Harrison Ford was sick. Leonardo DiCaprio cut his hand. Robert De Niro was given little more than a direction to talk to himself in front of a mirror. None of those situations sounds particularly important on its own, but they helped create moments people are still talking about decades later. That’s the funny thing about making movies: what ends up on screen isn’t always what was written on the page. A last-minute idea or an unexpected reaction can sometimes work better than anything that was carefully planned. These actors went off script, worked around problems, or simply followed their instincts, and movie history ended up looking a little different because of it.©IMDbHarrison Ford – Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)Indiana Jones was originally supposed to have an elaborate fight with the swordsman in Cairo. Ford was sick during filming and suggested simply shooting him instead, creating one of the franchise’s funniest and most famous moments.©IMDbHeath Ledger – The Dark Knight (2008)When the Joker sarcastically applauds Gordon’s promotion from inside his jail cell, Ledger reportedly improvised the slow clap. The small choice became one of the character’s most memorable reactions.©IMDbLeonardo DiCaprio – Django Unchained (2012)DiCaprio accidentally cut his hand during the dinner scene but continued acting instead of stopping the take. Quentin Tarantino kept part of the resulting performance in the finished movie.©IMDbViggo Mortensen – The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)When Aragorn kicks a helmet and screams in frustration, Mortensen wasn’t just acting. He broke two toes during the take, and his genuine reaction ended up in the movie.©IMDbDustin Hoffman – Midnight Cowboy (1969)During a street scene, a real taxi nearly interrupted the take. Hoffman’s angry reaction helped produce the famous “I’m walkin’ here!” moment, although accounts differ on exactly how spontaneous the exchange was.©IMDbRobert De Niro – Taxi Driver (1976)The screenplay simply called for Travis Bickle to talk to himself in the mirror. De Niro improvised the specific dialogue, including the now-famous “You talkin’ to me?”.©IMDbRoy Scheider – Jaws (1975)“You’re gonna need a bigger boat” wasn’t originally a carefully scripted catchphrase. The line developed from an expression used on set and Scheider worked variations of it into several takes.©IMDbRutger Hauer – Blade Runner (1982)Hauer rewrote and shortened parts of Roy Batty’s final speech shortly before filming, including adding the haunting reference to “tears in rain”.©IMDbJack Nicholson – The Shining (1980)Nicholson’s “Here’s Johnny!” wasn’t in the screenplay. He borrowed the phrase associated with Johnny Carson’s television introduction, creating the movie’s most recognizable line.©IMDbMatthew McConaughey – Dazed and Confused (1993)McConaughey’s “All right, all right, all right” came from an improvised moment inspired by something he’d heard Jim Morrison say. It eventually became inseparable from McConaughey himself.©IMDbAnthony Hopkins – The Silence of the Lambs (1991)Hopkins added Hannibal Lecter’s unsettling sound at the end of his famous Chianti speech during filming, making an already disturbing scene considerably creepier.©IMDbJoe Pesci – Goodfellas (1990)The famous “Funny how?” exchange grew from a real story Pesci told Martin Scorsese about an uncomfortable encounter from his younger years. Scorsese incorporated the idea into the movie and let the actors develop it.©IMDbBill Murray – Caddyshack (1980)Much of Murray’s performance as Carl Spackler was improvised, including his bizarre imaginary golf commentary. The character became one of the movie’s biggest highlights.©IMDbRobin Williams – Good Will Hunting (1997)Williams improvised parts of Sean’s story about his late wife’s habits, including the bedroom anecdote that makes Matt Damon genuinely laugh during the scene.©IMDbJim Carrey – Dumb and Dumber (1994)Carrey improvised several moments throughout the comedy, including the famously unbearable “most annoying sound in the world,” helping shape the unpredictable humor that made the movie a hit.The post 15 Actors Who Accidentally Changed Movie History appeared first on Den of Geek.