Clint Eastwood names the most impactful role of his career: “One of the most brilliant filmmakers ever”
There are a few Hollywood stars whose faces alone inspire a swell of emotion that takes you back to your own formative days of cinematic education. Tom Cruise riding the Kawasaki GPZ900R motorbike in 1986’s Top Gun may be such a moment, and the same goes for Sigourney Weaver fighting the Xenomorph in Ridley Scott’s Alien, but for many of us, nothing beats the image of the mysterious ‘Man with no Name’, played by Clint Eastwood, strolling into a Wild West town to save the day.
Emerging to popularity in the late 1950s, Eastwood’s big break came in Sergio Leone’s iconic spaghetti western flick A Fistful of Dollars of 1964, which introduced his alluring poncho-wearing character to the big screen. In consecutive years, the character made two returns, first in 1965’s For a Few Dollars More, and then for his most iconic ride, 1966’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Eastwood’s arrival was adored across cinema, with the actor bringing an enigmatic confidence that separated him from his peers. Speaking about his influence, the great Quentin Tarantino once expressed: “A Fistful of Dollars is one of the greatest auteur pieces of all time, but one of the things that makes the film so great is that you have to sing the praises of Clint Eastwood… The way we think of the western icon that Clint Eastwood has become for 50 years straight to today started 50 years ago with this movie.”
The trilogy of Italian-made westerns remain Eastwood’s most famous flicks, with many disregarding the impressive number of movies he managed to make following his collaboration with Leone. While flicks like Where Eagles Dare, Dirty Harry and Unforgiven are celebrated, they are often sidelined for the ‘Dollars’ trilogy, despite the fact that Eastwood himself doesn’t consider the role as the most impactful of his career.
While speaking about which of his multiple movie roles has made the biggest impact on him in an interview with Movies. IE, the director stated, “I’d think I’d have to say portraying director John Huston in White Hunter, Black Heart.”
While the choice may seem bizarre for anyone unfamiliar with Eastwood’s entire oeuvre, the film, which told the story of the director’s efforts to make the 1951 movie The African Queen, brought one of the actor’s icons to life.
“He was one of the most brilliant filmmakers ever,” Eastwood added, “He was cantankerous and eccentric, but those qualities played a big part in his brilliance… John was more interested in going on an elephant hunt than in making that movie. That’s the only reason he wanted to make the film. But you know something? His lack of interest in the project didn’t impair it. It’s still a very beautiful film.”
Despite the movie’s apparent beauty, it is hardly remembered by Eastwood fans, even if it remains one of his most treasured roles.