.

Carrey’s capers caused co-star clash

Jim Carrey was at his over-the-top best – or worst, depending on your opinion – when he played Gotham City’s crazed criminal The Riddler in Batman Forever. One person who subscribed to the latter view was, remarkably, his co-star Tommy Lee Jones. Indeed, the man who portrayed Harvey Two Face was fuming with Carrey’s antics and willful deviation from the script. In fact, according to Carrey, Jones genuinely despised him, telling the Canadian in a chance restaurant meeting exactly that. Ouch!

Rickman rewrites rubbish script

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves has generally fared better with audiences than with critics, and the film had a close-to-home naysayer in the shape of Sheriff of Nottingham-portrayer Alan Rickman. Indeed, Rickman thought the screenplay was “terrible,” and made plans to quietly rewrite it with his pals Peter Barnes and Ruby Wax. Most notably, the trio added the scene where the horny Sheriff sees two “wenches” and orders them to his room within 15 minutes of one another… before asking them to bring a friend.

Denzel denied Roberts a romance

Ever wondered why Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts’ characters don’t get it on in The Pelican Brief? They do in the John Grisham novel from which it was adapted, you see. Well, it was all down to the intervention of Washington: according to British newspaper The Guardian, he didn’t want to offend his primary audience of African-American females with an interracial romance. For her part, Roberts expressed her regret at the move.

Ed’s unexpected punch

Fight Club was one of several excellent American films released in the golden year of 1999. But David Fincher’s engrossing drama featured a neat piece of deviation from the script by, you’ve guessed it, Ed Norton. Yes, during the initial scrap where Brad Pitt’s Tyler Durden explains what Fight Club is, Norton followed Fincher’s call for the unexpected and punched Pitt on the ear rather than the shoulder he was expecting. Poor Pitt was genuinely hurt, and Norton could thus offer a genuine apology!

Glover’s vow of silence

Besides the feisty trio of Cameron Diaz, Lucy Lui and Drew Barrymore, Charlie’s Angels featured a memorable – but wordless – turn from Crispin Glover. Indeed, Glover reportedly despised his lines so much that he refused to say them. That’s right: he informed the director and the producers he was going to be mute. As you do. In fairness, his decision did lend his Thin Man some welcome extra creepiness.

Kendrick ruled out romance

She may be, by her own admission, rather small in stature, but Anna Kendrick is a feisty gal who can stand up for herself. And the Pitch Perfect star had the wherewithal to reject a romance in that movie she found “problematic.” It was written in the script that Beca would find romance with music executive Theo, played by Guy Burnet. But Kendrick said no. And no again to a kiss with him in the final scene. You tell ‘em, girl!

Leonardo DiCaprio really cut his hand

While filming the dinner scene in Django Unchained, Leonardo DiCaprio slammed his hand on the table and accidentally sliced his hand open with a glass. Ever the professional, he just kept on going in character. And once he’d been bandaged up, DiCaprio and the filmmakers were inspired to try a scene where he rubs blood on Kerry Washington’s face. Though this time, thankfully, it was fake.

Natalie Portman actually shaved her head

Many actresses would never in a million years shave off their beautiful locks. But Natalie Portman agreed with the director that when her V for Vendetta character’s head was forcibly shaved, Portman’s hair had to be cut off for real. The star obviously had only one take to get all the emotions right, and she nailed it.

Tobey Maguire really caught that tray

One of the most memorable moments in the original Spider-Man comes when Peter Parker catches Mary Jane, her lunch tray and lunch flawlessly in the school cafeteria. It looks like it must’ve been done with CGI, but the scene was real. Tobey Maguire actually did that using no special effects other than glue, and it took him 156 takes, according to Screen Rant.

Steve Carell felt the pain

There’s suffering for your art, and then there is… this. As per Screen Rant, when Steve Carell had his chest waxed in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, the hair was removed for real, and at the hands of an inexperienced waxer no less. Carell was actually literally bleeding during the scene, but he and his co-stars stayed in character regardless.

Chadwick Boseman was the one playing the trumpet

The late, great Chadwick Boseman was a man of incredible talent. In 2020’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – his last film – he learned how to play the trumpet for real. In a featurette released online to promote the movie, his co-star Glynn Turman remembered how Boseman always made him think, “Hey, I don’t want to practice right now, but I better get to start practicing.”

Will Smith really did smell something horrible

There’s one little scene in the 1996 blockbuster Independence Day where Will Smith demands to know “what the hell is that smell?” Well, according to WhatCulture, there was a real odor – the movie was filming near a brine shrimp lake which ponged to high heaven – and Smith’s line arrived completely unscripted. Yep, even if you’re the biggest movie star in the world, sometimes you just have to put up with the smell.

Margot Robbie’s skating is real

It would be perfectly understandable if Margot Robbie didn’t learn to ice skate for her role as Tonya Harding, because it’s a very difficult discipline. But she did! According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actress practiced for five months and even spent the day before her wedding on the ice! And Robbie managed to get through it with only one major injury: a herniated disk.

Filmed inside the real ‘vomit comet’

It wasn’t movie magic that gave us the weightless scenes in Apollo 13, it was actually NASA science! Some of the film was recorded in the real “vomit comet,” which the space agency uses to train astronauts. The experience proved to be weird and difficult for both cast and crew – but it paid off.

Pippin’s genuine scream

Pippin actor Billy Boyd wasn’t expecting a firework to actually go off in his face during one early scene of Fellowship of the Ring. When it did, the star screamed and wet his pants, so says the man himself on the DVD commentary. Of course, his fellow castmates teased him mercilessly about that.

Jamie Lee Curtis learned to jam

That’s really Jamie Lee Curtis playing guitar in the 2003 Freaky Friday remake, and the actress loved doing it. She told the New York Times newspaper that year, “I’m not sure most 40-year-old women get to play a rippin’ guitar solo,” and Curtis added that her then-15-year-old daughter helped out tremendously.

A horrified Michael Caine

Veteran actor Michael Caine hadn’t seen Heath Ledger in full Joker makeup until they did a scene together, he told Empire. And when Ledger popped up on a screen in full torturing mode, Caine was so taken aback he actually forgot his lines! That’s the horror-drenched take which director Christopher Nolan kept in.

Anakin’s child victim was scared

Spoiler alert: Anakin Skywalker crosses the point of no return when he murders a little Jedi child in Revenge of the Sith. The actor who played that unlucky victim gave an AMA on Reddit on 2020, and he revealed that his flinch upon seeing Anakin was real, because Hayden Christensen shouted “boo!” and scared him.

Dustin Hoffman really farted

Remember that scene when Charlie and Ray are in the phone booth and the latter farts? No sound effects needed; Dustin Hoffman really did pass gas, according to WhatCulture. And everything Charlie does afterwards, that was Tom Cruise improvising upon suddenly finding himself in a contained space with a bad smell. Gross!

Draco’s discomfort is real

One of the most hilarious-but-dark scenes in the whole Harry Potter franchise happens in the last movie. The Dark Lord Voldemort wins a begrudging Draco Malfoy over to his side, and he then gives him a super awkward hug. As per Screen Rant, that moment was improvised by Ralph Fiennes, and poor Tom Felton didn’t have any idea how to react to a noseless snake-man suddenly embracing him.

Dick van Dyke really danced

Surely that can’t really be Dick van Dyke dancing in Mary Poppins Returns? He was 91 years old at the time! Maybe they used CGI? Nope… it was genuinely all him. His co-star Emily Blunt told USA Today in 2018, “He sort of waves us away and it was a big lunge onto a chair and onto the desk. And he just hoofed away on that desk like there was no tomorrow. [Director] Rob [Marshall] was so touched, he couldn’t even say cut.”

Anthony Hopkins freaked out Tom Hiddleston

There’s one interesting scene between two gods in the first Thor movie. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki attempts to speak out against his father Odin – played by legendary actor Anthony Hopkins – and is silenced by a sort of roar-snarl-growl from him. Hopkins reportedly went off script to make that unholy noise, and Hiddleston’s look of shock is genuine.

Awed by Wonka

Gene Wilder knew exactly how to win over the audience when he played Willy Wonka. For his grand entrance he approached the child actors as a hobbled old man, bent over and walking slowly… but then he fell into a somersault and popped back up again. The kids hadn’t expected that, and they were delighted!

Meryl Streep played the guitar

Three-time Oscar recipient Meryl Streep – who’s very accomplished at method acting – went all out when she was cast as a rocker in Ricki and the Flash. Director Jonathan Demme told Entertainment Weekly magazine in 2015 that Streep shredded so hard on her guitar that she actually made her fingers bleed!

An emaciated Hugh Jackman

Please: don’t try anything like this at home. When cast as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, Hugh Jackman decided that for the early scenes he really would look like a half-starved prisoner. According to IMDb, he embarked on a weight-loss diet and at one point even deprived himself of water. It was method acting taken to the extreme, and luckily the actor didn’t do it for very long.

Bill Murray scored three strikes

To portray a winning streak at bowling, most movie directors would just chop up the footage to make it look like the actor scored a strike every time. But for the film Kingpin this wasn’t needed, according to WhatCulture, because Bill Murray really did get three strikes in a row. The directors were awestruck and so was the crowd. Apparently, all that cheering is completely real!

Aragorn’s scream of anguish

In The Two Towers, Aragorn comes across what he believes are the burned bodies of his friends Merry and Pippin. He kicks an Orc helmet away, lets out an enraged scream and falls to his knees. And that scream was real, because he’d just broken two toes kicking the helmet! A few other takes of that scene exist on the DVD of the film and the broken-toes one was undoubtedly the best.

Rizzo’s hickeys are real

The hickeys on Rizzo’s neck in Grease weren’t done with makeup. They were 100 percent real and uh, “applied” by Kenickie actor Jeff Conaway himself, according to Entertainment Weekly. Stockard Channing told the story for a 20th anniversary Grease documentary. There was apparently a lot of naughty behavior that went on behind the scenes of that movie…

Tom Cruise climbed the Burj Kalifa

Tom Cruise’s willingness to do wild stunts is one of the reasons he remains a massive movie star. For the movie Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol he decided, why not climb up the world’s tallest building: the Burj Khalifa? Unsurprisingly, the insurance team for the movie balked at this… so Cruise fired them. That’s really him on the skyscraper and it’s all totally real.

Using sign language

John Krasinski was determined that all the sign language in A Quiet Place would be accurate. He told website TheWrap in 2018, “We did all learn [it]. We had the most incredible actress [Millicent Simmonds] who happens to be deaf in real life, which was sort of a non-negotiable thing for me.” The latter, he said, was a “guide through what it’s like to experience the world without hearing it.”

Han Solo didn’t know what to say

In the very first Star Wars movie, Harrison Ford’s Han Solo gets flustered when his cover is nearly blown. A Stormtrooper questions him via radio and all he can think of to say is awkward statements such as, “We're all fine here, now, thank you. How are you?” But those lines weren’t in the script, according to the Geek Twins. Ford purposely didn’t learn the written lines so he’d sound as hesitant as his character was.

Ryan Gosling made that furniture

Ryan Gosling really went all out for The Notebook. He learned to make furniture just like his character did. And then he let a hilariously awkward detail slip to People magazine in 2004, saying, “We shot a scene where Rachel [McAdams] and I [consummated] our relationship on a table I made. But I couldn’t keep it. We used a special wood, and the deal was [that the cabinetmaker would get] the table. But he doesn’t know what happened on it.”

Miss Collins’ death scene

Betty Buckley played Miss Collins in Carrie, and she still remembered her death scene years later. The actress had to get into a specific contraption that would stop just before anything hit her… if it worked. Buckley told the Vulture website in 2014, “What you’re seeing on film is not acting at all. I [was] absolutely terrified because they had not tested out the machine.”

Taking real deli orders

There was a lot of improvisation going on in The Wrestler. If you remember the scene where Mickey Rourke’s character is working behind a deli counter – that was a real store and customers kept approaching it! As per IMDb, director Darren Aronofsky told Rourke to simply take their orders and remain in character.

Michelle Pfeiffer whipping mannequins

In February 2021 a behind-the-scenes clip of Batman Returns resurfaced. It shows Michelle Pfeiffer in character as Catwoman expertly whipping the heads off mannequins in one take. Pfeiffer got to discuss the viral clip in February 2021, telling IndieWire, “I worked really hard on it, but it was a lot of rehearsal and getting the timing right. I especially liked the jump roping at the end. I had forgotten about that!”

Lucy's genuine wonder

Little Georgie Henley played Lucy in the first Chronicles of Narnia movie, and the crew of the film ensured her reactions would be as full of childlike wonder as possible. So, when Lucy is awestruck by the world of Narnia and James McAvoy’s Mr. Tumnus, that’s Henley’s real emotions. That’s because she hadn’t seen any of it until the cameras were rolling!

Disheveled Halle Berry

Halle Berry tried some method acting when cast as a drug addict in 1991’s Jungle Fever. She decided to get herself as disheveled as possible, which included not washing… for several weeks. By the end, the actress apparently smelled awful. Berry told Wendy Williams in 2012, “Ask Sam Jackson! He had to get a whiff of it.”

Shopping mall crash

Jackie Chan is always willing to fling himself into dangerous situations for the sake of art. In 1985’s Police Story the talent from Hong Kong performs a spectacular action sequence where he crashes through the glass roof of a shopping mall, and it was all real. Chan suffered multiple injuries – including a dislocated pelvis – but he was soon back on his feet.

Russell Crowe was really playing the violin

Mastering the violin isn’t easy, Russell Crowe just made it look that way. He learned to play the instrument for the period drama movie Master and Commander, using a 128-year-old violin that he later sold at a film memorabilia auction. And he might have to go get it back if that second instalment for the franchise ever happens!

Hans Gruber’s look of shock

The Hans Gruber death scene is one of the most iconic things Alan Rickman ever filmed. But the look of horror on the villain’s face is completely real. According to Cheat Sheet, the crew told Rickman they would drop him at the count of three – but dropped him at one instead. A great movie shot and an angry actor was the result.

Full blown vehicle vaulting

Mad Max: Fury Road gave audiences some unbelievably high-octane spectacles. People leapt between speeding cars using vault poles and it looked so real. But that’s because it was! Insider notes that director George Miller wanted the movie to be as devoid of CGI as possible, and you can’t argue with the results.

The ship was as realistic as possible

James Cameron filmed the real wreck of the Titanic for his famous eponymous film. But obviously, a version of the ship in its prime had to be built, too. A highly accurate replica of the original ship’s starboard side was thus created, and every detail was considered. As per TheThings, the same company which made the carpets for the original Titanic were even hired for the film! And one scene – the boy playing with his spinning top on deck – even flawlessly recreates a famous photo from the boat.

The actors were horrified by the chestburster

The cast of Alien weren’t told exactly what the most famous scene in the movie entailed. They knew something was going to happen, but they never could have guessed it would be an alien bursting out of John Hurt’s chest. No acting was needed when it happened: Veronica Cartwright was apparently so shocked by the blood and guts she actually fainted!

An actual psychiatric hospital

In 1975 some members of the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest cast and crew moved themselves into a real psychiatric ward to film scenes. And worse, patients were living there at the time. As per The New York Times, one alleged incident did take place: a crew member left a screen open and a patient jumped out – suffering injuries. Thankfully, none of it would ever happen today.

Real, hungry crocodiles

Stuntman Ross Kananga – nicknamed “Jamaica’s Crocodile Dundee” – was the stand-in for James Bond when he runs across the lake of crocodiles. But those weren’t fake crocs, they were very real and more than willing to eat anyone who crossed them. According to Bold Entrance, Kananga – who had seen his own father killed by a crocodile as a boy – managed the stunt on the fifth take and received a mere $60,000 for his efforts. This one won’t be repeated anytime soon.

Yep, those were real tigers

Real-life gladiators by all accounts fought tigers, so Russell Crowe also had to fight some for the epic movie Gladiator. Yep… real ones. Luckily though, neither man nor beast was injured during the scene. Screen Rant notes that all five of the acting tigers were kept away from the stars and a veterinarian was on hand.