10 Famous Movie Scenes Only Made Possible By Deceiving Actors
These actors were left in the dark for these famous movie scenes.
Bringing a truly iconic film moment or sequence into existence would not be possible without the stunning work of some truly terrific thespians, a director possessing the unquestionable trust of their chosen performers, and a script with enough delicious material to chew on over the course of the scene... for the most part, that is.
Your writer says this because every now and again a movie-helmer will throw out what is written on the page and/or risk completely squandering that aforementioned faith from their stars in favour of shocking, tricking, or scaring a cast into bringing the goods into cinematic existence. And though you can't exactly argue with the end results being instantly memorable, you do have to wonder whether it was really worth betraying an on-screen talent's trust just for the sake of one rather sensational take.
It doesn't matter whether they were an Oscar-winning titan of the industry or a background artist trying to earn their minute in the spotlight, each and everyone making up this list found themselves being throughly deceived into making movie magic on the day of shooting.
10. Extras Had No Clue What Was Coming Next - Goodfellas
Few scenes became as instantly quotable upon Goodfellas' release as this gripping, dimly lit back-and-forth between the outstanding Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci did back in Martin Scorsese's 1990 crime epic.
Going down within the iconic Copacabana Club, Liotta's Henry is treated to a deliciously explicit and animated tale from Pesci's Tommy, only to find himself instantly put on the back-foot on the back of innocently stating that DeVito is "funny". Flipping the mood with masterful execution, Pesci flirts from friendly pal to menacing entity in a heartbeat and it was enough to leave just about everyone on-set feeling a little intimidated. More specifically, the extras sat around Liotta and Pesci who hadn't actually been told how the scene was expected to play out.
With Pesci largely improvisation this story and exchange, the look of genuine fear on those around him as he prods Henry with his now-legendary "Funny how?" delivery is about as real as it gets. The director's decision to hold back this vital information from his background artists ultimately paid dividends and added that bit more weight to a moment that once looked to be heading south very quickly.