OVERLAY REPORT

In the 2013 film *The Secret Life of Walter Mitty*, directed by and starring **Ben Stiller**, several scenes contained improvised elements despite the film's highly technical and ambitious production. While the actors often described the shoot as "tightly scripted" due to time constraints and complex choreography, Ben Stiller purposefully left room for his cast to find spontaneous moments. The most notable improvised scenes involve **Patton Oswalt** and **Adam Scott**. ### 1. The "Indiana Jones / The Strokes" Line (Patton Oswalt) The most famous improvised line in the film occurs during the late-film reunion at the Los Angeles airport between Walter Mitty and Todd Mahar (the eHarmony representative, played by Patton Oswalt). * **The Scene:** After Walter has traveled to Greenland, Iceland, and the Himalayas, he finally meets Todd in person. Todd is shocked by Walter’s physical transformation and newfound confidence. * **The Detail:** Patton Oswalt improvised the line: **"I pictured you as this little gray piece of paper, but now I see you and it's like Indiana Jones decided to become the lead singer of The Strokes or something."** * **Source:** Ben Stiller confirmed in various press junkets and interviews (such as with *The Showbiz 411*) that this specific comparison was an invention by Oswalt on the day of filming. ### 2. The eHarmony Phone Conversations (Patton Oswalt) Because Patton Oswalt’s role for the majority of the film is a voice on the other end of a telephone, Stiller allowed for significant riffing during these calls to make the relationship feel more organic. * **The Detail:** While the plot points of the calls were scripted (e.g., the "been there, done that" sections of the profile), many of the specific tangents Todd goes on about his own life and his obsession with **Cinnabon** were developed through improvisation and "great ideas" brought by Oswalt during recording sessions. ### 3. Ted Hendricks’ Antagonism (Adam Scott) Adam Scott, who plays the corporate transition manager Ted Hendricks, noted that while the big "fantasy" action sequences (like the Stretch Armstrong fight) were precisely choreographed for safety and wire-work, his verbal sparring with Stiller had more freedom. * **The Detail:** Ben Stiller mentioned in a Q&A with *Film at Lincoln Center* that he allowed Adam Scott to come up with "great ideas" for his character's corporate arrogance. This included Scott's specific "white-collar bully" mannerisms and some of the condescending remarks he makes to Walter during the office scenes, which helped establish the "hyper-reality" tone of the corporate takeover. ### 4. Naturalistic Moments with Cheryl (Kristen Wiig) Though Kristen Wiig has stated in interviews that they didn't improvise "that much" because of the packed schedule in Iceland, critics and Stiller himself have pointed to the **naturalistic dialogue** between Walter and Cheryl as having an improvised feel. * **The Detail:** Stiller encouraged Wiig to bring her Groundlings-trained instincts to the scenes where they are just "two real grown-ups" talking. This is particularly evident in their early, awkward interactions at the *Life* magazine office and their conversation at the park, where the stuttering and overlapping dialogue were often the result of the actors playing off each other's energy rather than strictly following the page. ### Summary Table | Actor | Improvised Moment/Detail | Scene Context | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Patton Oswalt** | "Indiana Jones / Lead singer of The Strokes" | Meeting Walter at the LAX airport. | | **Patton Oswalt** | Cinnabon and eHarmony riffs | Various phone calls throughout the movie. | | **Adam Scott** | Specific corporate insults and "creep" behavior | Office interactions and boardroom meetings. | | **Kristen Wiig** | Overlapping, awkward dialogue | Early scenes established their romantic chemistry. |