The actor Angelina Jolie slapped in the face because of Clint Eastwood: “Do it and see what happens”
Angelina Jolie has shared the screen with a veritable who’s who of acting royalty: Johnny Depp in The Tourist, Denzel Washington in The Bone Collector, Winona Ryder in Girl, Interrupted, and an ensemble cast in Marvel’s Eternals. In addition to her acting, Jolie has directed films featuring talents such as Jack O’Connell, Salma Hayek, and Domhnall Gleeson.
In addition to collaborating with an array of talented actors, Jolie has been directed by some of the finest filmmakers in the industry. She worked with Oliver Stone on the historical epic Alexander, portrayed Grendel’s Mother in Robert Zemeckis’ Beowulf, and played Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s biopic of the opera legend. Jolie also starred in Clint Eastwood’s 2008 film Changeling, delivering a powerful performance as a mother reunited with “her” lost child. The film featured a stellar cast, including John Malkovich, Colm Feore, and Jason Butler Harner—Jolie’s co-star with whom she had an interesting encounter.
Harner plays Gordon Stewart Northcott, a child murderer who abducts and kills the real son of Jolie’s character, Christine Collins. When filming a scene where Collins confronts Northcott, Eastwood and his actor were brainstorming ideas on how to make the character more detestable.
“I try to be selective with my improvising,” Harner told Animated Times. “I talked to Angelina at the beginning of the day. We had a big scene, and we’re supposed to be coming out of our corners, so it was a ‘How do we do this?’” The pair came up with the idea of Northcott forcing a kiss on Collins, which they wanted to do without telling Jolie in order to get a genuine reaction.
“Clint approved of the kiss,” Harner continued. “He said he could see it happening, and he said, ‘Do it, and we’ll see what happens.’”
As it turns out, what would happen was Jolie getting physical with her co-star. “She slapped me,” Harner confirmed. “She held me, and she hit me, and it was great. She totally went with it. She’s really smart. She’s beautiful, but she’s really smart, and she’s a great actress.”
The genuine anger behind the slap fuelled Collins’ hatred for the man who took her son away from her, and it ended up staying in the final cut. Once the cameras stopped rolling, Jolie was informed by Harner and Eastwood that the unscripted moment had been agreed upon beforehand and that they wanted to keep her in the dark about it.
Changeling was one of the first major roles in Harner’s career. He appeared the following year in the remake of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 but would find greater success in the realm of TV. He’s had recurring roles in Scandal, The Blacklist, Ray Donovan, and Ozark, in which he played FBI Special Agent Roy Petty in the first two seasons.
Despite Eastwood’s unorthodox approach, Jolie has admitted that she thoroughly enjoyed working with him. Changeling proved to be a profitable venture for all involved, particularly in terms of awards recognition. Eastwood earned a Batfa nomination for ‘Best Director’ and a Golden Globe nomination for ‘Best Original Score’. For Jolie, her portrayal of Christine Collins garnered her first-ever Academy Award nomination for ‘Best Actress’—a significant milestone in solidifying her status as a serious dramatic performer.
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