Writers spend days agonizing over what every character is going to say and do. These scripts are never finished; they are rewritten and redone before, during, and sometimes even after filming is over. Even though these writers spend all this time trying to create perfection, many of the most memorable moments are ad-libbed by the actors themselves.
Groundhog Day (1993)
Bill Murray, who plays Phil Conners, goes off script for the entire scene following his embrace with Stephen Tobolowsky’s character Ned Ryerson. Stephen started the scene with his scripted line, but from the moment Bill began his response, he was off-script.
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
The improvised scene takes place directly after Indy is chased through the casbah. After the chase ends, he is confronted by a swordsman. With a disgusted look on his face, Indy simply pulls out a gun and ends the battle. This wasn’t the original ending, but Harrison Ford had already spent three months filming the movie in 130-degree heat. So, rather than spending three more days filming the original ending, he wanted to be done.
The Princess Bride (1987)
While there are plenty of memorable lines in this film, most of them are thanks to the writers. One of the best parts of this classic movie is when Miracle Max brings Wesley back from the dead. Rob Reiner (director) told Billy Crystal to make the character his own by speaking Yiddish, ad-libbing, and embellishing things.
Jaws (1975)
Even if you have never seen it, everybody knows the storyline. The producers of this movie did everything possible to keep costs down, including using too-small boats. As a result, the cast and crew coined the phrase “you’re going to need a bigger boat” to describe everything going wrong. Roy Scheider used this line when he first saw the shark, and it just fit.
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
While filming in New York, the production company couldn’t afford to close down the street. So instead, they decided to shoot the scene with real traffic and people walking around. A taxi almost hit Hoffman, and he randomly yelled out, “Hey, I’m walkin’ here! I’m walkin’ here!”