# "Coffee is for closers!" Memorable single scene perfomances in film **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 23, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516 "2011-06-23T02:17:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/21 "2011-06-23T04:55:47Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > To clarify, I was asking about instances where an actor only appeared in a single scene - Christopher Walken in _Pulp Fiction_, Ned Neatty in _Network_ and Dennis Hopper in _True Romance_ were the kind of examples I was talking about. > > I’d also accept examples where an actor really only had one _big_ scene, though, or maybe only a couple of scenes. Basically I’m looking for peformances that do a lot with minimal screen time (with an emphasis on the show stealing single scene moments). Good to know the objective better. It’s not coming to me just now, but I remember reading something very recently (perhaps heard it on TV) about such a role. Whoever this was is felt as a presence by way of other characters’ references to him (or her) but whose actual screen time is very minimal, a matter of just a few minutes over the entire movie. It was, no doubt, a big name star. I’ll be trying to remember who it was and what the movie was. I don’t think it was Brando in _Superman_ or _Apocalypse Now_, but it was that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/22 "2011-06-23T05:03:55Z")
I don’t know if it was iconic, but in the pilot episode of The West Wing, Martin Sheen’s President was only in one scene, and the producers only intended him to be an infrequent part of the show, only showing up a few times a year. The show was originally going to deal entirely with the West Wing staff. Then, when they were filming the pilot, they were blown away by his performance and asked him to join the regular cast. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/23 "2011-06-23T13:29:21Z")
_Silence of the Lambs_ is a great movie with great performances by everyone involved, but I think Anthony Hopkins stole the show with his first appearance in the jail as Hannibal Lecter. He only got 16 minutes of screen time in the movie, but it was enough to win him an Oscar for Best Actor. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/24 "2011-06-23T13:35:32Z")
While I don’t think she deserved an Oscar for it, Dame Judy Dench’s performance in _Shakespeare in Love_ was indeed fantastic. Something like 7 minutes of screen time, but a great 7 minutes it was. She’s just magnetic. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/25 "2011-06-23T13:46:06Z")
Bill Murray in “Zombieland”. ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/26 "2011-06-23T13:54:55Z")
Samuel L. Jackson’s “Ezekiel 25” Speech from _Pulp Fiction_. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/27 "2011-06-23T14:00:46Z")
> [@ministryman](#): > > Samuel L. Jackson’s “Ezekiel 25” Speech from _Pulp Fiction_. Yeah, but he is awesome in the whole movie. If that had been his only scene, though, it’d be amazing. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/28 "2011-06-23T14:01:20Z")
Chris Rock in _I’m Gonna Git You Sucka_. “You got change for hundred?” ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/29 "2011-06-23T14:04:21Z")
“Nobody fucks with the Jesus.” ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/30 "2011-06-23T14:07:22Z")
“I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/31 "2011-06-23T14:16:19Z")
uh, what Snickers said. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/32 "2011-06-23T14:23:27Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > _Silence of the Lambs_ is a great movie with great performances by everyone involved, but I think Anthony Hopkins stole the show with his first appearance in the jail as Hannibal Lecter. He only got 16 minutes of screen time in the movie, but it was enough to win him an Oscar for Best Actor. Great! That’s the one I was I was trying to recall. We saw a “making of” special on it just this past month and that point was stressed. Thanks for saving my mental capacities, **Barkis is Willin’**. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/33 "2011-06-23T14:29:37Z")
Very interesting question; I’m going to be pondering this all day. My first nominee - Vincent Schiavelli as the Subway Ghost from the otherwise terrible film ‘[Ghost](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099653/)’. > [@](#): > > You think I fell? You think I jumped? … Well Fuck you! ---
**Author:** ![Alma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alma)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/34 "2011-06-23T14:38:54Z")
“Pardon me, stewardess, I speak jive.” ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/35 "2011-06-23T14:39:08Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > While I don’t think she deserved an Oscar for it, Dame Judy Dench’s performance in _Shakespeare in Love_ was indeed fantastic. Something like 7 minutes of screen time, but a great 7 minutes it was. She’s just magnetic. > [@DCnDC](#): > > “Nobody fucks with the Jesus.” > [@DCnDC](#): > > “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” Absolutely! It may be that my teen idol worshiping self couldn’t get enough of him but [Giant (1956) - James Dean Strikes Oil](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50WphCvOubE) is my favorite scene(s) of the boy. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/36 "2011-06-23T14:42:02Z")
Not a film, but Carl Weathers in “Arrested Development”. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. There’s still plenty of meat on that bone. Now you take this home, throw it in a pot, add some broth, a potato. Baby, you’ve got a stew going.” ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/37 "2011-06-23T14:56:42Z")
I also think Tom Cruise pretty much stole the show with perhaps his greatest performance ever when he portrayed movie producer Les Grossman in _Tropic Thunder_. I didn’t even know he was in TT until I saw it and even then it took me a second to recognize him. He’s only got a couple scenes, but they’re the funniest in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/38 "2011-06-23T15:14:17Z")
Yo, **Diogenes the Cynic** , should we be counting things like Drew in [Scream (I) (1996)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117571/) and Seagal in [Executive Decision (1996)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116253/) where the mere fact that they didn’t hang around long was actually a plus for the movie? 😃 FWIW, this thread’s title is ideal! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/39 "2011-06-23T16:15:38Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > He wasn’t just in a single scene, but Jack Nicholson’s “You can’t handle the truth!” monologue from A Few Good Men. > > [http://jcnlx.com/1bab3472e4734f488c7858aca0f2e766161](http://jcnlx.com/1bab3472e4734f488c7858aca0f2e766161) Other Nicholson greats: _Five Easy Pieces_: the restaurant scene when he’s trying to order toast. “Hold it between your knees”. _The Shining_: “Here’s Johnny!” scene. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516/40 "2011-06-23T16:25:14Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > _The Shining_: “Here’s Johnny!” scene. He was the main character in that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-is-for-closers-memorable-single-scene-perfomances-in-film/586516.md?page=3)