I remember a movie scene in which a teenager/early-twenties woman is in a car with a "bad boy" type of guy. She reaches for her purse and he asks what she is doing, in a "no sudden moves" tone (that a kidnapper would use). She says "I was going to offer you some gum." I saw this in the early 2000s, so it's at least that old. I thought it was "Freeway" (1997, with Reese Witherspoon), but I just watched that and it's not. Thank you for any guesses.
General questions about movies, TV and more since 29 Jun '24, 05:14
This page is for general questions - if you've got a question about a specific title, please check the title-specific questions page first. Members get e-mailed when any of their questions are answered.
When an actor wants to leave a show or is fired from the show, why is the character killed off instead of having them do something else? In House M.D. Kal Penn wanted to leave the show so his character was written as having committed suicide. Wouldn't it have been better to have his character leave the show by either having him take a job somewhere else or having him get fired instead of him killing himself? In Roseanne, her character overdosed. Why not have her character divorce Dan instead?
Why do some actors "mouth" other actors' lines? This site has a few entries about actors doing this.
Answer: I've tried to catch this and don't think I've seen it, even when others list it as a mistake. However, I'd imagine this is more for television, especially when filmed in front of a live audience, where they're trying to get the shot in one take. When you're acting, it's not enough to just know your lines; you have to know your "cues", which are often the last line of the character speaking before it's your turn. So some actors are repeating the lines leading up to their lines in their head and may just subconsciously mouth the words (in the same vein some people mouth the words of the book they're silently reading). This is also why some actors don't like when their co-stars ad-lib their lines because it takes away their cues.
Answer: Agree with the other answer that this happens less frequently than claimed. TV and movie scenes are filmed multiple times even when there's a live audience to get the best result. The director and other techs on the set watch for behaviors like this and would correct the actor. Also, during post-production, experienced editors would notice it and use another version. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen and that some slip by the director or editor, but probably not often.
I saw part of a film around 2001, I think Jeff Bridges was in it. A man and his wife are driving through thick snow and a horse and cart approach them in the opposite direction. The car skids and startles the horse, and the horse rears up and kicks through the car window, hitting the wife in the face and killing her. Never been able to forget that scene but I don't remember anything else about the rest.
Answer: There is a scene like this in Timescape (1991), also known as Grand Tour: Disaster in Time, which stars Jeff Daniels.
Haven't had chance to watch it yet, but from reading a synopsis online I think you are right. I got the wrong Jeff. Thanks.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Answer: Often times it's done for dramatic purposes, even if the actor leaves on good terms. Writing an episode where a character dies is much more jarring to the audience and something they may talk about the next day. Plus, actors that suddenly leave the show, don't return the next season, or die in real life, aren't there to say goodbye to friends, family, or colleagues before taking another job, going off to college, or getting fired. Which is what normally happens in real life, so it would come across as unrealistic. But there's plenty of shows/characters where an actor is knowingly leaving the show, so writers do have time to write a farewell type episode in. Also, by killing off characters, the audience doesn't have an expectation for their return and writers don't have to think about them. Of course, the alternative is recasting the character and then just dealing with the backlash or criticism of such a cheap move.
Bishop73
It does seem like recasting is rarely done, and the audience usually doesn't like the replacement.
Azalea
There's a number of cast replacements in TV shows, but often it's minor characters. More prominent ones include Dick Sargent replacing Dick York as Darrin in "Bewitched," and Sarah Chalke taking over Lecy Goranson's role as Becky in "Roseanne." Neither replacement actor was warmly received by viewers.
raywest ★