The movie Clint Eastwood was almost cut out of completely
Very few actors manage to create an equally acclaimed directorial run, but Clint Eastwood is definitely one of them, having established himself as one of the most recognisable icons in the industry. Ranging from definitive performances in seminal projects like Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy to interesting filmmaking efforts like Unforgiven, Eastwood’s oeuvre spans multiple decades and reflects the evolution of the various cinematic landscapes.
Although it’s almost impossible now to imagine the veteran as anything other than Hollywood royalty, the beginning of Eastwood’s acting career was particularly arduous. With unsuccessful auditions and several rejections, it was a difficult journey to his debut role. Interestingly, the American legend’s first film part came in a campy horror film titled Revenge of the Creature, but even that uncredited appearance was almost cut out of the final product.
During a conversation with Paul Nelson in Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, the renowned filmmaker recalled his first role, which he called “four-liner”. Eastwood was supposed to play the part of a lab technician, but he realised that nobody wanted the scene when he went to the set. According to him, one of the first things director Jack Arnold told him was that he had decided he no longer wanted that particular segment.
“Nothing’s sacred anymore,” Eastwood recalled. “That was my very first part. A four-liner or something like that. I remember it was Jack Arnold directing, and William Alland was the producer. Alland called me into his office and read me the scene, and gave me the part. And that was it. He said, ‘I’ll take you down, and we’ll meet the director.’ I walked on the set, and the director said, ‘What the hell is this? I told you I don’t want to do that goddamn scene! Who’s this guy?’ [laughs]”.
While remembering the hostility in the atmosphere, the Unforgiven director revealed that he thought he was going to be attacked. Eastwood continued: “I thought, I’m going to get punched – he was screaming and yelling – or else I was just going to wilt to the floor. Probably the latter. Alland made me realise that it wasn’t anything against me – the director just didn’t want the scene in the movie, so he didn’t see any reason for shooting it and thought they should cut it out.”
Given Eastwood’s current status, it’s funny to realise that the only reason most cinephiles know about this substandard monster flick is that it has been immortalised in film history as the start of Eastwood’s incredible career. Unfortunately, later versions of the movie that ran on TV actually removed his scene entirely, fulfilling Arnold’s initial wishes.
Watch the trailer for the film below.
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