When Real Life Is Caught On Screen: These Iconic Movie Moments Actually Happened

Do you ever watch a movie and think, “How the heck did they do that?!” Then you probably reckon it was CGI or some other bit of movie magic, right? Wrong! Often your favorite stars will forgo special effects and tackle a staggering stunt or scene for real. Yup, famous faces have battled tigers, leaped between speeding cars, and generally sacrificed their bodies for their art. Don’t believe us? Here are the best movie moments that actually happened IRL!

40. Gladiator: those were real tigers

Real-life gladiators by all accounts fought tigers, so Russell Crowe also had to fight some for the epic movie Gladiator. Yep… real ones. Luckily though, neither man nor beast was injured during the scene. Screen Rant notes that all five of the acting tigers were kept away from the stars and a veterinarian was on hand.

39. Spider-Man: Tobey Maguire really caught that tray

One of the most memorable moments in the original Spider-Man comes when Peter Parker catches Mary Jane, her lunch tray and lunch flawlessly in the school cafeteria. It looks like it must’ve been done with CGI, but the scene was real. Tobey Maguire actually did that using no special effects other than glue, and it took him 156 takes, according to Screen Rant.

38. The 40-Year-Old Virgin: Steve Carell really did get waxed

There’s suffering for your art, and then there is… this. As per Screen Rant, when Steve Carell had his chest waxed in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, the hair was removed for real, and at the hands of an inexperienced waxer no less. Carell was actually literally bleeding during the scene, but he and his co-stars stayed in character regardless.

37. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom: Chadwick Boseman is really playing the trumpet

The late, great Chadwick Boseman was a man of incredible talent. In 2020’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – his last film – he learned how to play the trumpet for real. In a featurette released online to promote the movie, his co-star Glynn Turman remembered how Boseman always made him think, “Hey, I don’t want to practice right now, but I better get to start practicing.”