There is a reason why directors make sure there are multiple takes for each scene of a film. When it comes to filmmaking, there are enormous amounts of factors that have to be aligned including lighting, performances, and sound. At the same time, directors need to get coverage of the scene from different angles. When it comes to performances, actors and directors will try different things out when it comes to line delivery. Sometimes an actor will improvise, and sometimes a director will decide to let the actors keep going without saying "cut." At the same time, many unforeseen circumstances can come about within a performance, and sometimes these mistakes make it into the film.
If an actor makes a mistake on a film, a director may call "cut," allowing them to re-shoot the scene. However, sometimes a director will keep the scene going even after the actor makes a mistake. A good actor will sometimes use their errors to their advantage and keep performing. In many cases, an actor gets so involved with their performance, they will improvise and carry out actions that were not in the script. There have been many slips from actors throughout the years that have been caught on camera, and quite a few of them have become iconic. Let's look at some mistakes from actors that made it in the final cut of the film.
9 Scent of a Woman — Al Pacino Trips Over a Garbage Can
Al Pacino delivers one of his finest performances as Lt Col. Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman. Pacino is known for being a method actor, and his acting in this film was no exception. In one particular scene, Frank is walking down a Manhattan street with his caretaker Charlie (Chris O'Donnel) and he abruptly walks into a garbage can and tumbles to the ground. Pacino wanted to portray a blind man realistically, so he learned how to limit his vision while performing. Running into the garbage can was totally unexpected.
8 How The Grinch Stole Christmas — Tablecloth Trick
In Ron Howard's adaptation of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Jim Carrey plays the lead role of the Grinch. In one particular scene, the Grinch pulls a tablecloth from beneath a pile of dishes, leaving all the dishes still on the table. In the original script, the dishes were supposed to fly off with the tablecloth. Carrey improvises and goes back to knock over all the dishes himself, giving us a hilarious scene.
7 The Hateful Eight — Guitar Smash
An improvised, yet somewhat tragic scene, made it into the final cut of The Hateful Eight. After Daisy Damergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) sings a tune on her guitar, John Ruth (Kurt Russell) takes the guitar and smashes it to pieces. Unfortunately, the guitar was a 150-year-old antique Martin. The priceless antique was destroyed, and you can actually see Leigh's genuine shock on-screen.
6 Foxcatcher — Headbutting the Mirror
In Foxcatcher, based on the true, tragic story of John Dupont and the Foxcatcher wrestling team, Channing Tatum gives a phenomenal performance of Mark Schultz. In one scene, where Shultz is having a nervous breakdown, he begins to smash his head into a mirror several times. This moment was totally unscripted and was a result of Tatum improvising his performance. Tatum actually cut himself during the take, but luckily he came out okay.
5 Guardians of the Galaxy — Star Lord Drops the Orb
Chris Pratt plays Star Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the original Guardians of the Galaxy, there is a scene where Star Lord is holding the Orb, one of the most precious objects in the universe. Star Lord then goes on to drop the Orb. This scene was a complete accident and was not in the script. Luckily, Pratt went with it, and the action matched the personality of his character perfectly.
4 Titanic — "The Bed" Line
In the iconic scene in Titanic, Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) draws a portrait of a nude Rose (Kate Winslet) and there was actually a dialogue mistake that made it into the final cut. When Rose takes off her clothes, Jack says "Over on the bed...the couch". The original dialogue was "Over on the couch". The mistake worked perfectly with the scene, and James Cameron loved it.
3 Zoolander — "But Why Male Models?"
A hilarious moment in Zoolander was a result of Ben Stiller forgetting his lines. After a hand model, played by David Duchovny, delivers a long monologue describing why male models are being used as assassins, Derek Zoolander asks "But why male models?" Zoolander had just asked that question right before the monologue. Luckily, Duchovny goes with the moment and delivers a line of genuine confusion.
2 Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope — Stormtrooper Bumps His Head
This iconic scene in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope has become famous in pop culture. You may have even seen gifs of the moment circulating the web. In the scene, we watch a fleet of Stormtroopers march in a control room, and one of them hilariously bumps their head on the door ceiling. It is a very quick moment, and you have to look closely, but it is unquestionably hilarious. Somehow the scene made it into the final cut.
1 Django Unchained — Calvin Candie Cuts His Hand
This moment in Django Unchained proves the dedication and talent of Leonardo DiCaprio as an actor. After Calvin Candie (DiCaprio) figures out that Django (Jamie Foxx) and Dr. King Shultz (Christoph Waltz) are there to rescue Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), he smashes his hand on the table in rage. DiCaprio actually cut his hand on some glass and instead of seeking medical treatment, he decided to keep going with the scene despite his bloody hand. Tarantino kept the moment in the film, and many would argue that it adds to the insanity of Candie's character.