# The one shot that made them a star **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 23, 2007, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199 "2007-05-23T09:22:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Skipper\_Too](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Skipper\_Too](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skipper_Too)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/41 "2007-05-23T23:18:14Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Scarlett Johanssen peering at Vermeer while sitting for the painting of _Girl with a Pearl Earring_, in the movie of the same name. [/QUOTE] No my Scarlett Johanssen moment that did it for me was the opening shot in _Lost in Translation_ She didn’t have to say a word her, laying there looking out the window at the city skyline of Tokoyo was enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/42 "2007-05-24T00:02:41Z")
[QUOTE=Skipper Too] No my Scarlett Johanssen moment that did it for me was the opening shot in _Lost in Translation_ \… [/QUOTE] Bingo. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/43 "2007-05-24T00:09:28Z")
For Jean-Paul Belmondo, it is his scene where, shirtless, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, he tries to convince Jean Seberg to sleep with him again, in Godard’s Breathless. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/44 "2007-05-24T00:36:13Z")
When Lauren Bacall gave instructions on how to whistle. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/45 "2007-05-24T11:39:50Z")
Ewan McGregor laughing at the driver of the car that just hit him in _Trainspotting._ ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/46 "2007-05-24T12:14:58Z")
[QUOTE=Shamozzle] How about Rose McGowan on the stripper pole at the beginning of “Planet Terror”? [/QUOTE] I think it’s when she walked down the hallway between the two other girls in _Jawbreaker_. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/47 "2007-05-24T12:37:10Z")
Although he’d been in a number of moderately popular films before this, I’d have to say that Michael Keaton’s defining moment came when he had the bad guy by the collar, looked into his eyes and said, in a calm but menacing tone, “Tell them … I’m Batman.” Robin Williams shouting “Gooooooood morning, Vietnam!” into the mic. (Although “I vant to defect” in Moscow on the Hudson could be a contender. I’m not counting his time as Mork, though) ---
**Author:** ![el\_nombre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9dc877/32.png) [@el\_nombre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/el_nombre)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/48 "2007-05-24T16:42:29Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > IIRC, he was meditating with a very calm look on his face. It was his buddy, Ray Jackson, who quipped, “That hurts me just from looking at it.” Then a few minutes later he added, “You know you ought to stop doing that. You might want to have kids one of these days.” > > That scene still cracks me up. I could be imagining all this but the scene in my head involved two palm trees pulling apart his legs via rope during a training montage. It’s been a while since I’ve seen this movie. ---
**Author:** ![el\_nombre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9dc877/32.png) [@el\_nombre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/el_nombre)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/49 "2007-05-24T16:44:45Z")
oh and here’s another one. Bruce Willis inside the ventilation duct with a zippo lighter held in front of his face talking about how great it’ll be to go to LA and celebrate Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/50 "2007-05-24T17:55:33Z")
John Travolta dancing in: (a)Saturday Night Fever (b)Grease ©Pulp Fiction (d)All of the above ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/51 "2007-05-24T18:03:26Z")
Johnny Depp looking over his shoulder and grinning, showing his gold teeth, as he and Orlando Bloom are stealing the Dauntless. He was a star before, but that shot made him a superstar. Mark Hamill taking off the stormtrooper mask and saying “I’m Luke Skywalker. I’m here to rescue you.” ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/52 "2007-05-24T18:09:11Z")
Richard E. Grant: I DEMAND to have some BOOZE!!! ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/53 "2007-05-24T19:41:58Z")
[QUOTE=Mindfield] Although he’d been in a number of moderately popular films before this, I’d have to say that Michael Keaton’s defining moment came when he had the bad guy by the collar, looked into his eyes and said, in a calm but menacing tone, “Tell them … I’m Batman.” [/QUOTE] Nope, Keaton’s was long before that, in **Night Shift** : “Is this a great country, or what?” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/54 "2007-05-24T19:59:32Z")
Rupert Everett snarking away with Julia Roberts in _My Best Friend’s Wedding_. Test screening audiences liked his character so much they filmed additional footage of him, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/55 "2007-05-24T20:47:51Z")
[Sophia Loren](http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/wolf_meister/loren.jpg) had starred in Italian movies for a number of years, but I believe it was her appearance in “Boy On A Dolpin” that really endeared her to American audiences. I think this “visual aid” might help convince most folks that _this_ was the shot that made her a star. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/56 "2007-05-24T20:54:26Z")
[QUOTE=wolf\_meister] [Sophia Loren](http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/wolf_meister/loren.jpg) had starred in Italian movies for a number of years, but I believe it was her appearance in “Boy On A Dolpin” that really endeared her to American audiences. I think this “visual aid” might help convince most folks that _this_ was the shot that made her a star. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Oh my, yes! When that movie first came out, there was a review in my local newspaper with this headline: **The Two Reasons for Sophia Loren’s Stardom!** (Don’t know how that slipped past the censors.) Later it turned out that Sophia wasn’t just a life-support system for boobs, but could really act. But her initial impact on audiences wasn’t related to acting talent. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/57 "2007-05-24T20:57:39Z")
Strother Martin in those mirrored sunglasses. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/58 "2007-05-24T21:04:30Z")
[QUOTE=Lute Skywatcher] Strother Martin in those mirrored sunglasses. [/QUOTE] You’re not thinking about _Cool Hand Luke_ are you? If so, that wasn’t Strother. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/59 "2007-05-24T21:12:51Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] You’re not thinking about _Cool Hand Luke_ are you? If so, that wasn’t Strother. [/QUOTE] My mistake, haven’t seen that movie in a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199/60 "2007-05-24T21:18:08Z")
[QUOTE=Lute Skywatcher] My mistake, haven’t seen that movie in a long time. [/QUOTE] Okay. Strother is the one with the “communicate” line. The Boss with the glasses and the rifle is [Morgan Woodward](http://www.the-waltons.com/graphics/morg76.jpg) not to be confused with Morgan Freeman. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-shot-that-made-them-a-star/405199.md?page=4)