7 Scenes in Iconic Hollywood Films That Happened By Accident

Hollywood films are known for their short duration. Even though the length of the films is anywhere between 90 to 150 minutes, the editors have a hard job deciding which scene to chose and which scene to cut. As everyone puts so much of hard work in the film, the director also wants the best scene in that limited timeframe.

But sometimes, there are some shots that directors capture that were purely a result of coincident, accident or improvisation. The spontaneity of the scene also resonates with the audiences and becomes one of the iconic scenes ever. Here’s a list of 7 scenes from Hollywood films that happened by accident:

The Joker ’s clap in The Dark Knight- As per the script, everyone in the police station had to clap when they hear about Gordon’s permission. Heath Ledger improvised and too started clapping, the eerie slow clap of The Joker made into the film after director Christopher Nolan was impressed.

Edward Norton punching Brad Pitt in Fight Club- The director simply went to Ed Norton and told him to punch Brad Pitt in the face and Brad Pitt didn’t even know about it. The director wanted to have this scene as an element of surprise. Though Norton didn’t want to do it, he did punch Pitt and we can see Pitt writhing in pain.

Viggo Mortensen Lord of the Rings: Two Towers- The actor had to portray Aragorn’s anger over hearing the news of the death of 2 hobbits and kick a helmet with his foot. He hit it so hard that he screamed in pain and it all made the scene look too real.

Daniel Craig’s iconic shot in Casino Royale- As per the script, Bond had to swim till the shore but Daniel Craig’s foot struck a rock and he had to walk the last few steps. There we can see the iconic shot of James Bond walking out of water in his blue trunks. 

The non-serious line up in The Usual Suspects- Director Bryan singer intended the scene to be a serious one, where the group of criminals meet for the first time and decide to commit a robbery together. But Benicio Del Toro kept laughing and that made other actors laugh too and everyone forgot what they were supposed to do.

Channing Tatum smashing his head in Foxcatcher- The actor played the role of American Olympian wrestler Mark Schultz. The film won critical acclaim for its story, direction and acting. There was a scene where the actor had to punch angrily at the mirror but the actor was so deep into his role that he smashed the mirror with his head and we can see blood dripping. The scene impressed the director as well as the audiences.

Emma Stone’s yellow dress in La La Land- Emma stone had simply come for a dance rehearsal wear the now iconic yellow dress and she loved it so much that she insisted on wearing it for the scene as well. Initially, the director didn’t agree but later on gave in to Emma’s demands.