“It’s not going to be a big hit”: the movie Clint Eastwood knew people didn’t want to see
The ultimate reflection of a filmmaker’s success in Hollywood is their ability to easily make anything they want, regardless of whether it has a chance of being successful or not. Clint Eastwood soon reached this level of creative freedom after consistently directing and starring in various successful movies, propelled by the success of his performances in the Dollars trilogy and Dirty Harry.
The actor made his directorial debut with 1971’s Play Misty For Me, a psychological thriller that proved Eastwood’s real potential as a filmmaker. He went on to helm a string of westerns, dramas, and action films in the coming years, and by the 1980s, he had firmly established himself as one of Hollywood’s most successful actor-directors.
In 1982, Eastwood was on fire, directing two movies which both received acclaim, although they were wildly different. The first was Firefox, which featured some rather ahead-of-its-time effects and explored futuristic themes, which was pretty unusual for Eastwood. Still, it showed his interest in a wide range of genres, and for the most part, critics thought he did a good job.
His next movie took a completely different direction, with audiences drawn into a world of country music, set during the Great Depression. Eastwood played Red Stovall, a singer who tries to make it at Tennessee’s Grand Ole Opry, with his young son, Kyle, starring as his nephew. The movie blended the western drama – something he was no stranger to – with the musical genre, although one of the songs from the film, ‘No Sweeter Cheater Than You’, was unfortunately nominated for a Razzie Award.
While the movie did find acclaim, he didn’t expect the movie to become a blockbuster success. In Conversations With Clint, the actor revealed, “It’s not going to be a big hit movie, but I didn’t make it expecting it to be a big hit movie. I just made it because I wanted to make it. Sometimes you’ve got to make a few things like that. I can always pick up a gun and go racing through the streets.”
Eastwood wanted to do something different from what he was stereotypically known for, and Honkytonk Man gave him a chance to do something musical for a change. Inspired by the musician Jimmie Rodgers, his role as Red was a moving one, with the character’s ongoing struggle with tuberculosis informing his journey throughout the film.
Despite his lack of faith in the film becoming a hit, Eastwood hoped that people would still enjoy it years later. “It was fun to do. Maybe someday thirty years from now somebody will say, ‘Hey, let’s look at that film.’” While it hasn’t endured in the same vein as some of his other films, like Unforgiven, The Bridges of Madison County, or Million Dollar Baby, it’s refreshing to watch a movie knowing that it was made with passion rather than money in mind.
Eastwood gives a great performance as Red, and his own upbringing during the Great Depression (the filmmaker was born in 1930) surely informed his approach to making a film set in this difficult and unforgiving era.
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