When it comes down to it, actors are only human! It’s gotta be easier said than done to commit to a role without accidentally breaking character from time to time. Hats off especially to comedy actors who have to keep a straight face even when they’re dying to laugh.
Here are a few hilarious times that actors broke character while filming.
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Jonah Hill in *The Wolf of Wall Street*.
There were plenty of hilarious scenes in this movie that I can only imagine were difficult for the actors to stay in character for. But interestingly, the scene that was most difficult for Jonah Hill was the scene with him and Jon Bernthal.
The two both seemed to struggle to keep a straight face .
Natalie Portman in *Your Highness*.
This movie was full of funny, unexpected moments — something I’m sure that Natalie Portman isn’t used to, since she doesn’t typically star in comedies . So, it came as no surprise that she couldn’t hold it together for one of her funny one-liners!
It took her a few tries, but she made it through.
Daniel Day-Lewis in *There Will Be Blood*.
Daniel Day-Lewis is an actor that manages to famously stay in character, even in between takes.
So, it made the moment he cracked in There Will Be Blood , subtly giggling in a very serious scene, that much funnier!
Tommy Lee Jones in *Men In Black*.
The scene where Tommy has to interrogate a pug was actually filmed with a real dog.
So, shaking it angrily wasn’t an easy thing for him to do without breaking character — understandably!
The lineup scene in *Usual Suspects*.
This one was hard on the entire cast in the scene. According to Kevin Pollak, none of the actors could take the lines seriously and one of them kept farting.
Eventually, the director gave up and decided to split up the takes they’d already taken, and just like that, an iconic scene was born!
Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston in *Breaking Bad*.
In one of their shared desert scenes, both Aaron and Bryan keep breaking character to laugh.
“I can’t say it,” Aaron Paul says , chuckling. “I can’t do it!”
Jason Alexander and Jerry Stiller in *Seinfeld*.
Jason and Jerry were both having a tough time holding back their laughter during a scene where Frank is telling George he wants to start his own computer company.
Zachary Quinto in *Star Trek*.
In the scene were Spock is trying to ask Scotty — played by Simon Pegg — some serious questions, he can’t seem to make himself stop laughing long enough to ask them.
And Pegg’s improvised comments didn’t help him get back into character either!
Ross and Rachel’s “Pivot” scene in *Friends*.
Here’s another iconic Friends moment that wasn’t easy for the actors to stay in character for.
David Schwimmer later admitted in an interview that filming this scene made him laugh harder than he had ever laughed in his life.
Ewan McGregor in *Star Wars*.
While Ewan was definitely an integral cog in the Star Wars machine, he did have his fair share of slip-ups!
For instance, after delivering a line about “killing younglings,” he is noticeably hiding his laughter behind his hand.
Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, and Rami Malek in *The Master*.
While filming the elevator scene in The Master , someone did the one thing that you’re really not supposed to do in an elevator: fart.
Naturally, the entire cast in the scene broke character.
Red Forman walking in on Fez in the shower on *That ’70s Show*.
The moment Red swings open the shower curtain, Wilmer Valderrama breaks character and starts chuckling.
I’m sure the look on Red’s face in most scenes made it difficult for the cast to stay in character. This one is totally understandable!
Ross from *Friends* playing the bagpipes.
Ross’ iconic bagpipe performance was absolutely not filmed in one, simple take.
It was actually quite difficult for the cast to keep a straight face — especially once Phoebe started “singing” along.
Steve Carrel in *The 40-Year-Old Virgin*.
In case you didn’t already know, the waxing scene was 100% real. The hair on his chest wasn’t fake, and neither was the removal.
So, technically this entire scene was a break in character since all of his reactions were authentic.
Bill Hader in *Saturday Night Live*
While Hader attempts to give the “Weekend Update” to tourists, you can see him actively struggling to deliver the lines.
He just can’t stop laughing throughout the entire segment. It’s hilarious to watch.
Bradley Cooper and Jimmy Fallon on *The Tonight Show*.
This was supposed to be a very serious interview about Cooper’s movie Elephant Man , but the two descended into nonstop laughter and couldn’t stop.
It’s impossible not to laugh along with them.
Chris Pratt improvising a hilarious line about Kim Kardashian in *Parks and Rec*
When he mentions that Kim Kardashian is one of the celebrities who made a great comeback the entire cast cracks up.
Watch the video, seriously. It’s hilarious and so well timed.
The flat screen television on *The Office*
Everyone knows that during this scene, it took a while to get it right.
The cast couldn’t keep it together every time Michael Scott motioned to his television and talked about how much he loved it.
Every time Jean-Ralphio tried to seduce Donna on *Parks and Recreation*
If you want to see a bunch of people failing over and over again to stay serious, then this is the video for you.
Those whispered words of seduction sound all wrong.
Matt LeBlanc trips on *Friends*
Poor Matt LeBlanc had to redo this scene so many times but the very first time he falls, it’s so funny that even the background actors fall apart laughing!
This is pure comedy, people.
When Lisa Kudrow broke down during *Friends*
When their friend from England delivers her line of being a “perfect arse,” Kudrow can’t hold back her laughter!
Considering the fact that the actress is American and not British, it’s not hard to see why she found it funny!
Matt Foley’s “down by the river” speech on *SNL*
Phil Hatman and Julia Sweeney play parents who hire Chris Farley as a motivational speaker to have a conversation with their children about drugs.
They just couldn’t keep their expressions together!
Ross playing the keyboard on *Friends*
In one of the scenes from Friends where Ross is playing the keyboard (badly), you can easily see between shots that Jennifer Aniston is openly laughing.
It only adds to the hilarity of the moment.
Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki in *Supernatural*
Once Dean and Sam realize they have been bested (again) by Bella and Dean exclaims “Son of a [expletive]!”, you can see that Sam — played by Jared Padalecki — immediately breaks character.
He has to turn his head away from the camera but they kept it in regardless.
Too many scenes to count on *That ’70s Show*
All throughout the show, whenever someone does something particularly hilarious, you can see in the background of the shots that Mila Kunis and Laura Prepon break character constantly.
The editors always keep it in, as it adds to the ambiance of the show.
The Rock in *Fast & Furious 6*
It’s a well-known fact that in this scene when The Rock disses Tyrese Gibson, calling out his forehead, Ludacris’ reaction is 100% genuine .
The entire scene is just so perfect, it’s hard to believe it wasn’t scripted.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s hand in *Django Unchained*
When Leonardo DiCaprio hurt his hand when he hit it on crystal glass, real blood spilled!
Everyone’s reaction in the scene is completely real! You can see shocked looks of fear! But it all worked out for the scene in the end.
Hayley Atwell in *Captain America: The First Avenger*
After Hayley (who plays Peggy) saw Steve’s transformation, she raised her hand to touch his bare chest. That was actually Atwell breaking character!
“I did [laughs]! I couldn’t help myself. It was instinctive. I hadn’t seen him with his top off until that moment.” she told SheKnows .
“Another” in *Thor*
Everything about that iconic Thor scene was improvised. Not only were the “I like it” and “Another!” lines improved but also the smashing of the mug.
Everyone’s reactions were completely real, and they kept it in the movie.
Heath Ledger in *The Dark Knight*
According to Sir Michael Caine, Heath Ledger scared him so much during this scene that he forgot his lines!
So while he didn’t break character in the traditional sense, he still slipped up, and they kept it in the final cut .
