“Like a friendly hand just out of reach”, as Jim Morrison eloquently wrote in his poem ‘The American Night’, might just describe Clint Eastwood fittingly. Perhaps Morrison, who attended film school at UCLA before self-combusting as the frontman of The Doors, was an admirer of Eastwood, whose films had just started to gain steam in the same era at around the same time as Morrison’s Doors hit the big-time.
Eastwood would invent himself as an actor and then reinvent himself as a director in the years since, almost mirroring Charles Bukowski’s drunken imploration. But this reinvention has seen Eastwood become an even more revered figure, as highlighted by Angelina Jolie, who described Eastwood’s compelling directorial process despite allegedly being “terrifying”.
Jolie has seen some ebbs, lulls and flows in her career. Being one of the most sought-after actors of the 2000s to her most recent roles in 2021’s Those Who Wish Me Dead and the MCU’s Eternals were rather underwhelming and poorly received. But of course, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider wasn’t going to go down without a fight. Jolie’s latest film, 2024’s Maria, could just be her Oscar comeback, with a gentle buzz of anticipation building toward awards season.
Jolie’s last Oscar nomination came for her role in Eastwood’s directorial effort Changeling. “He’s very decisive,” said Jolie in an interview with Indie London. “He’s famous for shooting just one or two takes, which does sound terrifying to an actress. But because of that, you know he’s not go ing to drain you emotionally”.
Jolie further elaborated that Eastwood’s policy of fewer takes went a long way in helping her deliver better performances. “He’ll be very prepared from the moment you walk in the door, and so you have this feeling of having to bring your all, but if you bring your all and give it everything you’ve got until you’re emotionally drained,” she said. “He will capture it on film and he won’t ask you to do it 20 times. So, it does allow for you to really push yourself. And because he does do everything in one take, everything is very fresh.”
Changeling, based on true accounts, tells the story of a single mother in the melting pot of 1920s America named Christine Collins, played by Jolie, whose son Walter has been kidnapped. When the authorities are questioned and deemed incompetent by Collins, they send another boy to pose as Walter, but Collins knows he is not her son. Collins is berated by the police and deemed an unfit mother who is then confined to a psychiatric ward based on the authorities’ flawed assessment of her for not recognising her child, who, in fact, isn’t her real son, Walter. The web of deception, lies, and politics swirls and spins around until the news goes public, and the film follows Collins’ story.
Jolie’s portrayal of Christine Collins earned rave reviews and saw her nominated for an Oscar at the 2009 Academy Awards. Changeling was perhaps one of Jolie’s most evocative performances on screen exploring the myriad feelings and journey of the 1920s Walter Collins case from the perspective of a single mother facing those accusations. It’s also apparent that her collaboration with Eastwood certainly got one of her best performances out of her.