“The real deal”: When Robert Duvall called Billy Bob Thornton the hillbilly Orson Welles
At time of writing, the great Robert Duvall has yet to announce his retirement from acting. As he began acting in 1952, this means that his extraordinary career has lasted for over 70 years and is still going. Countless awards and legendary performances have filled those decades, with Duvall earning the respect of not only his audiences, but his peers as well.
In his prime, Duvall earned acclaim for his roles in the likes of Network, Apocalypse Now, and the first two instalments in the ‘Godfather’ trilogy. As for his later works, one of the standouts is 2014’s The Judge. He plays the titular character, a respected figure, until he is accused of murdering his wife. His son, a lawyer played by Robert Downey Jr., must put his emotions to one side in order to discover the truth. While the film itself got so-so reviews, Duvall’s performance was heralded as one of his best ever.
Alongside Downey, his other co-stars include Vera Farmiga, Jeremy Strong, and Billy Bob Thornton, who had been friends with Duvall for a number of years before they worked together. “It’s great working with him,” the veteran star told Collider. “I call him the hillbilly Orson Welles. I’ve been saying that for 18 years. It’s interesting because, many years ago, the great Russian director, Nikita Mikhalkov, came and I told him I wanted him to meet someone. I got Billy Bob from Arkansas and Nikita Mikhalkov from Moscow together. Two great talents met. We sat for two or three hours and talked. He’s the real deal, that guy.”
Duvall’s relationship with Mikhalkov goes back to his role in the 1992 TV film Stalin, in which he played the titular Soviet leader. He once called this his favourite ever role and highlighted a favourable review from Mikhalkov’s father Sergey, who had known Stalin personally. As for Thornton, Duvall appeared in Sling Blade, the movie that brought the Arkansas native to national attention. He also starred in A Family Thing and Jayne Mansfield’s Car, two movies written by Thornton.
The Iron Man star also explained his reasons for joining the project, which was produced by Susan Downey, his wife. “Susan started developing this movie, so I said, ‘I don’t want to make you feel bad, so let’s give it read.’ Then, I read it and said, ‘Nobody else is doing this movie.’” As well as supporting his other half, Downey also shared Duvall’s appreciation for their co-star. “There is nobody I’d rather spend time with on a set than Billy Bob Thornton,” he continued. “He might do a Burt Reynolds impersonation.”
Thornton plays a character in The Judge with the delightful name of Dwight Dickham. He is the prosecutor in the trial of Joseph Palmer (Duvall). It’s a relatively small part, one that doesn’t get a lot of development, but Thornton does a great job of presenting Dickham as a stern, uncompromising parallel to Downey’s character.
As it stands, neither Duvall nor Downey have worked with Thornton since The Judge. These days, the so-called ‘hillbilly Orson Welles’ tends to focus more on his music career, only taking a handful of acting gigs a year. Still, he seems to have really gotten on with his co-stars, so he’d probably pick up the phone if they ever came calling.
