Anthony Mackie reveals how Ryan Gosling’s improvisation impacted a scene in Half Nelson. Gosling plays Dan Dunne, a history teacher struggling with drug addiction, while Mackie plays Frank, a local drug dealer. When one of Dan’s students, Drey (Shareeka Epps), sees him using drugs, it’s the beginning of an unlikely friendship between teacher and student. When dealing with your own personal problems, Dan takes Drey under his wing, as does Frankwith the two men not agreeing on what is best for Drey. As one of Ryan Gosling’s best films, Half Nelson earned him an Oscar nomination.
By sharing a memory of every movie he’s ever been in Weekly entertainment, Mackie explained how Gosling improvised by picking up a sickly-looking lost cat during the scene in Half Nelson. Mackie warned Gosling against taking the cat, but this warning went unheeded. The scene in question happens when Dan tries to confront Frank and tells him to stop hanging out with Drey, which leads Frank to invite Dan over to his house. Check out Mackie’s comments below:
A cat approaches. Nobody knew where this cat was from. Nobody checked this cat. No one vasectomized this cat. Like, where is this cat from? Ryan picks up the cat, pets it, starts petting it and I say, “Hey, you’re going to catch something!” That cat was nasty. It was mangy. It looked like a creature in the “Thriller” video with Michael Jackson. That’s how it went. He got it, man! This boy is wild. True story.
What this means for Half Nelson
Ryan Gosling’s improvisation served the film well
Gosling’s improvisation is a nice little touch and makes for a humorous behind-the-scenes story, but it also improves the scene between Dan and Frank. Dan is a hard-working individual who demonstrates considerable compassion for others while making many questionable decisions. These elements of his character are perfectly summed up in his decision to take in a sickly-looking cat without thinking about any potential consequences. It is shown that Dan has a cat at the beginning of the film, so he also likes cats.
The situation is also a microcosm of Dan and Frank’s fundamental disagreement about what’s best for Drey.
Half Nelson is also one of Anthony Mackie’s best films, and he adds to Gosling’s improvisation with Frank by saying: “Don’t touch that cat” and for “put that cat down.” Based on Mackie’s comments, his feelings align perfectly with how Frank reacts to Dan catching the cat. The situation is also a microcosm of Dan and Frank’s fundamental disagreement about what’s best for Drey, although she ultimately uses her own agency to decide what’s best for her.
The cat briefly steals the show
While Half Nelson it’s not a cat movie, Gosling’s improvised cat moment works well for the story and it makes the scene between Dan and Frank even better. Gosling’s interest in holding the cat and Mackie’s preoccupation with getting closer to the animal translate conveniently well to their respective characters. Regardless of Mackie’s feelings, the cat had a chance to have a memorable cameo in a well-received film with a 91% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and to briefly steal the spotlight in Half Nelson.
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