Some actors are well-known in show biz for improvising many of the scenes they’re on. Others — whether out of nerves, feeling overwhelmed, or something that went wrong unexpectedly — end up inventing dialogues or doing something rush and unexpected, which later results in a real gem.
The actor’s crying face, which later became a meme, was completely sincere. Actor James van der Beek said, “It wasn’t scripted, I don’t think. I mean, it was appropriate for the scene. You know, it was just high drama; you’ve been living with this character for a while and a scene like that just kind of drops in your lap and you just lose it. They yell cut and say, ‘Oh my god. That was amazing!’ So I remember being completely surprised by it because it was completely sincere. The fact that it’s being used to mock me now, I think it’s so funny.”
The world of cinema has given us countless great moments thanks to improvisations. And sometimes, tricks and special effects aren’t needed to have a result worth remembering — actors with the power to transform themselves are more than enough.
The writers of the show were struggling to come up with something funny and interesting for this episode. During a script reading, David Schwimmer got the names wrong and instead of saying “Emily” — his fiancée’s name — he said “Rachel”. This served as the inspiration for that iconic scene of the series.
John Krasinski became known worldwide for his role as Jim in The Office. From the very first episode, you can tell that he is in love with Pam, his co-worker. And when he decides to declare his love for her, she rejects him, telling him that his friendship means a lot to her. At that moment, his face transforms, and he begins to cry and tells her, “Don’t do that.” John added that line to the script, giving the scene more power and sadness.
In the series Euphoria, Cassie, played by Sydney Sweeney, yells “I’m crazier!” at her co-star when he warns her that his ex would be very upset if she found out they were dating because she was crazy. This line was completely improvised.
For three seasons, the audience of the show witnessed the undeniable chemistry between Hopper and Joyce. The long-awaited kiss came finally in the fourth season. But it wasn’t scripted — the actors simply kissed because they decided it was time for it to happen. And they were right — the writers of the series liked it and left it.
In a scene from Grey’s Anatomy, after hearing some good news, Jo kisses her friend Arizona in front of her fiancé. The kiss was so unexpected that even the actress who plays Arizona looks surprised. After the episode was aired, fans of the series asked Camilla Luddington, who plays Jo, if the kiss was in the script, and she replied that it was not.
Those who watched The Office know that Michael Scott, the boss played by Steve Carrell, is a person who often acts inappropriately, which renders the series with some hilarious scenes. Carrell decided to give a little spark to one scene and kiss one of his subordinates, Oscar, taking everyone by surprise.
There’s a key scene in the series How I Met Your Mother, where Jason Segel’s reaction was completely improvised. Actress Alyson Hannigan, who played Segel’s wife, plotted with the writers to change the scene without him knowing. In the original script, she was supposed to approach him telling him she was pregnant, but in the end, she told him that her father had died. They got a heartfelt and emotional performance from Jason, shooting the scene in only one take.
In the third season of Stranger Things, the last scene was quite difficult to film for Millie Bobbie Brown. They had already been filming for days and it had been very tiring for the whole production, especially for the young actress, who at one point collapsed in tears in the arms of her friend Finn Wolfhard. In fact, the actor can be seen leaving the character for a moment and looking toward the production crew baffled, but the scene continued, and the director liked it so much that it made the cut.
Doing a scene with children is difficult, and actors have to be prepared for anything. This is what happened to Bryan Cranston when the child playing his baby started calling her mom, who was on set. Bryan stayed in character and gave a spectacular performance, as he did throughout the entire Breaking Bad series.
Friends is one of the most successful television series; therefore, it’s no surprise that during all the years of filming, it had many guest artists. But one scene became iconic since the actors playing it are considered some of the best comedians Hollywood has ever seen — Robin Williams and Billy Crystal.
The actors were filming on location next to the Friends studio, so they were invited on the spot and they agreed. Everyone wonders how the cast of the series was able to keep their composure during the funny scene completely improvised by these two veterans.
In many productions, it is almost impossible not to go off script. Sometimes, improvisation is necessary, and the sitcom Modern Family was no exception. In the scene where Cam and Mitchell leave Lily, their baby, inside the car, Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson gave a masterclass on improv. They kept acting out the different ways of trying to open the car, making the scene one of the most remembered of the series.
The world of cinema has given us countless great moments thanks to improvisations. And sometimes, tricks and special effects aren’t needed to have a result worth remembering — actors with the power to transform themselves are more than enough.
I'd expect nothing less from these incredibly talented and creative professionals in this post. Especially Bryan Cranston, aside from his massive talent, he worked with so many small children for many years on his show Malcolm In The Middle, that I'd imagine improvisation with children would almost come naturally to him. After so many years of working with these types of challenges, it can become a 2nd nature to some people.
