7 Movie Roles that Were Almost Entirely Improvised

What’s a movie without a script? A mess, that’s what. Movie scripts are essential for the production of movies and TV shows and include a detailed record of all the action, character dialogues, and other details. But it doesn’t mean the actors can’t put some glitter on their roles. Many of them actually like improvising on the set and do it quite well. Most of the improv scenes end up on the cutting room floor, but those that survive are worth their weight in gold!

Here are seven astounding movie roles that were almost entirely improvised.

1. Randall Peltzer – Gremlins
On oldie but a goodie, Gremlins, is that weird Christmas movie that you either love or hate. When it comes to horror-comedies, there’s no beating Gremlins. Frank Welker voiced the little evil bastard, Stripe, and was allowed to improvise plenty of lines. But he’s not the only one with the improv game! Hoyt Axton was the first guy we see in the movie. He’s the wacky inventor with the Bathroom Buddy, and guess what? That entire selling pitch was improvised.

2. Dr. Peter Venkman – Ghostbusters
If you’ve seen Ghostbusters, you probably remember that Venkman, played by Bill Murray, was basically “Bill Murray as himself.” And the only way to do is to disregard the script and do your own take on the character. Apparently, that worked for him because some sources say he would just ignore the text entirely and go off the rails.

3. The Janitor – Scrubs
Initially, the janitor was supposed to be a cameo, but Flynn did so well that the director insisted or keeping him as a series regular. During a Reddit AMA, Zach Braff said that Neil was not only an incredible actor but also freakishly smart and witty. His lines in the script would often say something like: “Neil makes something up and leaves.” That’s a level of trust that only a few married couples out there can compete with.