10 Movie Moments That Actually Happened To Actors In Real Life
Tom Arnold lost his ice cube trays in his divorce, for real.
While actors will often draw from their own experiences when playing a part, that's usually in a broader emotional context, tapping into their own feelings to try and bring truth to their character's journey.
But sometimes a very specific event which happened to their character is something they've also gone through, allowing them to bring a basically unparalleled level of authenticity to the scene in question.
In some cases it might be a mere coincidence, that they have some unexpected kinship with the part they're playing, or maybe they actually added the moment into the scene themselves - a flourish of personal experience the director liked enough to make it part of the movie.
Whatever the reason, these 10 movie moments all actually happened to the actors involved in some form, from a fascinating childhood story to their career trajectory as an actor, a devastating personal tragedy, and even a deeply, hilariously personal tale from their own messy divorce.
Even the best actor can't match the truth of a performer who literally lived through a movie moment first-hand, ensuring the cinematic equivalent was nothing if not 100% persuasive...
10. Woody Harrelson Impersonated Elvis As A Kid - Zombieland: Double Tap
In Zombieland: Double Tap, Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) regales Nevada (Rosario Dawson) with the tale of how he grew to love Elvis.
He explains that his mother took him to see Elvis as a 10-year-old, and a few years later in high school, a friend encouraged him to perform an impression of The King in the school library.
Young Tallahassee broke out a spirited rendition of "Jailhouse Rock" and tore the house down, even jumping up onto one of the library's tables for good measure. And better yet, the moment earned him the attention of his crush, Robin Rodgers, who gave him a peck on the cheek.
Hilariously, this is basically all true - Harrelson has told this story on numerous talk show appearances, that he became interested in acting after being encouraged to sing Elvis in his school's library.
Better yet, Robin Rodgers is a real person who, while not giving young Woody a kiss, was the Vice President of the school's drama club and encouraged him to give acting a try. The rest, as they say, is history.