8 Iconic Movie Characters That Were Mostly Improvised

2. Peter Venkman - Ghostbusters

This is far from the first time Murray has improvised some sensational dialogue. The entire "Cinderella Story" monologue from Caddyshack was also made up on the spot, as were the bulk of his lines from Tootsie. According to the director Ivan Reitman's son, Jason, though most of the dialogue from the original screenplay winds up on screen, that's not the case with Peter Venkman, who was almost entirely improvised. "It's as if Bill Murray was given a mumblecore-style essay about each scene and then permitted to say whatever he wanted as long as he got the point across." This is due in no small part to the fact that the role of Venkman was actually written for John Belushi, but when Belushi overdosed before the final script was completed, Murray was brought in as his replacement. Rumors circulated that Murray didn't even bother to read the script, showing great disregard for the writers and director and underestimating how successful the film would be. More likely, however, is that Murray--a man who is nothing if not equal parts nonchalant and dry--just liked to goof around at the table reads and on set, causing his brilliant, unscripted lines to be added into the final cut of the film.