Top 10 Scenes Where the Actors Weren't Acting
#10: Dallas & Cherry
“The Outsiders” (1983) Matt Dillon’s Dallas is admittedly being pretty gross while attempting to put the moves on “Cherry” Valance in 1983’s “The Outsiders.” However, the actor playing Valance, Diane Lane, can’t help but stifle laughter as Dillon unexpectedly falls off his chair. This was a happy accident by Dillon, happy because it adds an extra layer of depth to the scene that could’ve potentially felt one-note. Co-star C. Thomas Howell seems particularly amused by it all, breaking character with laughter, and even glancing off-camera. It’s pretty memorable stuff, and a brief moment of levity in a film that’s, for the most part, tonally serious.
#9: Chest Waxing
“The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (2005) This scene from “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” is a prime example of improvisation, turned into an art form. Steve Carell’s decision to actually wax his chest for his scene seemed destined to go off the rails… and off the rails it most definitely goes. The scene works well enough without this behind-the-scenes tidbit, but knowing it’s real only makes it that much better. We can’t help but cringe and laugh in equal measure as the scene only gets funnier with each rip. Carell’s in-the-moment responses add to the energy, while his co-stars going ALL IN with their improvising gives this scene a loose and unpredictable feel.
#8: Pennywise Reveal
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“It” (2017) The first reveal of a horror movie monster can be crucial. Perhaps equally important, however, are the responses of our protagonists to said reveal. This is where “It Chapter One” gets so many things right. A promotional featurette for the film advertised how director Andy Muschietti and crew kept their young actors away from Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise for as long as possible. This was so the film could capture their real reactions to seeing the clown for the first time. That first time turns out to be the infamous projector sequence, which helps explain why the on-screen results feel so visceral.
#7: Ear Punch
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“Fight Club” (1999) There’s something to be said about expecting the unexpected. Brad Pitt had no idea where his co-star Edward Norton was going to strike when the pair was filming this fight scene back in 1998. “Fight Club’s” director David Fincher instructed Norton to really hit Pitt somewhere, so Norton chose the ear. Pitt’s reaction to the strike was very real, shouting out an expletive before asking his co-star what he was thinking. It honestly feels pretty genuine, and not out of character, which makes this whole sequence something like one, big happy accident.
#6: Cracked Rib
“First Blood” (1982) Sylvester Stallone is one of those iconic, tough-guy action heroes. As a result, it comes as no surprise that the very hands-on Stallone might want to do his own stunts. This one from 1982’s breakout hit “First Blood” didn’t quite go exactly to plan, however. Stallone takes a nasty tumble down a cliff after being chased by local police. The fall looks painful, and that’s because it was. Sly cracked a rib during the sequence, which saw the actor leap into the path of tangled tree branches. Thankfully, it wasn’t a career-ender, and Stallone lived on to make many, many more great films. That scream of pain when Sly sticks that landing, however? Yup, totally not acting.
#5: Head Smash
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“Foxcatcher” (2014) There was no stunt person and no faking for this scene. There also wasn’t any sugar glass for Channing Tatum to ram his head into during this powerful sequence from 2014’s “Foxcatcher.” Instead, the actor makes the decision to amplify the scene to eleven with one fateful decision. Tatum actually smashed a real mirror with his head. The impact was so severe that it not only broke the mirror, but damaged the entire set. Additionally, that blood on Tatum’s face is also very real, and a disturbing reminder of the occasional intensity of movie-making.
#4: Back Harness
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“The Exorcist” (1973) The 1973 horror classic “The Exorcist” features a number of very real reactions from its actors. One was from Jason Miller, whose reaction to getting a face full of pea soup was very real. [xref] This was thanks to director William Friedkin telling Miller that he was originally going to be receiving said soup attack to his chest area. Elsewhere, the scene where a possessed Regan MacNeil is thrashing around in her bed was supposed to be safe. However, the harness that rigged actor Linda Blair to the bed featured lacing that came loose. Her reaction in the scene was very real, since the broken harness fractured her lower spine. And that’s to say nothing of the back injury Ellen Burstyn also suffered on set.
#3: Aragorn’s Injury
“The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (2002) Actors often hope they’ll be allowed multiple takes from their directors in order to properly analyze their performances for a scene. Viggo Mortensen probably had one take too many, however, since the actor actually broke two toes while kicking a prop helmet during a scene. Director Peter Jackson actually used this take in the film’s final cut, which features the actual incident in question. Mortensen’s harrowing scream and subsequent fall to the ground is the result of the accident, sure… but it also adds so much more pathos to the scene’s depressing and hopeless tone.
#2: The Clock Tower
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“Project A” (1983) “Project A” is something of a cult classic from Jackie Chan’s enviable action filmography. It also features one of the icon’s most death-defying stunts. Here, a daredevil fall from a clock tower becomes the stuff of legend, thanks to a little bit of reality. Chan did not one, not two, but THREE different takes of this scene, where he crashes through two canopies during a hard fall to the ground. The end results on-screen look awful, too, and that’s because they ARE awful. Chan nearly broke his neck from the impact you see on screen, as he lands in a way that human beings aren’t supposed to land. The fact that he actually still manages to deliver dialogue after this stunt is insane. Before we name our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions.
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#1: DiCaprio Keeps Going
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“Django Unchained” (2012) Is Leonardo DiCaprio’s chilling monologue part and parcel for this iconic sequence from “Django Unchained?” Certainly. What was unplanned, however, was for the actor to pick glass shards from his hand while delivering said monologue. This bit of non-acting was the result of DiCaprio actually slicing up his hand after slamming it down on the table. This bit of bloodletting was real. However, the moment where DiCaprio then smears some of the red stuff upon the face of Kerry Washington was something different. This was stage blood, utilized after DiCaprio had his original wound bandaged up. Still, this bit of trivia doesn’t make the scene any less jaw-dropping.
