Gene Hackman names the biggest regret of his career: “That era was already gone”
What is the true mark of a good Hollywood career? Does an actor need to consistently make good films? Or is it enough to only star in a few acclaimed movies? There is no solid answer, but for Gene Hackman, his legacy in the film industry has been cemented by his frequent appearances in fantastic movies over the course of decades. From the early days of his acting career to the last few years before his retirement, he primarily starred in acclaimed films, ranging from Bonnie and Clyde to The Royal Tenenbaums.
Hackman began his career in the late 1950s following his time in the United States Marine Corps. Inspired by the likes of James Cagney, Hackman decided to become an actor, eventually landing small roles in movies and television shows while also starring in theatre productions. Eventually, Hackman started to get a taste of success. While he narrowly missed out on playing Benjamin in The Graduate, a role that was then offered to one of his close friends, Dustin Hoffman, Hackman soon received a role that would introduce him to Hollywood.
The actor was cast as Buck Barrow in Arthur Penn’s New Hollywood classic Bonnie and Clyde in 1967. The movie was a hit, forever-changing cinema with its depictions of intense violence and its nihilistic themes. Hackman landed an Oscar nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actor’, an accolade he was also nominated for three years later when he appeared in I Never Sang For My Father.
He broke further into the mainstream with a leading role in The French Connection, helping him to become a star of the New Hollywood era—a period in cinema history when American movies changed dramatically, welcoming a new crop of actors who offered a fresh approach. Alongside the likes of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Hoffman, Hackman reflected the positive progressions being made in the mainstream film industry towards more daring and ambitious works of cinema.
Still, the star, who went on to win two Oscars in his career for The French Connection and Unforgiven, has regrets about not becoming a leading man sooner. Talking to Empire about his endeavours as an author, Hackman revealed how he “would have liked to, in the early days,” been able to play the kinds of characters he has created for his novels.
Naturally, these kinds of characters were inspired by actors from Hollywood. “It goes back to the old days of Errol Flynn and James Cagney, the adventure movies that were done in the 30s. That kind of roguish, handsome, devil-may-care kind of character that’s fun to write. We don’t see a lot of that kind of thing in movies any longer.”
It is a “regret” of Hackman’s that he wasn’t able to be like one of these stars, too. “I didn’t have the looks for that kind of leading man part, but that era was already gone by the time I got into movies in the Fifties. So I kinda regret that I didn’t have the chance to participate in some of those things.”
Still, Hackman has enjoyed an incredibly successful career regardless, playing parts in movies that have spanned genres.
