'Here’s Looking at You, Kid': The Untold Story Behind 'Casablanca’s Famous Quote
How legendary movie lines were born from on-set improvisations.
Casablanca remains one of cinema’s most quotable classics, with lines like “We’ll always have Paris” and “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship” etched into film history. Yet its most famous line, “Here’s looking at you, kid,” wasn’t originally in the script.
According to the BBC, Humphrey Bogart often said the phrase while teaching his co-star Ingrid Bergman how to play poker between takes. During filming, Bogart spontaneously incorporated it into his scenes, creating one of the most memorable lines in movie history.
Interestingly, other legendary film quotes have similar origins. The iconic “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” from Jaws reportedly started as a humorous remark on set by actor Roy Scheider, who then suggested including it in the film. Likewise, Leonardo DiCaprio’s “I’m the king of the world!” in Titanic was an impromptu line devised by director James Cameron during shooting.
These spontaneous moments highlight how some of the most enduring cinematic phrases emerge not from scripts, but from the creative instincts of actors and filmmakers on set.
