- 5 months ago
Sometimes the background becomes the foreground! Join us as we spotlight those scene-stealing extras who turned brief moments into cinematic gold through unplanned reactions, improvisation, or just plain weird behavior. These background performers prove that sometimes the smallest roles create the biggest movie memories!
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Okay, whatever happens, let's be professional.
00:03Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for background actors who stole the spotlight with exaggerated acting, improv, or mishap.
00:10Swirl him to the floor again, sir.
00:12Oh, yes. Swirl him to the floor, please.
00:16Number 10, Leila Saracolo.
00:18Star Trek IV, The Voyage Home.
00:20San Francisco native Leila Saracolo would relate to the Starship Enterprise crew when they were transported to 1986.
00:29Earth. But when, Spock?
00:34Judging by the pollution content of the atmosphere, I believe we have arrived at the latter half of the 20th century.
00:39She was herself stranded after her car was impounded during a shooting day for Star Trek's fourth film.
00:45Instead of a nuclear reactor, though, she collected money to get home by playing one of the bystanders, Uhura, and Chekhov, ask for help.
00:53Oh, excuse me. We are looking for nuclear weapons. Can you tell me where the naval base is?
00:59In Alameda, we're looking for nuclear... Hello?
01:02But instead of brushing them off like everyone else, Saracolo tried to politely give directions.
01:07This dialogue, a comedic highlight in The Voyage Home, was totally improvised by Saracolo.
01:11Please, when looking for the naval base in Alameda, could you tell me where the nuclear vessels are?
01:17Nope.
01:17Ooh, I don't know if I know the answer to that. I think it's across the bay. In Alameda.
01:22That's what I said. Alameda. I know that.
01:24But where is Alameda?
01:25Though she passed away in 2025, that one initially bad day in 86 would ensure the show-stealer's place well into the future.
01:33Number 9. Taking a Dive.
01:35The Dark Knight Rises.
01:36Hey, who wants to pick a fight with Batman and Catwoman anyway?
01:39They take down a whole horde of Bane's henchmen in The Dark Knight Rises.
01:49Granted, the baddies weirdly take turns attacking, with one embarrassingly missing an opportunity to strike Batman from behind.
01:55He instead briefly shuffles around, before falling back like he was knocked out.
01:58This blooper has baffled Batman fans ever since, with no explanation of this masked extra's identity, or why he reacted to a fight that hadn't yet reached him.
02:10Maybe the stunt performer really did think his character would be wise enough to play dead in this melee.
02:15Or maybe he just blew the choreography in a memorable way.
02:18Number 8. Man Throws Dog.
02:21Mr. Nanny.
02:21Let me tell you something, brother.
02:23The family comedy Mr. Nanny didn't win Hulk Hogan any fans.
02:28At least, there was one memorable wrestling move during a motorcycle montage.
02:36As the Hulkster rides across Palm Beach, Florida, a man can be seen throwing a dog into the water in a seaside background.
02:46Audiences who bothered to watch the movie that closely were shocked.
02:49The easter egg took Mr. Nanny viral years later.
02:52People can't figure out if this was animal cruelty, or just someone swimming with his pet.
02:56Was he even an official extra with such a fast-paced sequence?
03:00Certainly, opening a shot with such a distracting visual says a lot about the movie's campy ineptitude.
03:06I can handle myself.
03:09Number 7. In Need of a Bathroom Break.
03:12Back to the Future Part 3.
03:13What would you change if you could go back in time?
03:16We can guess the answer from Danil Evans, who briefly appeared as Dr. Emmett Brown's son, Vern, at the end of the Back to the Future trilogy.
03:24As Doc gives Marty McFly one last speech before travelling through time with his family, Vern is visibly uncomfortable behind him.
03:31Evans winces, gestures for attention, then points down to indicate that it's time for a potty break.
03:37Your future hasn't been written yet. No one's has. Your future is whatever you make it.
03:44This distracts from a crucial and emotional scene that was reportedly too tricky to reshoot.
03:49It by no means ruins the ideal ending of Back to the Future 3, though Evan's awkward communication could indicate why Vern wasn't a speaking part.
03:57And eventually I was like, man, I need to use the restroom. And I was just letting him know, like, hey, I need to use the restroom.
04:03He's like, just one or two more and then you can go and do your thing. And I was like, okay, that's fine.
04:08But they took that one and put it there. So I was like, okay. So it is what it is.
04:14Number 6. Jolly Beachgoer. Jaws.
04:17The biggest threat to Amity Island is firmly established when the shark attacks a child at the beach.
04:22Well, maybe not so much for one visitor.
04:24As people help others get to the shore, one man in front of Martin Brody is smiling.
04:28It even looks like he's skipping into the water.
04:34Failing panic admittedly had been fun for the non-professional actors in Jaws.
04:38A later beach frenzy scene even features a smiling extra in a party of people wearing button shirts and ties.
04:45The more noted first guy is just particularly well placed.
04:48While Steven Spielberg's seminal thriller overcame some huge technical difficulties,
04:52you can't catch all the distracting extras in the sea.
04:56Please, get the water.
05:00Number 5. All right. Ghostbusters.
05:03If this guy wants to call someone, he probably wouldn't need a phone.
05:07Certainly, all of Manhattan is enamoured with the Ghostbusters as they arrive at the scene of a paranormal attack.
05:13But through the roaring crowd of fans, one up front can be clearly heard shouting.
05:19That was Eldoray Estes, a makeup artist who went on to win four Emmys for his work on As the World Turns.
05:26He has since confirmed that he was the all right extra in Ghostbusters,
05:31and that he was actively trying to get attention.
05:34They love you. They love you here.
05:35It must have worked if he was frequently recognised after the film's release.
05:45As successful as Estes has been behind the scenes, that one moment on camera made him immortal.
05:52I know. I know. I mean, I guess I wanted to be seen, but obviously I did.
05:58Number 4. Dinah Patron. Goodfellas.
06:00Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas boldly exposes the workings of the Mafia.
06:05It's a wonder how they kept it a secret if mob meetings caught this much attention by bystanders.
06:10During the iconic scene in which Henry Hill and Jimmy Conway talk at a diner,
06:14a patron behind Jimmy struggles to look nonchalant.
06:17I met Jimmy in a crowded place we both knew.
06:20I got there 15 minutes early and I saw that Jimmy was already there.
06:24He took the booth near the window so he could see everyone who drove up to the restaurant.
06:29In fact, he often seems startled when he looks up from his food and cases the joint.
06:34Once you see him, you can't not see him in every shot of Jimmy.
06:38It doesn't help that the man looks directly at the camera at one point.
06:41Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta's dialogue is apparently just that captivating.
06:46Still, whether that diner patron heard something he shouldn't have, his actor was suspiciously shifty.
06:51That's when I knew I would never have come back from Florida alive.
06:55Number 3. Nervous Kid. North by Northwest.
06:57It's believed that W.C. Fields said you should never work with children or animals.
07:03They may be particularly tough to tame in scenes of suspense, even for the master of it.
07:08In one of the most shocking scenes in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest,
07:12Eve Kendall shoots Roger Thornhill with blanks at a Mount Rushmore cafe.
07:16It's less shocking if you spot the kid in the background plugging his ears before the gun goes off.
07:21Maybe he clocked the weapon when he was staring at the actors,
07:23though that's distracting enough.
07:25Save the foamy tears.
07:27Just look back.
07:30Are you a little fool?
07:32As impeccably crafted as this tense scene is otherwise,
07:35that boy has become an icon of unprofessional extras.
07:38That may be unfair given his overly curious age.
07:42Number 2. Think fast.
07:43Being John Malkovich.
07:44John Malkovich is already furious when he discovers a portal into his own mind that exits onto a roadside.
07:58As he storms off, a man in a passing car throws a beer can at his head while shouting,
08:02This painfully funny gag was made more iconic by a 2007 YouTube video featuring Jones' commentary on the scene,
08:13which claimed that this extra improvised the toss.
08:16The thing is, the commentary track was fake.
08:19That was not in our script at all.
08:21We had some extras that had snuck some beer on set, and it had gotten pretty lit.
08:27Fortunately, it wasn't the driver, just the passenger.
08:30And he throws the can at Malkovich and has the famous line,
08:34Hey Malkovich, think fast.
08:36And he now has his SAG card because of it,
08:39and we had to bump his pace from about $100 to $700 a day.
08:44And he has Mr. Malkovich's reaction to thank for that.
08:48In a Reddit Q&A in 2013, Malkovich revealed that the gag was in the script,
08:53though he wasn't necessarily supposed to get hit.
08:56That extra's expert marksmanship is nonetheless the stuff of legend.
09:04Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions.
09:08Flyers Down, Teen Wolf.
09:10The final basketball game ends in triumph,
09:13and a wardrobe malfunction in the bleachers.
09:18You see, there's really nothing to do with me.
09:21Scaredy Cat, you only live twice.
09:24Apparently, Blofeld's furry companion didn't know the headquarters explosion was fake.
09:34Impregnable?
09:35Come with me, Mr. Parker.
09:38Third one to base.
09:39A shake of the fist.
09:41Coach Carter.
09:42One sports fan condemns a school gym closure with a most cinematic gesture.
09:50A superfan.
09:52Million Dollar Baby.
09:53A man in Maggie's Corner gets a bit too hyped for such a solemn boxing drama.
09:58Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel
10:09and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
10:12You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
10:16If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
10:20Number 1.
10:23The Centurions.
10:24Monty Python's Life of Brian.
10:25Only one survivor, sir.
10:27Ah.
10:28Throw him to the floor.
10:30What's a...
10:31Throw him to the floor.
10:33Ah.
10:35Man.
10:36It must have been hard to keep a straight face as an extra in a Monty Python movie.
10:40Never mind those who were cast as Roman centurions in Life of Brian,
10:44with orders to not laugh during Pontius Pilate's interrogation of Brian Cohen.
10:48They were also not briefed on the scene,
10:51as actor Michael Palin wanted an authentic reaction as he pushed them to their limits.
10:56When the Centurions finally broke over a reference to Pilate's unfortunately named friend,
11:00Palin improvised a turn in the interrogation.
11:03I have a very great friend in Rome called Biggest Dickus.
11:08Silence!
11:10What is all this insolence?
11:12You will find yourself in gladiator school very quickly with rotten behavior like that.
11:16Now, that's how you do deadpan during a ridiculous scene.
11:20Of course, his victim's continued futile professionalism is what makes this gag so iconic.
11:25Wait, your biggest dickus here's of this.
11:28Wait!
11:30Take him away!
11:31Oh, sir, eat your...
11:31No, no, I want him fighting rabid wild animals within a week.
11:35Yes, sir.
11:35I've told you.
11:36Never underestimate the creative talent lurking in the back of a scene.
11:45Incontinentia.
11:49Incontinentia buttocks.
11:50Shut up!
11:51What's it, all this?
11:53I've had enough of this rowdy, wabble, sliggling behavior!
11:56Who are some other movie extras who got extra attention from the audience?
12:00Point them out in the comments.
12:02That's the beauty of it all.
12:03Simplicity.
12:05Besides, if it gets too complicated, you lose your target audience.
Be the first to comment