10 Actors Tricked Into Doing Famous Movie Scenes
2. Alien - Ridley Scott Doesn't Prepare His Actors For The Chest Burst
When Ridley Scott unexpectedly introduced audiences to his chilling Xenomorph for the first time back in 1979's Alien, it's fair to say a few people around the world were caught off guard by the manner of its arrival.
Yet, it wasn't just the fans in cinemas who were left genuinely jumping and covering their eyes in horror at its disturbing reveal. Though John Hurt, Scott, and those involved with setting up the special effects were thoroughly clued up, the director chose not to inform the rest of the cast exactly what was about to go down in the room.
Despite being aware that a "thing" was set to be revealed in the scene, the likes of Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, and Yaphet Kotto had no idea the infant creature would be bursting from Hurt's chest, accompanied by large spurts of stage blood. The four cameras plotted around set would then go on to capture the genuinely stunned ensemble as Hurt lay quivering on the table.
Cartwright infamously passed out once the cameras ceased rolling, and Kotto reportedly went to his room and refused to speak with anyone. Needless to say, the combination of legit-feeling responses and those horrific visuals brought to life by the crew helped cement Alien as a piece of timeless cinematic gold.