10 Famous Movie Lines You Probably Didn't Know Were Improvised

To make a successful movie, you have to be flexible and welcome ideas from the other people working with you. Sometimes the most memorable scenes were never in the script, but were improvised in the moment. Being open to those improvisations allows for the creativity to flow and your film to flourish.

Many films are made famous in part due to their unforgettable quotes. But some of the best lines from these movies aren't scripted. The actors ad-libbed while in character and unintentionally made movie magic. Here are some of the most famous movie lines that were actually improvised.

"Here's looking at you, kid." (Casablanca)

The 1942 film, Casablanca, has several lines listed in the American Film Institute's Top 100 Movie Quotes of All Time. However, one of those lines was never in the script. Humphrey Bogart improvised his line, "Here's looking at you, kid," which sits at number 5 on AFI's list.

Bogart originally said the line while he and Ingrid Bergman played a game of poker during a break from the set. He liked the sound of the line and the way it brought out the co-stars' natural chemistry, so he added it into the film. His throwaway saying during a game would go down in film history.

"You're gonna need a bigger boat." (Jaws)

The set of Jaws was plagued by issues that all stemmed from the producers' refusal to pay for a boat big enough to hold all the filming equipment and catering. It became a joke on set to say, "You're gonna need a bigger boat," whenever something went wrong.

Roy Scheider would say the line throughout filming just to be funny, but when it came to the scene where they first see the giant shark, his ad-lib landed perfectly. What was meant as an off-screen gag became one of cinema's most memorable lines.

"You talkin' to me?" (Taxi Driver)

The script of Taxi Driver only said that Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) should look in the mirror. Bickle was disgusted by the crime in his city and was preparing to hunt down criminals, vigilante-style. He looks at himself in the mirror while holding his gun, and then utters, "You talkin' to me?"

De Niro improvised that whole monologue of Bickle hyping himself up as a tough guy, and the director, Martin Scorsese, loved it. The producers of the film weren't happy about it because the filming was running long, but Scorsese begged them to give De Niro a few more minutes. Luckily, they agreed, and the tenth greatest movie quote was born.

"Here's Johnny!" (The Shining)

Most people today would agree with director Stanley Kubrick that they have no idea who 'Johnny' is. The man breaking through the bathroom door with an axe is named Jack (Jack Nicholson). Nicholson, however, was making a pop-culture reference when he improvised this line in The Shining.

Nicholson was referring to the intro of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, where Ed McMahon would yell, "Here's Johnny!" to greet the star. Kubrick had the actor do dozens of takes, enough to chop 60 doors, and Nicholson kept changing things up each time. The "Here's Johnny" just happened to make the final cut and became one of the greatest lines in movie history.

"I know." (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back)

This line wasn't technically improvised on the spot, but it was a change to the script made by Harrison Ford. In Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Ford) were supposed to confess their love just before Han gets frozen in carbonite. But Ford didn't think his character would actually admit his feelings openly.

Ford talked with the director, Irvin Kershner, and had the line changed to the iconic, "I know," in response to Leia's "I love you." It must have felt improvised to George Lucas, who originally hated the change. He came to realize how essential that change was to Han and Leia's story, and we now have one of the most legendary responses to a love confession ever.

"You can't handle the truth!" (A Few Good Men)

A Few Good Men is a military courtroom drama about two Marines being investigated for the murder of one of their colleagues. When Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) learns that these men were acting under orders of a superior officer, he makes the risky move to interrogate Colonel Nathan Jessep (Jack Nicholson) on the stand.

Jessep gets increasingly agitated and eventually responds to Kaffee's cry of "I want the truth!" with the now infamous line, "You can't handle the truth!" Jack Nicholson was supposed to say "You already have the truth," but he improvised and gave us one of the greatest movie quotes of all time.

"I don't care!" (The Fugitive)

The Fugitive follows Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford), an innocent man sentenced to death for the murder of his wife, as he escapes to try to find the real killer. He's being hunted down by US Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones), and in a moment where they finally face each other, Kimble tells Gerard that he didn't kill his wife.

Gerard's response of "I don't care" left Dr. Kimble and the audience shocked. For a while, it was debated whether this line was actually improvised, but an interview with the director, Andrew Davis, finally confirmed it. Davis said in the interview that Tommy Lee Jones argued, "All I need to say is 'I don't care.'"

"I am Iron Man." (Iron Man)

Kevin Feige, producer of Iron Man and now president of Marvel Studios, had planned to have Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) battle with the secret of his superhero alter ego. But Robert Downey Jr. felt that his character was not one to shy away from the glory of saving the world.

In the interview at the end of the film, Tony Stark is asked about Iron Man, and he's supposed to cleverly lie to get the press to look elsewhere for the superhero. Instead, he tosses his cue cards to the side and simply says, "I am Iron Man." This line, improvised by Downey Jr., changed the trajectory of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe and became one of the best plot twists in a superhero film.

"Mr. Stark, I don't want to go." (Avengers: Infinity War)

The Avengers movies, and the MCU in general, have quite a few improvised moments. One of the most emotional and memorable lines from Infinity War was created on the spot by Tom Holland. His "I don't feel so good" before fading with Thanos' snap was scripted, but the line just after, when Peter Parker senses what's about to happen, wasn't.

Peter pleads with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), "Mr. Stark, I don't want to go. I don't want to go," before falling to the ground. It wrecked Tony when he was helpless to do anything for Peter, and with that one line, it wrecked us Marvel fans as well.

"Sublime!" (Barbie)

Ryan Gosling kept everyone on the set of Barbie laughing with his antics. Some of his silliness ended up as bloopers, but one moment was kept in the film because it was so hilarious. Ken (Gosling) asks Barbie (Margot Robbie) to be his "long-term, long-distance, low-commitment casual girlfriend," but she initially refuses.

Later, when trying to take back control of Barbieland, Barbie comes to Ken and agrees to casually date him. He plays it cool, asks for a moment alone, walks behind a wall, and yells, "Sublime!" This was a complete surprise to Robbie, and she and director Greta Gerwig found it so funny that it remained in the film. Ryan Gosling was "Kenough" of a quick thinker that his improvised line became one of the funniest moments of the film.

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