Gene Hackman names his favourite movie from his career
It’s easy to forget in the modern age of cinema, with Gene Hackman having stepped out of the Hollywood limelight, but the iconic American actor was one of the very best of his generation. Working with the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, Richard Donner, William Friedkin, Mel Brooks, Richard Attenborough and Wes Anderson, the actor established himself as a great of the era.
Working in television throughout the 1960s as he tried to find his feet in the world of filmmaking, Hackman’s big break came in 1967 with the release of Bonnie and Clyde, the ‘Best Picture’ nominee which also saw the actor receive a nod for ‘Supporting Actor’. Further beloved performances came in the form of 1969’s Downhill Racer and 1970’s I Never Sang for My Father before the following decade would make Hackman a bonafide star.
It all started with Friedkin’s ‘Best Picture’ winner The French Connection in 1971, a film that also secured Hackman his first Academy Award for ‘Leading Actor’. Next came Coppola’s iconic The Conversation two years later, followed by Brooks’ comedy Young Frankenstein, Donner’s comic book flick Superman and the war epic A Bridge Too Far. Yet, unusually, none of these films would go down as the actor’s own personal favourite.
Instead, Hackman was particularly fond of another ‘70s flick, his 1973 release Scarecrow, where he co-starred alongside Al Pacino, Eileen Brennan and Richard Lynch. Helmed by Jerry Schatzberg with a screenplay by Garry Michael White, the story follows an ex-con drifter who teams up with a homeless ex-sailor and travels across the American East together with the shared dream of opening a car wash.
Speaking about his role in an interview with The Independent, Hackman expressed his love for Scarecrow and noted it as his favourite, stating: “It’s the only film I’ve ever made in absolute continuity, and that allowed me to take all kinds of chances and really build my character”.
Walking the streets of San Francisco together, he and Pacino stayed in character behind the scenes, wearing the same costumes as their characters. Despite their best efforts, they were spotted multiple times, especially during one memorable occasion when they asked a homeless man for directions to the nearest soup kitchen, only for him to finish the conversation by saying, “You’re welcome, Mr Hackman and Mr Pacino”.
Although it was the actor’s favourite role, he does admit that there was another that took the prize as the very best.
Despite Coppola’s The Conversation winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, it was utterly snubbed at the Academy Awards, with Hackman tragically missing out on a nomination for ‘Best Leading Actor’. Speaking about his time in the film, he states, “That was the pinnacle of my acting career in terms of character development…Caul was somewhat constipated. The character didn’t burst out. There was no satisfying cathartic moment in the film”.
Take a look at the trailer for Scarecrow below and take a glimpse into Hackman’s all-time favourite role.
