The actor who had to “psychologically prepare” for working with Clint Eastwood
Even though he gets up every morning and goes about his business without a care in the world, Clint Eastwood has become increasingly aware of the fact that he is indeed Clint Eastwood.
Not that he’s ever gone mad with ego or used his status to torpedo careers, but being an icon as both an actor and director instantly awards a person with a certain aura. It didn’t happen overnight, nor was it intentional, but even the mere sight of Eastwood is enough to create a state of reverence in those around him.
That’s especially true for younger generations who’ve spent their entire lives – both personal and professional – knowing full well that he’s one of Hollywood’s most enduring legends. For those lucky enough to be drafted into one of his ensembles, that creates its own sense of pressure and expectation.
A decade before taking second billing in the movie that would end up as Eastwood’s highest-grossing ever, Sienna Miller was almost completely unknown. 2004 was a breakthrough year when she appeared in both Layer Cake and Alfie, but even after breaking into America, the four-time Academy Award-winning superstar was a completely different ballgame.
“I prepared myself for it psychologically before,” she admitted to Brian Tallerico of her first day on the American Sniper set. “I had spoken to a couple of friends who had made films with him, and so I knew what to expect. You just have to make sure that you show up with whatever it is you’re supposed to do.”
Unfortunately, one of the things she was supposed to do was interact with the worst and least convincing fake baby in recorded history, which ruined the illusion a little bit. However, with production on American Sniper rumbling on for months, surely she didn’t suffer from Eastwood-induced nerves until the end, right? Wrong.
“Every single day. Every single day,” Miller confessed, with the filmmaker making an impression that carried well beyond the final day of principal photography. “I would turn up and see Clint Eastwood, and it was amazing. It still doesn’t really feel real. It was so fast. He’s an icon of cinema that I grew up loving, and his films I’ve loved. To turn up every day and see that man, I still can’t quite believe it’s happened.”
He’s not doing it on purpose, but it’s part of the deal for anyone who’s been around for as long as Eastwood has, remained at the top of the business for as long as he has, and accomplished the things he has. He’s just a guy doing the job that he loves, but for everyone else, he’s taken on an almost mythical status, to the point even the people starring in his movies can barely comprehend the fact he’s standing right in front of them.
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