1.
“You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat” by jaws, another of the most quoted verses in cinema, was also an improvisation. The line had actually become a running joke during production, referring to producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown being tightfisted. “It became a catchphrase for every time something went wrong,” said writer Carl Gottlieb. Roy Scheider kept throwing it away during filming, and what became the now famous scene after his character sees the shark for the first time.
2.
There was no written dialogue for the famous “Are you talking to me?” scene of Taxi driver. Director Martin Scorsese asked Robert de Niro to say something to himself in front of the mirror. “He kept saying, ‘Are you talking to me?'” Scorsese continued. “He just kept repeating it, kept repeating it… It was like a jazz riff. Like a solo.” De Niro said he had no idea how famous the line would become. “You never know with any of that. You just did it.”
3.
In the opening scene of bat Man, actually Michael Keaton was supposed to say “I am the gentleman” or “I am the revenge”. But he and director Tim Burton felt neither worked, so Keaton improvised the now-iconic “I’m Batman.”
4.
The hilarious phrase “sleep talk” in Indiana Jones and the last crusade it was improvised by Sean Connery.
5.
Matthew McConaughey came up with what would become his own acting catchphrase: “good, good, good.” He first uttered the phrase in Dazed and confused and I had the idea to listen to a live recording of the Doors while in the car and hear Jim Morrison say “okay, okay, okay, okay” between tracks. McConaughey (who initially wasn’t even supposed to be in the scene) used each “good” to represent one of his character tenets: rock and roll, getting high, and his self.
6.
hunting goodwill the final memorable line could easily have been something else. Robin Williams tried dozens of different lines, but when he said “He stole my line,” writer-star Matt Damon knew he was perfect, thinking at the time, “Shit, what a line, how did we not think of that?”
7.
One of the most famous lines of White House – and, honestly, movie history – is “Here I am looking at you, kid.” Humphrey Bogart himself came up with the line while filming the Paris flashbacks, and the writers decided to use it a few more times in the film, including in this iconic final scene.
8.
One of the most quotable lines of Alien is “game over!” In fact, Bill Paxton came up with that line (although it was in rehearsals and not while filming). “‘Game over, man!’ it was really the backstory of the character. I figured he was some kind of enlisted version of Gorman, who was officer (played by) Bill Hope, who probably appeared in the video games. In those days,… at the end of your room, always it would be ‘Game over’ (on screen). So I was wondering if anyone had ever used that (line), because it was pretty good. I had no idea it would catch on.”
9.
Jack Nicholson intended to say “You’ve got the truth” in this scene from a few good men. Instead, she improvised “You can’t handle the truth!”, which became the best-known line from the film.
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Nicholson also ad-libbed the deranged “Here’s Johnny!” of the glow, as a reference to Johnny’s introduction in The tonight show starring Johnny Carson. The line became so famous that it’s on t-shirts from the movie.
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At Peter’s death scene in avengers: infinity war, Director Joe Russo just told Tom Holland that Peter didn’t want to die, and Holland came up with the lines on his own. This includes the famous line “Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good” which was so famous that it literally became a meme.
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And in Avengers Endgame, the famous line that Morgan says to Tony that he later repeats back to her was originally “I love you so much.” Downey Jr. himself suggested that Morgan change it to “I love you 3000”, since that is something his children tell him in real life.
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Downey Jr. also came up with his famous “I am Iron Man” line at the end of Iron Man, which arguably changed the trajectory of the entire MCU.
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One more from Marvel: Dave Bautista improvised the hilarious “why is it Gamora” line in avengers: infinity war, in the memorable scene where the Guardians meet Tony, Peter and Dr. Strange.
fifteen.
The “tears in the rain” speech Bounty hunter it was partly improvised. Actor Rutger Hauer was given a much longer speech, but he rewrote and improvised a shorter version. In particular, he came up with the line “tears in the rain,” which is perhaps the most famous line in the entire movie.
sixteen.
The famous midnight cowboy scene where Rico slams his hands into a cab that nearly hits him and yells “I’m walking here!” it was an improvisation. They didn’t have the money to create a whole set with extras, so they used a “stolen take”, using a hidden camera on a real street. At one point, the characters cross the street: they had rehearsed and timed the dialogue to be able to cross when the signal was green. But in the first shot, a car ran the light and almost ran them over. Staying in character, Dustin Hoffman yelled, “I’m walking here!” Today, it is one of the most quoted movie lines of all time.
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Billy Crystal improvised the often-quoted part in when harry met sally when he talks about pecan pie in a goofy voice. Meg Ryan accepted it, but not before laughing and looking off camera, which can be seen in the final scene.
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Two memorable phrases from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets they were improvised: first, Lucius’s comment about Harry always being around to play the hero, as well as Harry’s retort that he will be. Jason Isaacs and Daniel Radcliffe came up with those lines on the spot. Isaacs called Harry’s response his favorite line in the franchise.
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Malfoy’s funny line, “I didn’t know you could read,” was also an ad-lib by Tom Felton: he had forgotten his actual line.
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While Gerard Butler didn’t ad lib the iconic “THIS IS SPARTA” line in 300, his line scream was just a throwaway last take. “I had done quite a few takes and most of them were ‘This is Sparta,’” Gerard told the Hollywood Reporter, enunciating the words with a low growl. “And it’s part of the process and part of the insecurity, maybe. And I said, ‘Can I try another one?’ The actors in the crowd actually gasped at the over-the-top portrayal of him, but director Zack Snyder loved it. The screaming is what made the line so famous and imitated.
And finally, let’s end with two that didn’t occur to the actors, but were suggested (by others on set) at the time:
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In A peaceful place, John Krasinski’s character was supposed to say “I love you” before he died. Millicent Simmonds suggested that she say “I’ve always loved you” instead of her, which she did on set. The devastating moment was one of the most memorable in the film.
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The classic “What are you waiting for?” online I know what you did last summer it was suggested and directed by a kid who won a contest to create a moment in the movie.
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And finally, the amazing “He’s a friend from work” line in Thor: Ragnarok it was suggested by a child, a Make-a-Wish recipient who was visiting the set.
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