20 actors who improvised iconic scenes

18) ⁠The Godfather (1972)

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The fact that Marlon Brando brought in a cat during the opening scene wasn't exactly premeditated. It happened when a stray feline walked into the shooting location and, on its own instinct, Brando picked up the cat while stroking it to deliver the lines. That cat lightened Don Vito Corleone's intimidating demeanor, so his character turned out a lot more interesting. The scene was Francis Ford Coppola's favorite improvisation of all: it put the most contrasting tones of menace and tenderness into one of the cinema's greatest opening sequences.

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