Movie Scenes That Were Completely Ruined By Extras
Making it as a movie star isn't easy. Usually, you have to start at the very bottom and work your way up to the top, and even then it can be down to chance whether your career will take off. Working as a background extra can offer some the taste of stardom, even if only for a brief moment. Unfortunately, some extras seize this opportunity with both hands and end up standing out for all of the wrong reasons.
It is the job of a background extra to simply blend into the background and provide texture and realism in a scene while the stars do their thing. From huge battle scenes where hundreds of extras help create a sense of scale, to just a handful of people milling about in a coffee shop to make it believable, extras are an incredibly important part of the movie business.
However, while they are an intrinsic part of a film, there are plenty of examples of extras who took that sense of importance and ran with it. Whether it was a ridiculous blunder that somehow made it into the final edit, or a deliberate effort to make their mark in the film — by any means necessary — these are some movie scenes completely ruined by extras.
The boy who ruins the surprise in North by Northwest
There's a good reason why moviegoers know Alfred Hitchcock as the Master of Suspense. Few do it better than he did, and 1959's thrilling "North by Northwest" represents Hitchcock at the very peak of his powers. The film focuses on advertising executive Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant), who gets mistaken for a government agent and goes on the run. A thrilling cat-and-mouse chase unfolds, culminating in a memorable Mount Rushmore finale.
Hitchcock fills the movie with twists, turns, and moments of agonizing suspense, and yet, one of the most shocking moments — where Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) shoots Roger in the shadow of the aforementioned monument — suffers from the actions of a young boy in the background. Seconds before Eve takes her shot, the boy is seen preemptively putting his fingers in his ears, anticipating the sound of the gunshot.
While extras occasionally milk their five minutes of fame, rarely does a background extra so spectacularly spoil a pivotal moment in the film, making this scene in "North by Northwest" quite unique. Perhaps the young boy simply had enough of hearing that gunshot go off after multiple takes, so he took matters into his own hands... and ears. It just so happened that this shot made it into the final cut.
The very vocal fan in Ghostbusters
Since its release in 1984, "Ghostbusters" has earned legions of fans, but arguably the most ardent one pops up in the movie itself. In the film, we meet a team of specter-destroyers who aim to rid the streets of New York City of its ghostly inhabitants. While plenty of people are dismissive of their efforts, their heroics soon turn them into celebrities and vast crowds show up to celebrate them.
Late in the film, we meet a particularly vocal fan of Venkman (Bill Murray), Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), Spengler (Harold Ramis), and Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson). This redheaded extra (Eldo Ray Estes) could not be more excited to meet his heroes, and it results in the immortal line, "Ghostbusters, alright!" While there is no doubt that this extra completely stands out for all of the wrong reasons, it is a testament to the enthusiasm of the fans of "Ghostbusters" that this guy has become something of a token for their love of the film.
In an interview with Halloween Love, Estes spoke of his experience as an extra, saying, "I was, obviously, determined to be seen as much as possible." Estes' tenacity certainly paid off, to the point where people recognized him regularly the summer after "Ghostbusters" opened. While an extra being so noticeable to the point of recognition probably isn't a good thing given they are supposed to blend into the background, you have to admire the way this particular extra seized the moment.
The hospital worker staring down the camera in Jaws
So much of the magic of "Jaws" resulted from happenstance. From the famously unreliable shark — the absence of which actually increases the tension on screen — to the Martha's Vineyard locals drafted as extras, "Jaws" boasts too many inimitable qualities to count. The film focuses on the fictional island community of Amity, thrown into chaos when a great white shark shows up on their shores. Under pressure to make the beaches safe for the tourists who flock to Amity, Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), shark expert Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), and grizzled fisherman Quint (Robert Shaw) are called upon to rid the town of this menace.
While there is a wonderful authenticity in using the locals to fill the background — resulting in iconic moments such as the "a-what?" guy – it also opens up the opportunity for chaos and some rookie errors. Many eagle-eyed fans have spotted the guy who looks absolutely delighted to be running into shark-infested waters, but don't forget the hospital worker who just can't stop looking at the camera. After Michael Brody (Chris Rebello) narrowly avoids an encounter with the shark, he is taken to hospital to recover. While a nurse assures Ellen (Lorraine Gary) that her son will be fine, another hospital worker pushes the bed and looks up at the camera at least three or four times. It's impossible not to notice the moment once you know it is there.
The extra who has never used a broom in Quantum of Solace
Released in 2008, Daniel Craig's second outing as James Bond, "Quantum of Solace" saw a continuation of the story in "Casino Royale," with the spy seeking to track down the members of a shadowy criminal organization. As with any James Bond film, "Quantum of Solace" is a massive production, with huge numbers of moving parts, and big action set pieces. Alongside the main cast, plenty of extras are needed to fill out the background — whether that is as an audience member at the opera or a person sweeping the road.
Picture this. You're an extra in a James Bond film and you receive the exciting — if daunting — news that you are going to be in shot behind the man himself. All you have to do is sweep the ground and blend in as much as possible. It sounds simple enough but, unfortunately, this particular extra looks like he has never used a broom in his life, as he simply sweeps the air. Some fans have noted that there was probably a very good explanation for this and that the extra may have been instructed not to actually sweep in case the sound was picked up. Even so, it looks incredibly silly and takes away from Bond brooding in the foreground.
The student who can't hide his joy watching Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon
In the late '60s, actor and martial artist Bruce Lee finally got his big break with American audiences following his appearance as Kato in the "The Green Hornet" TV series, and at the beginning of the following decade, Lee achieved his Hollywood breakthrough with films like "The Big Boss" and "Fist of Fury." By the time "Enter the Dragon" rolled around in 1973, Lee was a huge star and considered a legend of the genre.
With the gravitas that Lee brought to the screen, it's no wonder that those who appeared alongside him — even in minor, background roles — were thrilled by the prospect. In one scene, Lee is surrounded by a group of students, whose one job is to appear stone-faced while the master does his thing. However, one extra didn't get the memo and can clearly be seen laughing in the background when Lee kicks one unfortunate person in the head three times. We get it, watching Bruce Lee kicking butt is incredibly exciting, but it does take away from the impact of this scene to see one extra cracking up.
Doc Brown's kid just really needed to pee in Back to the Future Part III
They say never to work with kids or animals, but the behavior of the canine actor in this scene from "Back to the Future Part III" seems exemplary compared to the child playing one of Doc Brown's (Christopher Lloyd) young sons. In the concluding part of the "Back to the Future" saga, the action moves to the Wild West, as Marty (Michael J. Fox) races to save Doc from the trigger-happy Buford 'Mad Dog' Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson). While kicking about in 1885, Doc also fell in love with Clara Clayton (Mary Steenburgen), with the end revealing that they have two sons together, Jules (Todd Cameron Brown) and Verne (Dannel Evans).
What should have been a touching family moment became a source of much discussion among fans when they noticed the gesture Evans was making. In this scene, Evans can be seen gesturing for the camera to come closer and then pointing at his crotch. Fans deduced that the most likely explanation was that he really needed to pee. You can't blame Evans for this, really, but it is surprising that no one noticed and this take made it into the film. Once you see it, it is pretty distracting and embarrassing for the actor in his big moment.
The diner patron who tries to upstage Robert De Niro in Goodfellas
Martin Scorsese packed his sprawling gangster epic "Goodfellas" with memorable moments, from the iconic opening line to the closing minutes soundtracked by Sid Vicious' cover of "My Way." The film largely focuses on Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) and his life in the mob alongside Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci).
There's plenty of double-crossing and drama along the way, but one crucial scene is almost completely derailed by a scene-stealing extra. Henry and Jimmy meet in a diner, and both men distrust the other's intentions. When Henry is given a hit in Florida, it confirms his suspicions that Jimmy plans to have him killed instead. At the scene's center are Henry and Jimmy, engaged in an important conversation with life-or-death consequences, but behind Jimmy sits an extremely distracting extra.
For extras, it is a cardinal sin to stare directly at the camera. However, this background actor does everything possible not to look at the camera and fails miserably. All he needed to do was sit normally in the background and concentrate on his food. Still, his overthinking resulted in him looking like he was trying to upstage De Niro, and that is not something many people are capable of.
The butcher with terrible knife skills in Raiders of the Lost Ark
Sometimes there is a healthy dose of irony in the scenes that are ruined by extras, and this proves true in a scene from 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Indiana Jones' (Harrison Ford) globetrotting escapades lead him to Cairo, where he and Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) are ambushed in a thrilling chase sequence.
After a nefarious monkey exposes Marion's hiding place, Indy searches for his companion in the center of a bustling marketplace. Things come to a head when he faces off against a black-robed assassin who displays his impressive knife skills before our hero hilariously reminds him not to bring a knife to a gunfight. It is one of the film's best and funniest moments, but fans have pointed out that if you look closely behind Indy, you can see a butcher who looks like he is barely caressing the meat with the cleaver, let alone chopping it. Given the posturing of Indy's opponent, this poor butcher is perhaps even more noticeable — and his prominence right behind the leading man makes it impossible to miss.
Even the extras are bad in The Room
The argument that there isn't a whole lot to ruin in this cult "disasterpiece" is certainly fair, but that doesn't stop the extras in Tommy Wiseau's "The Room" from doing the absolute most to stand out for all the wrong reasons. In this film — written by, directed by, and starring Wiseau — much of the action takes place in the home of Johnny (Wiseau) and his future wife Lisa (Juliette Danielle). Unbeknownst to Johnny, his betrothed is sleeping with his best friend, Mark (Greg Sestero). Plus, Lisa's mom (Carolyn Minnott) has breast cancer, and their neighbor Denny (Philip Haldiman) is indebted to — and possibly buying drugs from — a notorious local gangster ... although none of that really matters by the end.
Resisting the temptation to include the "doggy" from the florist's – because if anything, he enhances the scene — it is in a coffee shop that we find the distracting extra. When you manage to overlook the banalities of this scene, the conversation between Johnny and Mark has the potential to be very revealing given the infidelity happening behind closed doors.
When Johnny leaves, Mark looks pensive, clearly considering the damage he is knowingly doing to their friendship by sleeping with Lisa. Unfortunately, however, this reflective moment is ruined by the extra sat behind Mark who turns around to stare straight down the camera lens while he chows down on his food.
The posing cab driver in Jurassic Park
Everything about "Jurassic Park" is big, from the sheer scale of the dinosaurs to the personalities of characters such as Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum). However, the note to "go big or go home" also seems to have been given to the extras — and the results are unintentionally hilarious.
Away from the dino action, we see Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) accept a bribe from Dr. Lewis Dodgson (Cameron Thor) — a rival of Dr. John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) — to steal the dinosaur embryos. Nedry is a larger-than-life character, but before this meeting, we see a taxi driver who could give him a run for his money. After dropping off Dodgson, he gets out of the car and strikes a strange pose behind him that seems to have no explanation.
It is an odd choice, for sure, although closer inspection seems to suggest the taxi driver is irate that he has to get out and close the door for Dodgson and he chooses to express his annoyance with an over-the-top gesture. Leave it to Reddit to fill in the gaps, though, as several fans have pointed out that there could be some foreshadowing in this scene, and that Dodgson leaving the taxi doors open hints at the problems that will be caused by leaving the gates open at the park. This still doesn't explain the extra's rationale, however, but at least he made the most of his few seconds of fame.
Delighted moviegoers fleeing the theater in The Blob
The 1958 classic sci-fi horror "The Blob" may be pretty tame by today's standards but this film about a gelatinous alien lifeform terrorizing a Pennsylvania town still retains the power to thrill and chill. One of the movie's most famous scenes, when the mass attacks a movie theater full of unsuspecting teens, also should be one of the most terrifying. However, the edge is taken off by the hordes of extras smiling when they should be screaming.
While enjoying a horror movie, the teens find themselves the stars of one when the blob spills through the projection booth, leading to hysteria. As the crowd scatters out onto the streets, we hear the sounds of screaming, but look closely and you'll see that many of the extras have got big cheesy grins on their faces instead of abject terror.
There's no doubt that this briefly takes away from the scene's impact but it is a moment that has become so popular that it birthed a surprising tradition. The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania — where the scene was filmed — hosts "Blobfest," an annual event that celebrates the legacy of "The Blob" and includes a special "run out" where fans recreate the famous scene.
The stormtrooper who bumps his head in Star Wars
The stormtroopers in "Star Wars" are known for, shall we say, their ineptitude when it comes to shooting. However, one particular trooper in "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope" made an even bigger impact ... in more ways than one. When our heroes find themselves trapped inside a trash compactor, they call upon C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) to get them out.
Back in the control room, a group of stormtroopers break in, and as they're coming through the doors, one stormtrooper bashes his head. Not only do we see this happen but we hear it as well. Look closer and you can even see him looking a little dazed and confused in the background. It is now known as one of the most famous movie blunders, and while it does detract from the moment, it is undeniably hilarious.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Laurie Goode — the man in the suit — described what happened, and that he had been feeling unwell on that particular day: "On about the fourth take, as I shuffled along, I felt my stomach rumbling, and "bang," I hit my head! As I wasn't moving too fast, it was more of a scuffed bash, so it didn't hurt ... I expected it to end up on the cutting-room floor. But when I did see it in the cinema, I thought: 'OMG, that's me!'"