Clint Eastwood has had a monumental career spanning generations with many memorable films over the years. In addition to being a celebrated actor, his directorial works like Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, etc have won Oscars and other accolades. Through his films, Eastwood has worked with many heavyweights such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Tom Hanks.
The bonafide director worked with the latter on the 2016 biographical drama Sully. The combo resulted in a well-made and thought-provoking film about media scrutiny following a daring rescue. The actor-director initially had a bit of friction during the production of the film, but this led to Hanks proving Eastwood wrong with his unique performance to the typical ‘good guy’ roles he does.
Tom Hanks Took Up The Challenge To Impress Clint Eastwood In Sully
Tom Hanks is well known as America’s sweetheart and has mostly played characters with noble causes as well as ordinary people who emerge victorious after being put in extraordinary circumstances. Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, Cast Away, etc are examples of that kind of roles that Hanks has become associated with.
With 2016’s Sully, Hanks was portraying the real-life Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who was responsible for the Miracle on the Hudson event in 2009. He was celebrated as a hero while also facing media scrutiny later when various people started to doubt his efforts in the event. The actor was aware of the type of box he was already categorized into.
In an interview with The New York Times, Hanks revealed that he has a particular cinematic countenance that he carries into every film he does. While he may be known for being the good guy in every film, which director Clint Eastwood made him aware of during the film, he took it up as a challenge to prove that there were new ways to explore within that ballpark. The actor said,
I look at it like this. I have a particular cinematic countenance that I carry into any movie. There can be new ways to explore what that means. For example, when Clint Eastwood said, ‘You want to be Sully?’ I said to him, ‘I’ve sort of played that role before,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, you have.’ I took that as a challenge.
Hanks also struggled with Eastwood’s directing style initially. He stated on The Graham Norton Show (via YouTube) that he treats actors like horses and has a very scary look when he is pissed. The director had a calm and composed way of calling the shots which he found to be extremely intimidating. Hanks said,
You certainly don’t want one of those Eastwood looks. He treats his actors like horses. So when he’s in charge, he says in a really quiet soft voice, ‘All right, go ahead,’ and instead of shouting ‘Cut!’ he says ‘That’s enough of that.’ It’s intimidating as hell.
The actor-director eventually found their sweet spot and made a great film together. Sully was loved by critics and fans, grossing $243 million against a $60 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). Hanks’ portrayal received great praise from Sullenberger himself.
Kiefer Sutherland Requested Clint Eastwood To Put Him In His Film Through A Letter
At 94 years old, Clint Eastwood is still making films and is gearing up for the release of his courtroom drama Juror No.2. One of the film’s ensemble cast is Kiefer Sutherland who is a big fan of Eastwood and his films. In an interview with the BBC, Sutherland revealed that when he heard about the casting calls for the film, he submitted his name through a personal letter to Eastwood.
The actor detailed his admiration for the director and his films especially Play Misty For Me in his letter. This led to him being cast in Eastwood’s latest film. The Stand By Me star said,
I’ve always admired his [Eastwood’s] filmmaking. I had read in one of the trade magazines that he was directing his last film – he’s 93 years old – and I thought: ‘This is my last chance.’ So I wrote him a letter telling him how much I admired his work, going all this way back, [I mentioned] his first film Play Misty for Me and he was kind enough to give me a job.
With the admirable body of work and the accolades Eastwood has received throughout his career, it is not surprising why actors aspire to work with him. Juror No.2 also stars Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, Zoey Deutch, Leslie Bibb, Chris Messina, J. K. Simmons, and Gabriel Basso. The film is expected to hit theatres in the fall of 2024.