Often, the most famous actors and actresses are known for their ability to interpret and deliver their lines accurately and with perfect emotion. However, doing so can be a significant feat to overcome; one must fully understand their character to be able to know how the script should be performed. But, most importantly, actors must start by remembering their lines so that their performance doesn’t fall flat on screen.
For some, this is relatively easy and with years of practice in the acting business, remembering lines is a piece of cake. But that’s not the case for every A-list movie star. Today, we look back at some famous actors and actresses who have admitted to (or been rightfully called out by their coworkers) forgetting their lines on set.
9 Robert Pattinson, Twilight (2008)
Summit Entertainment
Robert Pattinson, who played the brooding vampire Edward in the Twilight Saga, has openly admitted to forgetting his lines during the height of the film’s popularity. Robert has stated that his memory was so poor that he had an appointed individual on set who would help him with lines whenever he was struggling. Either way, his performance still seemed pretty spot-on to us!
8 Bradley Cooper, The Hangover (2009)
Warner Bros.
The Hangover has become a modern comedy classic, thanks in part to Bradley Cooper’s hysterical performance as party animal Phil. However, the A-lister was shown in a blooper reel to have completely blown his lines during one scene on a Vegas rooftop. Bradley, being the professional he is, remained in character and eventually played it off, leaving us viewers with a funny outtake to an even funnier scene.
7 Ben Stiller, Zoolander (2001)
Paramount Pictures
In 2001’s Zoolander, Ben Stiller notoriously forgot his lines; however, this is one case where his mistake ended up working out in his favor! When he forgot his line and erroneously repeated the phrase “But why male models?” the other actors in the scene were genuinely confused. However, the team decided to keep this moment in the final cut of the film, becoming a hysterical and iconic moment for audiences and fans alike.
6 Anne Hathaway, Serenity (2019)
Anne Hathaway starred alongside Matthew McConaughey in 2019’s thriller Serenity. Anne admitted that she forgot lines on set not because she didn’t study up, but instead because her co-star was too attractive! She even compared him to a fragrance model: a pretty nice compliment from one mega-star to another!
5 Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games (2012)
Lionsgate
When Jennifer Lawrence graced our screens as the fearless Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, we couldn’t help but admire her seemingly perfect performance. But behind the scenes, J-Law actually struggled quite a bit with her lines, with multiple co-stars commenting on her poor memory. The mega-star is known to have forgotten her lines so often, that Woody Harrelson even threatened to take away her Oscar every time she forgot what to say!
4 Jake Gyllenhaal, Spider-man: Far From Home (2019)
Jake Gyllenhaal is a longtime Hollywood veteran. So when he came to the first day on set for Spider-man: Far From Home and completely forgot his lines, he rightfully began to freak out. Apparently, he was only calmed down by fellow co-star Tom Holland who helped to talk him through the ordeal. Luckily, Jake bounced back from the lapse in memory and was able to kill it as supervillain Mysterio.
3 Hero Fiennes Tiffin, After We Collided (2020)
Voltage Pictures
After We Collided is a sequel to Netflix’s original adaption of the viral fan-fiction, After. However, this particular movie is where things seriously heat up, with scenes full of steamy romance and sexual tension. It makes sense that under all the pressure to perform, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, who plays Hardin Scott, would forget his lines during his sex scenes with co-star Josephine Langford.
2 Rita Ora, Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
Universal Pictures
Fifty Shades of Grey was Rita Ora’s acting debut. In this sex-fueled flick, Rita plays Mia Grey, the adoptive sister of leading-man Christian Grey. Rita revealed that she felt immense pressure at this time and was anxious to perform well, with the stress of it all resulting in her forgetting lines frequently. She even admitted to wearing an earpiece so she could have her lines fed to her to by someone off-set.
1 Tom Cruise, Days of Thunder (1990)
In a now infamous story, Tom Cruise’s life was put in serious danger after he forgot lines on the set of 1990’s Days of Thunder. In this high-energy car-themed action flick, Tom Cruise made the poor decision to tape his lines to the dashboard of his car as he was driving. This almost resulted in a near-fatal crash, with the crew ultimately pulling the plug on his risky idea. At least this shows just how dedicated of a stuntman Tom really is.
