Clint Eastwood is about as high up in Hollywood royalty as one can get. He has been a beloved actor for 50+ years and a director with some of the most highly-acclaimed films under his belt.
Of the many stories from the actors he’s worked alongside and directed, we couldn’t find a single bad thing said about the man. He seems to be a humble, prepared, and efficient director.
So read on to learn about some of the reasons why the biggest stars in the world can’t say enough about Clint Eastwood.
1 Matt Damon Said Clint Eastwood’s Reputation For Using The First Take Forces Everyone To Come In Super Prepared
Before filming 2009’s Invictus about the South African rugby team, Matt Damon had heard tales of how quick Clint Eastwood works. As in, he uses your first take and moves on.
This can be nerve-racking for an actor who usually has dozens of takes for a scene – especially when it involved having a difficult accent like South African. So, Damon decided to do some firsthand research.
I tested that theory [that Clint Eastwood likes one take] on Day 1 of shooting. We did the first take. It went pretty well. Clint says, “Cut, print, check the gate,” which means we’re gonna move on. And I said, “Hey, boss, maybe you think we could get one more?” He just turned and goes, “Why? Do you want to waste everybody’s time?”
As is the theme for many of the actors in this list, Damon was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in the movie.
2 Richard Harris Said In Every Movie He’s Ever Been In, There’s Some Group Of People Grumbling About The Director – But It Never Happened With Clint Eastwood
Understandably, in the hundreds or thousands of people that work on a movie, some of them will find fault with the director. However, Richard Harris – who starred in Clint Eastwood’s 1992’s Unforgiven – said this wasn’t his experience with Eastwood.
I’ve never been in a movie that was so well-organized. His preparation is astonishing… You always find a group in a picture who either hates the producer or director. Never have I seen such universal love for the guy. He’s worked with them so long, if he’s gonna make a movie, he calls all the boys in.
Harris also praised Eastwood’s approach to filmmaking:
[Eastwood] created an area of security around the actor – nothing interfered with the concentration and the joy of what you were doing… [Eastwood’s] laid back, but in control because he has done the preparation.
3 Tom Hanks Said That Instead Of Yelling ‘Action,’ Clint Eastwood Uses A Hand Gesture Dating Back To Old Westerns
Clint Eastwood is legendarily a man of few words. His quiet confidence is what has won so many of his audiences over, and he seems to roll that attitude into his directing.
While most directors yell “Action!” to signal that the cameras are rolling, Eastwood has a different approach. Tom Hanks explained Eastwood’s unusual practice, after working with him on the 2016 film Sully, about the “Miracle on the Hudson” plane crash.
What’s it like working with Clint? He treats us like horses.
Hanks was referring to Eastwood’s process of quietly raising his finger in a circle to signify that the camera was rolling. This practice stemmed from Eastwood’s own annoyance with the loudness of directors back in his Western days. As Hanks said:
So he and all the other cast members of Rawhide were on their horses, and they were supposed to have a conversation, and that whole build-up to “Action!” would make the horses [freak out and buckle]. So, one day, he just said in his inaudible way, “Is there any way that you could just, y’know, tell us to ‘go’ instead of saying ‘action’ so the horses won’t flee?”
4 Hilary Swank Respected How Humble Clint Eastwood Always Was – Even Standing In The Lunch Line On Set
Hilary Swank’s performance as a first-time boxer in Million Dollar Baby is perhaps her most well-known and best-received role – she won an Academy Award for best actress from her work on it.
When Swank first signed on for the role, she was understandably a little intimidated by the living legend who was directing and starring opposite her. But that worry faded away when she got to know Clint Eastwood. As she said:
He just made me feel right at ease and, but I mean, he’s a legend. I love him but, you know, he quickly makes everyone feel really comfortable. He stands in the lunch line and never wants to cut.
5 Meryl Streep Said The Studio Thought She Was Too Old For ‘The Bridges of Madison County’ – So Clint Eastwood Stuck Up For Her
It might be hard to imagine a studio would ever not want the Meryl Streep to star in a film she was interested in – but that was the case for The Bridges of Madison County, the 1995 film that follows the four-day connection that an Italian war bride (Streep) and National Geographic photographer (Clint Eastwood) share in rural Iowa.
The film’s female lead was 45 years old – the same age as Streep. But the studio apparently thought the 45-year-old actress was too old to play a 45-year-old.
However, as Streep said:
Clint made a, I gather, case for me. Which I was glad about – and I would certainly have made a case for him.
Streep ended up being nominated for nearly every award for her role, including an Academy Award.