- 9 minutes ago
These background artists all absolutely stole the show.
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00:00From that time, a mesmerizing wedding guest completely overshadowed one of the MCU's most
00:05powerful heroes, to the moment audiences found themselves being hypnotized by a brusher in the
00:11background. These are some more utterly wonderful pieces of extra work. I'm Gareth, this is What
00:18Culture, and here are 10 more of the greatest movie extra performances ever.
00:2310. Sweeping His Way Into History – Quantum of Solace
00:27Throughout his time playing the most iconic secret agent on planet Earth, the blonde Bond shell known
00:33as Daniel Craig rarely found himself being upstaged by anyone he was sharing the screen with.
00:38However, there was a moment during easily the least adored of his 007 flicks, when one hilarious
00:44extra did exactly that in Quantum of Solace. As James Bond sits on his motorcycle and unleashes
00:51his best broody stare, it's simply impossible not to turn your attention to the bloke to the left of
00:56Craig doing a bit of sweeping. Only this particular quick brushing down of the dock floor bizarrely
01:02appeared to involve the scrubbing of thin air. Maybe that dude was just practicing his cleaning
01:07technique in the middle of his shift. Perhaps he was simply rehearsing a dance number for a musical
01:12he was about to star in. Either way, this guy managed to become a background superstar through
01:17his curious sweeping method, with his strange brush with Bond being one of the most memorable moments
01:22to come from the otherwise forgettable 2008 feature. And while we're on the subject of Bond,
01:28what is your favourite Bond film of all time? It's probably not Quantum of Solace,
01:32but you let me know what is in the comments section down below.
01:369. Hey Malkovich, Think Fast – Being John Malkovich
01:39Contrary to popular belief, the wonderful moment when John Malkovich gets rocked by a beer can sent
01:45flying out of a car by a passenger was not a completely improvised one. But that still doesn't
01:51change the fact that it's one of the finest extra performances ever to speed past a camera.
01:56According to the titular star himself, director Spike Johns actually almost deleted the throw in the
02:02script due to time constraints. However, after claiming no one would be able to nail Malkovich in
02:07the head with the tin in a moving vehicle, a number of folks nearby offered to try, with John
02:13Cusack's writer partner then eventually being given the chance to hit the actor. And on top of the
02:18brilliant delivery of Hey Malkovich, Think Fast, followed by the terrific sound of the can
02:23connecting with an infuriated Malkovich's noggin, that this chucking was actually brilliantly
02:28captured on the first try, simply makes an already superb and quite iconic moment that little
02:34bit more fantastic.
02:35Number 8, The Force Kick, Return of the Jedi
02:38There are some out there who would have you believe that the visual of a dude on Tatooine
02:43being seemingly knocked over by a gust of wind during Star Wars Episode VI Return of the Jedi
02:48was little more than a combination of bad choreography and camera positioning.
02:52But they be wrong! Instead, when Luke Skywalker lets loose his boot whilst attempting to fight his
02:58way through Jabba the Hutt's goons, what you were actually watching was the result of one particularly
03:03committed extra, making the absolute most out of a ridiculously powerful force kick, folks.
03:08Hell, Mark Hamill himself even confirmed it. And this Jedi Master wouldn't lie to his
03:13padawans all over the galaxy now, would he? You know you've accidentally produced a special
03:17and properly unforgettable Star Wars moment, when folks are talking more about you being
03:21force booted in the face, than Boba Fett being sent flying to his Sarlacc Doom.
03:26And after taking one of the silliest looking kicks in movie history, it's safe to say this
03:31extra will be remembered for a long time. A long time.
03:35Number 7. So Many We're Gonna Need a Bigger Entry
03:38Jaws
03:38The folks of Amity Island could regularly be seen gathering and sprinting for their lives,
03:43around the likes of Martin Brody and the rest of the memorable characters found in Steven Spielberg's
03:48horrifying 1975 blockbuster Jaws.
03:51And with so many extras being needed to fill out these beach town crowds, a few of those background
03:57artists diverting attention away from the main figures in front of the camera was pretty much
04:01inevitable. Sure enough, on multiple occasions in Spielberg's classic flick, extras stole the
04:07spotlight in various different ways. There was the bloke who decided to wear a blatant smile
04:12across his mug during one of Bruce's first attacks, while the rest of the folks at the
04:16beach were losing their minds over the shark. Then you have the peculiar guy in a bucket hat,
04:21trying to squeeze his way into as many frames as possible when Brody and Hooper are checking out
04:25the tiger shark. Mayor Larry Vaughn regularly finds himself having to deal with a few background
04:30performers attracting viewers' wandering eyes, too. A young child works his way into shot with a
04:36noticeable frown, as Larry asks why someone isn't going for a dip. And one particularly excited
04:41extra also steals all the attention away from the mayor, when he's letting folks watching the news
04:46know that Amity means friendship, giddily waving her arms and distractingly throwing up a peace sign
04:52during her big moment. Put simply, none of these extras wasted their opportunity to be remembered
04:57in what turned out to be one of the most famous movies of all time.
05:01Number 6. Stealing the whole damn scene, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
05:05There was only one cameo MCU fans couldn't stop talking about after last year's Doctor Strange in
05:11the Multiverse of Madness. Sure, the arrival of a certain Reed Richards in full Fantastic Four
05:16attire was a fun addition to the multiversal mayhem, but John Krasinski's brief performance
05:21as the famous Marvel figure paled in comparison to one outstanding wedding guest. As the titular
05:27sorcerer waited for Christine Palmer to walk down the aisle on her wedding day,
05:31Stephen Strange began chatting with his fellow Doctor Nicodemus West. And it's here when the two
05:36docks were completely overshadowed by one absolutely hypnotic extra perched on the bench behind them,
05:43Rather than taking the safe approach of just having a basic conversation with another guest,
05:48this background performer shines during the moment she knows she's in shot,
05:52pulling many an expressive face and just generally being as hilariously animated as possible over
05:57Strange's shoulder. Sure, her colourful display ever so slightly undermines Strange's serious chat,
06:03about his part in causing half of life in the universe to be dusted away for five years before
06:07Thanos was ultimately defeated, but she certainly made the most of her MCU moment.
06:12And then some. And also, just a quick thanks for making WhatCulture a part of your day today.
06:17And if you like what you see, then go and tap on that subscribe button, you lovely person.
06:22Number 5. The Goon Who Kicked Their Own Ass
06:24The Dark Knight Rises
06:25Keeping in the world of superheroes for this next tremendous piece of extra work,
06:30Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy possesses some of the most gripping fight sequences ever to
06:34grace the genre. But while The Dark Knight Rises in particular certainly boasted some of the more
06:39brutal and jaw-dropping punch-ups the franchise had to offer, that threequel also contained one of the
06:44funniest mid-fight moments too. As Batman and Catwoman kick and thump their way out of trouble,
06:50Bane's henchmen find themselves being taken out one by one by the hard-hitting twosome.
06:55Well, most of them do anyway. One over-enthusiastic baddie appeared to have strangely got a little lost
07:00in the moment, and simply threw themselves to the ground whilst the Bat was occupied with a few other
07:05goons. Maybe the fear of tangling with the caped crusader was enough to make this Bane soldier
07:10crumble to the ground. Or perhaps one of the stunt workers involved in the multi-person skirmish
07:15simply forgot a piece of the fight routine, and this awkward tumble was the only way to save the
07:21rest of the take. Whatever the reason, the henchmen who conquered themselves quickly became a legend in
07:26their own right after this silly moment. Number 4. Batman Yeah! Batman Forever
07:31That stumbling Dark Knight Rises background performer wasn't the first extra to make a
07:36noticeable impact during a Bat film. Back during the far more cartoonish era of Dark Knight pictures,
07:42Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever included a scene which involved Batman crashing through the ceiling
07:47before hunting down Two-Face. And while that may initially sound like your average moment of
07:52caped crusader crime-fighting, one side-splitting extra ensured that this specific Bat arrival would
07:57never be forgotten. In the seconds before slow-mo Batman touches down on the floor,
08:02one carefree party guest can be found pointing up to the sky and letting out an exuberant Batman!
08:08Yeah! That drunken wonder in this extra's voice as Val Kilmer's superhero slowly dropped out of the
08:14sky, combined with the hilariously dramatic stare Nicole Kidman's Dr. Chase Meridian shoots the badass,
08:20as the guest's arm remains awkwardly aimed at his favourite hero, makes for one of the most glorious
08:25pieces of silly 90s action you'll find in the otherwise quite disappointing flick. And after catching
08:31this wonderful moment of strangeness for the first time, you'll likely struggle sitting through your
08:35next viewing of Batman Forever, without letting out your own random party extra, yeah! During his shot-stealing
08:42performance.
08:43Number 3, Oh God, I Can't Feel My Legs, Spider-Man
08:46When the scene which sees Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker giving that professional wrestling
08:51stuff a try, during Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man comes up in conversation, most folks will be
08:56quick to remember the brilliant performance given by real-life wrestling icon, Macho Man
09:01Randy Savage. Oh yeah!
09:04But before Bonesaw McGraw was ready to murder Spider-Man in the middle of the squared circle,
09:09a wonderful wrestling extra came along and offered another comical moment, in the wake of being
09:14sent flying by the aforementioned Macho Saw. As Parker makes his way to the ring for his debut
09:20as the amazing Spider-Man to the sound of booze, Bonesaw's last victim, a luchador who'd been
09:25smashed through a table, let Parker know what hell could be heading his way.
09:30Oh my God, oh my legs, oh God, I can't feel my legs were the memorable words that left Pete
09:35wondering whether he'd just made a monumental mistake, choosing to take a few bumps for some
09:39dollar. Macho Man and Maguire certainly provide their fair share of amusing moments throughout
09:44this much-loved wrestling superhero mashup, but it's this extra superb commitment to flailing
09:49around on a stretcher like he'd just lost a fight with King Kong that still sticks out
09:54as one of the funniest of the entire sequence.
09:56Number 2. Hold Your Horses, The Last Samurai
09:59Animals, like children, are known for being somewhat unpredictable on a film set, and that's
10:04something you definitely don't need to tell one of the unfortunate extras pretending to
10:07be a soldier during one rather awkward scene in The Last Samurai.
10:11As Tom Cruise's Captain Nathan Algren dismounts his steed in the middle of some nearby troops,
10:16said horse suddenly decided it had a problem with one of the extras just trying their best
10:21to stay as still as humanly possible.
10:23Rather than throwing a tantrum, dropping his spear, and demanding a word with the director
10:27after being kicked by the agitated animal though, this nutcracked soldier kept his composure
10:32and resisted the urge to fall to his knees in agony.
10:35You can hardly blame the horse for being a bit freaked out by the sight of so many armored
10:39blokes holding weapons around it, can you?
10:41But that doesn't change the fact that in the time it takes to lift your boot off the
10:45ground, this extra likely went from being excited about the idea of possibly sharing a frame
10:49with the mighty crews, to cursing the moment they were nudge to the front of their particular
10:54unit in the first place.
10:55And number 1. Running Away With The Sword, Raiders of the Lost Ark
10:59Easily one of the most iconic pieces of action in big screen history, the visual of the legendary
11:05Indiana Jones deciding to simply gun down a giant sword-wheeling enemy is cinematic perfection.
11:11And the fun simply does not stop after a genuinely sick Harrison Ford fires a bullet through the
11:16intimidating man in black, with one side-splitting extra adding another magical detail to the already
11:22stellar scene.
11:23Keep an eye on the folks surrounding Indy's fallen foe in the seconds that follow the pistol
11:27being fired, and you'll spot one of the overjoyed civilians reaching right for the
11:32baddie's massive weapon.
11:34Instead of suddenly taking the scene down a much darker road by seizing the weapon and
11:38turning on Jones or anyone else in the area though, this extra proceeds to celebrate like
11:43they've just won the World Cup, and runs away with the huge sword waving in the air as
11:47the euphoric crowd cheers them on.
11:49It's a little performance that can easily be overlooked during your first few watches of
11:53the effortlessly cool moment.
11:55But once you spot it, an already riotous event is made even more absurdly comical.
12:00Lovely stuff.
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