Best Improvised Moments In DC Movies

Heath Ledger's Joker performance in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight.The Dark KnightThe film earned an Academy Award, and one unscripted moment stood out. After the Joker is caught, he finds himself in a cell with police officers. Jim Gordon learns he is getting a promotion to police commissioner, so the room applauds, but one character claps unexpectedly. The Joker starts clapping loudly.The Joker clapped loudly.The Joker claps with tongue-in-cheek acknowledgment of Gordon's promotion, making the surrounding officers stop and look at him.

Ledger improvised this moment entirely. It is one of the few unscripted moments Nolan left in the final film.

In JokerThe Joker's dance after his first slaying in Joker.Arthur Fleck crosses the line into homicide after some time. Immediately after, in the bathroom, his actions are strange but fit the character. Instead of talking to himself in the mirror about his actions (as written), he dances.

Fleck processes his emotions about his mayhem burst through dance.The Joker's dance.Joaquin Phoenix created that entire effect through improvisation. Director Todd Phillips showed Phoenix made the moment on the spot. Phoenix kept it even though the script called for something else.

Batman stays cool under pressure. He has plans to take out the Justice League and fights many DC villains. He fights Superman now that Doomsday appears in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.Batman v. Superman: Dawn of JusticeWhen Batman first sees the monster, his reaction is less Batman and more Ben Affleck. He just looks up and says, "Oh sh*t!"

The line is funny and fits the moment, but it was not in the script. Affleck explained the expletive in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.Entertainment Weekly:

I improvised that. I felt it would work and be funny. I improvised and talked to director Zack Snyder about it. This works because you do not expect it—it is Batman, and he is so outmatched. We treat these characters more realistically. It seems real that he would say that then. Any kid hears their father say that if he hits his thumb by accident while hammering a nail.

Zachary Levi was the right actor for the lead role in Shazam!Shazam!Levi's great sense of humor helped with playing a child in a grown superhero body. Levi used the chance to test his improv skills with director David F. Sandberg's full support.David F. SandbergShazam fights Dr. Sivana. Sandberg mentioned the line in a tweet.Shazam asks Batman toys for help in 'Shazam!' appears in the list 'Best Improvised Moments In DC Movies'.:

Zac improvised "get him Batman." He also threw Barbie dolls and yelled "get him Barbie."

The fight happens in a mall. Shazam grabs a Batman toy, throws it at his enemy, and drops the improvised gem. The Barbie part failed; Sandberg said, "That was too much for me," but the scene stays memorable.

Joaquin Phoenix proves he is a brilliant actor. Few knew his improv skills reached this level before seeing Joker.JokerPhoenix adopted nuances and small behaviors for his Joker take. The refrigerator scene is the most known example.

Arthur Fleck throws refrigerator contents onto the floor, climbs in, and shuts the door. This scene shows his internal struggle as he descends into madness; it was entirely improvised. Cinematographer Lawrence Sher.Lawrence SherSher mentioned the scene in an interview with Slash Film: "When he climbed in the refrigerator, we had no idea he was going to do that."

The director kept filming despite Phoenix surprising the crew. The shot made it into the movie. Sher explained how the scene happened with the camera setup they used.

We set two camera positions. Joaquin just considered what he would do as a massive insomniac. We lit it so he could go anywhere. The first time he did it, we were mesmerized. I thought, "What is he doing? Did he just crawl in the fridge?" We found watching it fun and weird.

One major part of Wonder Woman.Wonder WomanGal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins wanted the heroine to show she was a feminist. Gadot and Chris Pine explored this in a scene.The boat scene in 'Wonder Woman' was entirely ad-libbed.The characters talk during a boat ride back to man's world. Nothing they say was in the script.

The conversation shows strong chemistry between the two characters and the two actors.The boat scene in 'Wonder Woman' showed chemistry.The situation plays out comically. Gadot shows her character's interest in how men and women live together in Steve Trevor's world. Diana is not shown as superior; the scene treats this woman and this man as equals, getting to know each other.

One of the best lines came from Aquaman.Aquaman's line about redheads appears in 'Aquaman'.Jason Momoa improvised Aquaman's line about redheads in 'Aquaman.' A plane flies over the Sahara Desert. Mera (Amber Heard) jumps out without a parachute. The pilot notices. Arthur Curry (Momoa) stays calm.Aquaman quipped about redheads in 'Aquaman' for the list 'Best Improvised Moments In DC Movies'., "Redheads - you gotta love 'em," before he jumps out without a chute, leaving the pilot to question if he caused two passengers' deaths.

Momoa talked about trying improv in an interview with Fox News reported on Aquaman's line about redheads in 'Aquaman' for the list 'Best Improvised Moments In DC Movies'.:

We did a lot of improv. [Director] James [Wan] said, "Alright, we got it." He let me be free and play, doing small things that felt right. So, yes, there is much. I show more of myself in this character than any role I've played.

Arthur Fleck gets a gun from a clown coworker. This small event causes much bloodshed, but it is one of the most memorable gun moments in Joker's dance with the gun scene in 'Joker' for the list 'Best Improvised Moments In DC Movies'.Fleck talks to himself and plays with his new weapon in his mother's apartment. He eventually shoots the wall.

The crew knew Fleck would shoot at some point, but they did not know when. Fleck was not supposed to talk to himself; Joaquin Phoenix handled both parts of the scene himself. Cinematographer Lawrence Sher explained how they filmed the actor's improvised moments in an interview with Slash Film showed Joker's dance with the gun scene in 'Joker' for the list 'Best Improvised Moments In DC Movies'.:

He plays with the gun and fires it into the wall. Everyone knew he would shoot the wall at some point, but they never planned when. They did not know he would talk to himself and start dancing. They only had two cameras and let it happen; this became a big part of how they did many things.

Jack Nicholson has many great roles this year. His time as the Clown Prince of Crime in 1989's Batman featured Joker's 'You Ever Dance With The Devil?' query for the list 'Best Improvised Moments In DC Movies'.is a standout. He created real threat while wearing bright colors, charmingly taking out many people. A famous moment featured a memorable flourish from Nicholson. The actor seemed Joker's 'You Ever Dance With The Devil?' query in 'Batman' proved difficult for the list 'Best Improvised Moments In DC Movies'. to work with on set, but this scene shows he channeled his character more than anything else.

In the scene in Vicki Vale's apartment, the Joker meets Bruce Wayne. They talk briefly. When the Joker asks his famous line, "You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?" Bruce is surprised. Joker then plugs Wayne in the chest. As he leaves, he dances and blows a Joker's 'You Ever Dance With The Devil?' query in 'Batman' involved raspberry for the list 'Best Improvised Moments In DC Movies'.Nicholson improvised the scene. He did this because he thought the Joker's humor was bad, and it seemed like the right thing after (probably) killing someone.

Another actor got a chance to show his improv skills in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)Ewan McGregor played Roman Sionis, Black Mask. McGregor improvised most of his dialogue. Director Cathy Yan shared his input with the ReelBlend podcast.ReelBlendpodcast:

McGregor added lines. He wants real actor collaboration and fun on set; things are open. Christina (Hodson) supported this; she wasn't picky about the script. They threw ideas around. McGregor would suggest a line, and the director would say, "I love that line! Let's add it." This happened often. McGregor is wickedly funny. He understood the character because he grasped the background, the chip on his shoulder, and the need for power and control.

The director did not explain which lines were written and which were improvised. Still, the character mixes Hodson's and McGregor's work. The Scottish actor's performance is one of the film's best, breaking the pattern of weak DCEU villains.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)The film gave the world nearly as much Harley Quinn/Margot Robbie as the public wanted. This gave actors chances to improvise during hangouts. Ella Jay Basco, who played Cassandra Cain, spoke to...A Book Ofone scene almost completely improvised:

Margot [Robbie], Jurnee [Smollett-Bell], Rosie [Perez], Mary [Elizabeth Winstead], and I improvised most of this scene. We laughed, joked, and had a great time all day. Director Cathy Yan told us to do silly things that made us smile. The location was near a Shake Shack, so we ate burgers, fries, and junk food. That day felt like fun, not work.

The scene made it into the movie, and it seems...the principal castgot the opportunity many people dream of: getting paid to hang out with friends, eat comfort food, and have a good time.

InJustice League, Ezra Miller reprises his role as Barry Allen, serving as the film's comic relief, just like in the comics. Miller learned much from improv and practiced ad-libbing in many scenes. Speaking at the world premiere ofJustice Leagueat the Dolby Theater in Hollywood,Millerexplained his license to improvise while working on the movie:

I improvised every day, on every scene. This worked well for the character, and I got permission to do it. I asked the woman who taught me improv for advice, and I went back to that. My acting training involved improv. I found it fun. Having other characters to react to made it great.

He did not specify.Ezra Miller's comic relief in 'Justice League' appears in the 'Best Improvised Moments In DC Movies' list.Scenes were improvised. His Flash character mostly uses short, one-line jokes, so he gave a spin to most of his dialogue.