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Legendary actor Clint Eastwood has been an irreplaceable asset to the film industry and has been active since the 1950s. The Academy Award winner is known for his roles as nonchalant heroes such as his ‘Man with no name’ character in Sergio Leone’sDollarstrilogy and theDirty Harryfranchise.
In the past few decades, Eastwood has been seen more in the director’s chair, continuously churning out films despite his old age. The actor is also known for his intimidating persona off-screen and for being an efficient filmmaker. Actor Tom Hanks, who has worked with Eastwood onSully,mentioned that the filmmaker had a bizarre directing style and that he was intimidated by the director.
Also read:“They followed you across the room”: Clint Eastwood Had the Strangest Experience After Meeting Hollywood Legend Alfred Hitchcock For a Film
Clint Eastwood As A Director
Known for his roles in the Western TV showRawhideand the Spaghetti Westerns of director Sergio Leone,Clint Eastwoodstarted directing with the 1971 thrillerPlay Misty for Me. He has directed over thirty films in his career, with a penchant for war dramas and Westerns. He also directed one installment of his famousDirty Harryfranchise, directing the fourth filmSudden Impact.
Clint Eastwood directed many Westerns, starting with his second filmHigh Plains Drifter. After dabbling with various genres, including variations of Westerns in films such asBronco Billy,where he tried comedy, Eastwood won his first Academy Award for Best Director for the WesternUnforgiven. Along with him, the film featured Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman, and Richard Harris. The film was a huge success and earned over $159 million at the box office. It also won the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Hackman, and Best Film Editing.
The actor-director won his second Oscar for Best Director for the sports dramaMillion Dollar Baby, which starred him alongside Morgan Freeman and Hillary Swank. He directed and starred in the action dramaGran Torino, and also directed multiple war and military-based films such asLetters to Iwo Jima,Flags of our Fathers,andAmerican Sniper. The latter was the director’s highest-grossing film. He is currently working on the thrillerJuror No.2.
Also read:“I don’t think I can go off for that long a time”: Despite His Macho Image, Clint Eastwood Turned Down $150M War Movie Because of Grueling Process
Clint Eastwood’s Directing Style
When Clint Eastwood started directing in 1971, he reportedly decided to change all the practices that filmmakers had that annoyed him as an actor. He apparently disagreed with the concept of retakes and was adamant about increasing production efficiency. He reportedly prefers to finish performances in a single take. With this practice, the director has been able to finish many films on a short production schedule.
The director also has a unique style of filming. Legendary actorTom Hanksrevealed onThe Graham Norton Show (via Inform TV)that Clint Eastwood had a different way of saying ‘action’ during a shot. Hanks mentioned that Eastwood had experienced old-school directors on his TV showRawhide,who make a big deal about saying action on a set, which scared horses on the Western. To avoid it, Eastwood does not use the word. Hanks said,
“He treats his actors like horses…So when you’re in a Clint Eastwood movie you don’t even know the cameras are rolling. You just hear, over your shoulder, a voice saying, ‘Alright, go ahead’…Sometimes you’re doing some pretty hard stuff and you keep doing it until you hear him say, ‘That’s enough of that’. And then you move on to the next setup. It’s intimidating as hell.”
Tom Hanks joked that Eastwood would not use the word, ‘cut’ and if someone was going to go again he would just say, “Stop”.
Tom Hanks worked with Eastwood on the biographical dramaSully,available for rent on Apple TV.
Also read:“I’ll never be as good a director as him”: Not Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg Felt Inferior To One Trailblazing Director Who Won Lesser Oscars Than Clint Eastwood
Source:The Graham Norton Show (via Inform TV)
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2419
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
