The two iconic Hollywood roles Clint Eastwood rejected: “That’s not for me”
Like many of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Clint Eastwood spent the better half of a decade struggling to break into the industry. However, his persistence paid off, and by 1959, he had landed himself a role in the CBS western series Rawhide. Despite the demanding working hours, Eastwood dedicated himself to the role of Rowdy Yates.
It is this kind of persistence that usually separates those who do and don’t make it in the industry. To be a Hollywood star you certainly need both the look and the luck, but the sheer bloody-mindedness to make things happen is always an added bonus. It afforded Eastwood the chance to truly begin his acting career. Of course, nailing a role doesn’t always mean that you’re set for life or happy with your lot.
Rawhide was a success and set Eastwood on his path, but he was soon looking to remove himself form the show. In fact, by 1963, the actor was desperate to rid himself of the character, and an offer to star in Sergio Leone’s upcoming western A Fistful of Dollars provided him with the perfect opportunity. Before long, Eastwood became the iconic Man With No Name, reprising the role in For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
In Clint: The Life and Legend by Patrick McGilligan, Eastwood explained: “I wanted to play [the Man With No Name] with an economy of words and create this whole feeling through attitude and movement.” The decision was pivotal in creating the icon we now see Eastwood as. The role would not only give him his real start in movies but also begin his legacy in earnest. He continued: “It was just the kind of character I had envisioned for a long time, keep to the mystery and allude to what happened in the past. It came about after the frustration of doing Rawhide for so long. I felt the less he said, the stronger he became and the more he grew in the imagination of the audience.”
Throughout his career, Eastwood starred in more popular westerns, such as Hang’ Em High, and the action thriller series Dirty Harry, even directing the last instalment, Sudden Impact. Eastwood’s career as a filmmaker has spanned over 30 movies, winning ‘Best Director’ at the Academy Awards for 1993’s Unforgiven and 2004’s Million Dollar Baby.
Although Eastwood has enjoyed a prolific career, he turned down several massive Hollywood roles, stating that he has no regrets. In the documentary Clint Eastwood: A Life in Film, the actor revealed that he was offered the role of Superman, which ultimately went to Christopher Reeve. “I can remember – and this was many years ago – when [Warner Bros President] Frank Wells came to me about doing Superman. So it could have happened. This was when they first started to think about making it.”
However, he stated: “I was like, ‘Superman? Nah, nah, that’s not for me.’ Not that there’s anything wrong with it. It’s for somebody, but not me”. Considering the huge scope to play the superhero, especially at the time, this was a huge opportunity Eastwood was willing to turn down. And he rejected it purely for artistic reasons. Eastwood explained that he prefers characters with a little more depth. “I always liked characters that were more grounded in reality. Maybe they do super things or more-than-human things – like Dirty Harry, he has a knack for doing crazy things, or the western guys – but, still, they’re not caped crusaders.”
He also explained that one of the reasons he turned down the part was to protect his career, worrying that playing Superman would overshadow other performances. “That was part of the consideration, a big part. Look at Reeve, he was excellent. That was a big factor. You get a role like that, and it locks you in a bit,” he said. “True, I had the western genre and the Dirty Harry role, but everybody made westerns and did cop movies; they didn’t seem as bad.”
Similarly, Eastwood also turned down the chance to play another superhero of sorts, as he was offered to take on the role of James Bond after Sean Connery left the series. “To me, well, that was somebody else’s gig. That’s Sean’s deal. It didn’t feel right for me to be doing it.” Eastwood wasn’t interested despite being offered “pretty good money” to replace Connery. Instead, the role was played by David Niven, who starred as 007 in Casino Royale.
There are many sliding doors moments in a career as long as Clint Eastwood’s. The actor might well have delivered some of the most iconic performances in cinema history, but one cannot help but dream of seeing the scowl of the actor admonishing Dr No or Lex Luther.
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