Some of them you may have heard and some of them you may not have heard of! But these are some seriously iconic moments that—surprise, surprise—were not scripted. Let’s dive in!

1. Titanic (1997): Rose Spitting on Her Fiancé’s Face

Titanic is considered one of the biggest classics of all time. But it doesn’t strike anyone as the film that would require too many improvisations—considering the tragic theme of it all. One such improvisation came when actress Kate Winslet’s character, Rose, spat in her fiancé’s face in response to his condescending remarks. As the scene unfolded and he continued belittling her, Winslet strayed away from the script that initially portrayed her character as jabbing him with a hairpin and unexpectedly spat in his face. The improvised scene made it to the final cut of the film because the director believed that it better showcased Rose’s defiance against societal constraints of her time.

2. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977): Han Solo’s “Don’t Get Cocky, Kid”

The iconic Star Wars franchise has many anecdotes but not many know about the improvisations that made it to the final cut. One such instance of improvisation happened during Harrison Ford’s portrayal of the character ‘Han Solo’ in Star Wars: Episode IV (A New Hope). As Han Solo and Luke Skywalker engage in intergalactic space battle and Luke fires down his space adversaries, he happily shouts back to Han, “I got them!”. Han Solo, who is also fighting his own enemies on the other side, shouts back, “Great shot, kid! Don’t get cocky!” The last part of his dialogue eventually became another iconic moment of the franchise as another ad-lib by Harrison after the famous “I know.”

3. Avengers: Infinity War (2018): Peter Parker’s “I Don’t Want to Go”

The directors of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) gave permission to Tom Holland to decide the farewell he wanted for his character when the character of Thanos inevitably snapped his fingers in the end to destroy half of the planet’s population. The final moments where Tom Holland says, “I don’t want to go” as Peter Parker disintegrates into dust were completely improvised by the actor on the spot. The scene made it to the final cut because the directors believed that the words accurately captured the raw emotion of sudden death and the character’s final moments of realization.

4. Jaws (1975): Quint’s “Farewell to You Spanish Ladies”

The iconic narrative in the 1975 thriller film, ‘Jaws’, is remembered for not only for the pitch perfect deliveries of its characters in the thrill of their chase for sharks but also for Robert Shaw’s chilling rendition of the sea shanty “Farewell and Adieu to You, Spanish Ladies” that appeared in the film’s memorable USS Indianapolis monologue. But did you know that the addition of the melody was improvised. The reason the addition made it to the final cut was because the directors felt that Shaw’s haunting delivery added an eerie authenticity to Quint’s harrowing tale.

5. A Few Good Men (1992): Jack Nicholson’s “You Can’t Handle the Truth”

While the plot for ‘A Few Good Men’ is known for many impressive moments, the most impressive of them perhaps is the courtroom scene. Colonel Nathan Jesus, Jack Nicholson’s character, in the midst of his provocative questioning by Tom Cruise’s character, bursts into a monologue. However, the beginning of the monologue was improved by Nicholson who was supposed to say, “You already have the truth” but instead tweaked the opener to “You can’t handle the truth”. Not only is it an onscreen moment that remains etched in cinematic history, Nicholson’s impassioned delivery of Colonel Jessup’s improvised line was a spontaneous reaction that elevated the intensity of the scene by leaps and bounds.

6. Goodfellas (1990): Rant in the Club

While many assumed at the time that it was delivered rather haphazardly, Joe Pesci’s improvisational rant while portraying Tommy DeVito was meant to capture the erratic nature of his character in the film. Pesci had only told about the idea and rehearsed with one of his co-actors and the reactions of everyone in the scene to the monologue were genuine. Pesci won an Oscar for the film and many attributed his win to this iconic albeit improvised scene.

7. Avengers: Infinity War (2018): Captain America’s “New Haircut?”

In the reunion scene of the fan-favorite superheroes in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) when Captain America and Thor meet again on the battlefield against Thanos, Chris Evans’ humorous quip about Thor’s “new haircut” and Thor’s response to the character’s “beard” were improvised by both the actors. Evans later explained that it was because he wanted to afford both characters a moment of kinship and normalcy amidst the chaos. It was for the very same reason that the scene made it to the final cut.

8. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013): Matthew McConaughey’s Chest Pounding

Matthew McConaughey’s rhythmic chest-pounding ritual in the role of Mark Hanna is undoubtedly an iconic moment in cinema. But did you know that the scene was completely improvised by Leonardo Di Caprio who had seen McConaughey’s actual warm-up before their scene together and insisted that he enact it into his character onscreen. This impromptu addition became one of the film’s most memorable scenes in the final cut and perfectly encapsulated the eccentricity of McConaughey’s character.

9. Dumb and Dumber (1994): Jim Carrey’s Ear-Splitting Scream

Dumb and Dumber is an unparalleled comedy in cinema, punctuated by a number of memorable moments. But, in particular, Jim Carrey’s comedic genius shone through in this unscripted moment where his character, Lloyd Christmas, lets out a deafening scream. It was so loud that you can actually see the surprise on the faces of his co-actors. Directors believed that Carrey’s improvisation with physical comedy added an extra layer of hilarity to the scene and retained the scene in the final cut of the film.

10. Rocky (1976): Orange Thrown While Running Through the Market

While Rocky is a major franchise, it did not start out that way. Due to the tight budget for the first film, actor Sylvester Stallone had to shoot in real-life places in the open which led to many interesting instances, one of which made it to the final cut of the film. In his run through the market, Stallone made the impromptu decision to interact with a vendor by catching and then tossing back an orange. The scene captured the joy of the ordinary and was kept in the film to portray the authenticity of Rocky’s character and life.

11. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014): Chris Pratt Dropping the Orb

While we all love ourselves the perfection of superheroes, Chris Pratt’s character, Star-Lord, is one of the more endearing dorky heroes. In an effort to capture his character’s sweet but clumsy charm, Chris Pratt decided to fumble the pivotal moment of stealing the orb, dropping it as he tries to smoothly retrieve it. He was so in character that the directors thought he actually dropped it by mistake. Pratt later explained that it was on purpose and felt that the clumsiness added a comedic touch to the scene—highlighting the character’s imperfect, human charm.

12. When Harry Met Sally (1989): “I’ll Have What She’s Having”

‘When Harry Met Sally’ is a film loved and adored by many for its uncanny romance and peak comedy—giving us iconic new year’s kiss moments. In one such classic moment of comedic timing, a diner patron’s improvised reaction to Meg Ryan’s dinner table scene became one of the film’s most memorable lines. The spontaneous quip, “I’ll have what she’s having”, perfectly encapsulated the humor of the scene.

13. Barbie (2023): Ken’s “Sublime”

Whether you love or hate Barbie, the film has blessed us with many moments that made the narrative of girlhood complex as well as beautiful. One such moment when Ken, played by actor Ryan Gosling, is in conversation with Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, and thinks that Barbie would agree to be his long-term, long-distance, low-maintenance girlfriend and exclaims with joy, “Sublime!”. Margot Robbie, who played Barbie in the film, later explained that Gosling had added that in as a private, on-set joke between the actors and that it still makes her laugh that the remark made it to the final cut.

14. Oppenheimer (2023): Kyoto Scene

Oppenheimer is perhaps the most somber film of our times. The weight of every character’s decision seemed so heavy and so were their realizations in the aftermath of it all. But, there’s one scene in the final moments of the film that was startling, to say the least. Amidst the harrowing discussion to drop the atomic bomb on Japan’s cities, the US Secretary says, “Not Kyoto, that’s where we honeymooned”. In what is otherwise a tense moment, this remark showed the reckless nature of the decision-making that took place at the time. But not many know that the remark was completely improvised to inspire outrage in the audience!

15. Pulp Fiction (1994): John Travolta’s Dance with Uma Thurman

Yes, you got that right. John Travolta’s smooth moves on the dance floor with Uma Thurman’s character were largely improvised. The actor said that it complemented the rather demented notes of Thurman’s character in a moment where they both share their unique madness. While it was not originally meant to go that way, the scene really defined the relationship between the characters and made it to the final cut.

16.  The Devil Wears Prada (2006): “I’m Hearing This and I Want to Hear This”

Difficult to imagine how this would be another iconic improvisation after the whole movie feels like an improvisation in and of itself (who can forget Meryl Streep’s monologue?) but here we are! Emily Blunt’s character in The Devil Wears Prada is peak for more than one reason but it’s the response to Anne Hathaway’s monologue scene that takes the cake. Blunt, who completely improvised the scene, says that she drew inspiration from a young mother who said the exact same sentence to her daughter when she wouldn’t stop talking.

17. Joker: Walking Away After the Bomb Fails to Detonate Immediately

Not many people know that the bomb in Heath Ledger’s “Joker” was supposed to go off right away. When it didn’t, the actor turned around and started walking—still in character. And great cinema was had by all because that walk became the iconic template for all renditions of the character thereon!

18. Dazed and Confused: Mathew McConaughey’s “Alright, Alright, Alright”

“Alright, alright, alright”—Matthew McConaughey’s iconic catchphrase was born from an improvised line during filming. Hard to believe that it has stayed with him this long? So are we! But the reason for retaining this scene in the Final Cut of the film was because it helped showcase his character’s effortless charisma and thus became a defining moment of the film itself.

19. Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow Dancing with the Remains of Davy Jones

See that confusion on everyone’s face in this scene? That’s all genuine because Johnny Depp completely improvised this scene. His impromptu dance with the tentacles of the nefarious Davy Jones’ deceased crew member was definitely a highlight but the reason it was retained in the final cut of the film was in an effort to emphasize Jack Sparrow’s eccentricity. The actor, Johnny Depp, also believed that it added a whimsical element to an otherwise morbid scene.

20. Pretty Woman: Richard Gere Closes the Box with the Necklace

Pretty Woman was way ahead of its times but it was also marked with sweet moments of exchange with the main characters. One such improvised exchange was when Richard Gere spontaneously decided to snap shut the jewelry box on Julia Roberts’ fingers. Her surprise and laughter afterward were completely genuine. The scene was retained in the final version of the film because the filmmakers felt that it added an element of surprise, playfulness and intimacy to the characters.

*This post originally appeared on ReadingRanked*