17 Iconic Movie Lines And Scenes That Weren't Meant To Happen

I should've known that Voldemort/Draco hug was NOT in the script.

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1. The classic "What are you waiting for?" line in I Know What You Did Last Summer was suggested and directed by a child who'd won a contest to create a moment in the film.

Columbia Pictures

"I have no idea where he is, but he’s like I want her to stand in the street and turn around and just scream, ‘What are you waiting for, huh?’ I was literally like, ‘Are you kidding me right now? This is what I’m gonna do?'" Jennifer Love Hewitt recounted to Us Weekly. However, she admitted it worked and became an iconic movie moment.

2. Winston Duke improvised the grunting/barking M'Baku did at Ross when he tried to speak in Black Panther.

Marvel

"That grunting scene was totally improvised. Things like that come out of just looking at things from different perspectives and bringing that in. That was literally just the lines and I was like, how do I communicate intimidation? How do I intimidate him in a totally my way? And he spoke and I just started going at it," Winston Duke told Empire.

3. The scene in Mrs. Doubtfire where Daniel sticks his face in a cake to avoid being recognized was planned — but the crew didn't realize the heat from the lighting would melt the frosting, causing it to fall into Mrs. Sellner's tea.

20th Century Fox

4. Nathan Lane, who voiced Timon in The Lion King, ad-libbed the line, "What do you want me to do? Dress in drag and do the hula?" They then added a scene of Timon doing just that.

Disney

Co-directors Rob Minkoff and Don Hahn lobbied the studio to not only have the line in the finished film, but also a scene of Timon hula dancing. They managed to convince them by performing a rendition of the song with a water dispenser and ukulele. 

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5. The oft-thirsted-over scene in which James Bond walks out of the water in Casino Royale only occurred because Daniel Craig hit a sand bank.

Sony Pictures Releasing

"It was actually by accident," Craig told the Guardian. "Where we filmed, off the Bahamas, it's just one of those places where there is a sand shelf and the sand shelf happens to be three feet deep. Because the idea was, I was supposed to swim in and sort of float off, but I swim in and stand up. And it was just one of those things."

6. Dustin Hoffman actually farted in the phone booth scene in Rain Man, and Tom Cruise's reactions were improvised.

MGM/UA Communications Co.

Hoffman called it his "favorite moment" of any film he's done. "That includes Shakespeare that I've done on stage, anything."

7. The "Hi, doggie" line in The Room was from Tommy Wiseau genuinely noticing the dog for the first time in the scene.

Chloe ProductionsTPW Films

Afterward, he asked the flower shop owner if the dog was real, according to Greg Sestero's book, The Disaster Artist.

8. The Children of Men scene when blood splatters on the camera was a complete accident — it happened on their last chance to film the six-minute continuous scene.

Universal Pictures

Director Alfonso Cuarón yelled "cut" when the blood splattered onto the camera, but the assistant director didn't hear him because an explosion went off at the same time. They continued with the shot, which the cinematographer called a "miracle."

9. Mia falling on the bleachers in The Princess Diaries was totally unscripted — Anne Hathaway really did accidentally fall, as it had just rained and the bleachers were slippery.

Buena Vista Pictures

Director Garry Marshall apparently found the moment "charming" and kept it in the film.

10. Kat wasn't supposed to start crying during her speech in 10 Things I Hate About You, but Julia Stiles started crying in the take, and they liked it so much they didn't shoot it again.

Buena Vista Pictures

Stiles told Cosmopolitan that the tears were not intentional, and that she'd never expected to start crying in the scene. "I don't know why I did, whether it connected to something going on at the time, or if I was just overwhelmed by the whole experience of making my first big movie," Stiles said.

11. The "she talks in her sleep" line in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was improvised by Sean Connery.

Paramount Pictures

In an interview, actor Julian Glover stated that Sean Connery's iconic line was improvised. "They had to stop filming," he revealed. "Everybody just fell on the floor and Steven said, 'Well, that's in.'"

12. The incredible "He's a friend from work" line in Thor: Ragnarok was suggested by a kid — a Make-a-Wish recipient who was visiting the set.

Marvel

13. The Joker scene when Arthur dances in the bathroom was improvised: he was just supposed to hide the gun and wash his face.

Warner Bros.

Todd Phillips played composer Hildur Guðnadóttir's music during the scene (as he often did on set), and Joaquin Phoenix improvised the dance. 

14. The "Old Time Rock & Roll" dance scene in Risky Business was also largely improvised by Tom Cruise.

Warner Bros.

Cruise said that the song was chosen by director Paul Brickman, but that he came up with much of the scene. "I took the candlestick, and I said, 'How about making this the audience?' And then I just started ad-libbing, using it as a guitar, jumping on the table. I waxed half the floor and kept the other half dirty, so I could slide in on my socks. As we went along, I threw more stuff in. Like the thing with the collar up, jumping on the bed. Originally, it was only one line in the script: 'Joel dances in underwear through the house.'" 

15. Orson Welles only included this random, startling moment where a cockatoo appears briefly on screen in Citizen Kane to wake up the audience.

RKO Radio Pictures

16. Leonardo DiCaprio accidentally cut his hand while filming his famous Django Unchained rant, and chose not to react and just continue with the scene with a bloody hand. The take ended up in the film.

The Weinstein Company

17. And finally, that super-awkward yet memorable Voldemort/Draco hug from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part II was improvised.

Warner Bros.

Ralph Fiennes only hugged Tom Felton in one take, and Felton's stiff, confused reaction is genuine.

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