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
00:12background. 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 change the fact that
01:52it's one of the finest extra performances ever to speed past a camera. According to the titular star
01:57himself, director Spike Jonze actually almost deleted the throw in the script due to time constraints.
02:04However, after claiming no one would be able to nail Malkovich in the head with the tin in a moving
02:08vehicle, a number of folks nearby offered to try, with John Cusack's writer partner then eventually
02:14being given the chance to hit the actor. And on top of the brilliant delivery of Hey Malkovich,
02:19Think Fast, followed by the terrific sound of the can connecting with an infuriated Malkovich's noggin,
02:26that this chucking was actually brilliantly captured on the first try, simply makes an already superb and
02:32quite iconic moment that little bit more fantastic.
02:358. 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 being seemingly
02:43knocked over by a gust of wind during Star Wars Episode VI Return of the Jedi was little more
02:49than a combination of bad choreography and camera positioning. But they be wrong! Instead,
02:55when Luke Skywalker lets loose his boot whilst attempting to fight his way through Jabba the
02:59Hutt's goons, what you were actually watching was the result of one particularly committed extra
03:04making 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 Padawans all
03:13over the galaxy now, would he? You know you've accidentally produced a special and properly
03:17unforgettable Star Wars moment when folks are talking more about you being force-booted in the face
03:22than Boba Fett being sent flying to his Sarlacc Doom. And after taking one of the silliest looking
03:28kicks in movie history, it's safe to say this extra will be remembered for a long time.
03:337. So Many We're Gonna Need a Bigger Entry
03:38Jaws
03:39The 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. And with so many extras being needed to fill out these beach town
03:55crowds, a few of those background artists diverting attention away from the main figures in front of the
04:00camera was pretty much inevitable. Sure enough, on multiple occasions in Spielberg's classic flick,
04:06extras stole the spotlight in various different ways. There was the bloke who decided to wear a
04:11blatant smile across 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 shots with a
04:36noticeable frown, as Larry asks why someone isn't going for a dip. And one particularly excited extra
04:42also steals all the attention away from the mayor, when he's letting folks watching the news know that
04:47Amity means friendship, giddily waving her arms and distractingly throwing up a peace sign during
04:52her big moment. Put simply, none of these extras wasted their opportunity to be remembered in what
04:57turned out to be one of the most famous movies of all time.
05:016. Stealing the whole damn scene – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
05:06There 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 as the
05:21famous 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
05:36two Docs were completely overshadowed by one absolutely hypnotic extra perched on the bench
05:42behind them. Rather than taking the safe approach of just having a basic conversation with another guest,
05:47this 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
05:56possible over Strange's shoulder. Sure, her colourful display ever so slightly undermines Strange's
06:01serious chat, about his part in causing half of life in the universe to be dusted away for five
06:07years before Thanos was ultimately defeated, but she's 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 five, the goon who kicked their own ass, The 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
06:44the funniest 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 goons.
07:06Maybe the fear of tangling with the caped crusader was enough to make this Bane soldier crumble to
07:11the ground. Or perhaps one of the stunt workers involved in the multi-person skirmish simply forgot
07:16a piece of the fight routine, and this awkward tumble was the only way to save the rest of the take.
07:22Whatever the reason, the henchmen who conquered themselves quickly became a legend in their own
07:26right after this silly moment. Number four, Batman. Yeah, Batman forever.
07:32That 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 never be
07:58forgotten. In the seconds before slow-mo Batman touches down on the floor, one carefree party
08:03guest can be found pointing up to the sky and letting out an exuberant Batman. Yeah!
08:09That drunken wonder in this extra's voice as Val Kilmer's superhero slowly dropped out of the sky,
08:15combined 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
08:31catching this wonderful moment of strangeness for the first time, you'll likely struggle sitting
08:35through your next viewing of Batman Forever, without letting out your own random party extra
08:40yeah during his shot-stealing performance. 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 stuff a try,
08:51during Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man comes up in conversation, most folks will be quick to
08:56remember the brilliant performance given by real-life wrestling icon, Macho Man Randy Savage.
09:02Oh yeah! But before Bonesaw McGraw was ready to murder Spider-Man in the middle of the squared
09:09circle, a wonderful wrestling extra came along and offered another comical moment in the wake of
09:14being sent flying by the aforementioned Macho Saw. As Parker makes his way to the ring for his debut as
09:20the amazing Spider-Man to the sound of booze, Bonesaw's last victim, a luchador who'd been smashed
09:26through 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 wondering
09:35whether he'd just made a monumental mistake, choosing to take a few bumps for some dollar.
09:40Macho Man and Maguire certainly provide their fair share of amusing moments throughout this much-loved
09:45wrestling superhero mashup, but it's this extra superb commitment to flailing around on a stretcher like
09:51he'd just lost a fight with King Kong that still sticks out as one of the funniest of the entire
09:55sequence. 2. Hold Your Horses, The Last Samurai
09:59Animals like children are known for being somewhat unpredictable on a film set, and that's something
10:04you definitely don't need to tell one of the unfortunate extras pretending to be a soldier
10:08during one rather awkward scene in The Last Samurai. As Tom Cruise's Captain Nathan
10:13Algren dismounts his steed in the middle of some nearby troops, said horse suddenly decided it had
10:18a problem with one of the extras just trying their best to stay as still as humanly possible.
10:23Rather than throwing a tantrum, dropping his spear and demanding a word with the director after
10:27being kicked by the agitated animal though, this nut-cracked soldier kept his composure and resisted
10:33the urge to fall to his knees in agony. You can hardly blame the horse for being a bit freaked out by
10:38the sight of so many armoured blokes holding weapons around it, can you? But that doesn't change the
10:42fact that in the time it takes to lift your boot off the ground, this extra likely went from being
10:47excited about the idea of possibly sharing a frame with the mighty crews to cursing the moment they
10:52were nudge to the front of their particular unit in the first place. 1. Running away with the sword,
10:58Raiders of the Lost Ark Easily one of the most iconic pieces of action in big screen history,
11:03the visual of the legendary Indiana Jones deciding to simply gun down a giant sword-wheeling enemy is
11:09cinematic perfection. And the fun simply does not stop after a genuinely sick Harrison Ford fires a
11:15bullet through the intimidating man in black, with one side-splitting extra adding another magical
11:21detail to the already stellar scene. Keep an eye on the folks surrounding Indy's fallen foe in the
11:26seconds that follow the pistol being fired, and you'll spot one of the overjoyed civilians reaching
11:31right for the baddies' massive weapon. Instead of suddenly taking the scene down a much darker road by
11:37seizing the weapon and turning on Jones or anyone else in the area though, this extra proceeds to
11:42celebrate like they've just won the World Cup, and runs away with a huge sword waving in the air as
11:47the euphoric crowd cheers them on. It's a little performance that can easily be overlooked during
11:52your first few watches of the effortlessly cool moment, but once you spot it, an already riotous event
11:58is made even more absurdly comical. Lovely stuff!