10 Improvised Movie Moments That Made The Film Much Better

3. R Lee Ermey Improvised A Career From Full Metal Jacket

Originally, R. Lee Ermey was on board Stanley Kubrick's Vietnam drama solely as a consultant. A real-life drill instructor for the Marines, Ermey was simply providing some expert advice on what life in the military is actually like, with casting yet to be secured for the drill instructor character that would mould the young cast members into well-oiled killing machines/suicidally depressed individuals. Then Ermey sent Kubrick an audition tape of him in his drill instructor mode, improvising for a good ten minutes straight any number of inventive insults. The director was so impressed that he put Ermey in the film, and that scene where he puts the fear of god into his recruits is entirely improvised. From there Ermey had a successful acting career - mostly in similar roles, but still - and almost every other war film took inspiration from his drill instructor. The biggest change his unscripted dialogue wrought, though, was in Kubrick learning what a reach around was - pausing shooting to ask Eremy to explain the concept after one of his most infamous lines.