The only film that Clint Eastwood called his “definitive” film

If featured in Wanderer of the high plains, provide perfect direction in Unforgiven, or tell the wonderful story of Letters from Iwo Jima, Eastwood has hardly put a foot wrong in his career. And with such long experience in the business, he had ample opportunity to do so. Every new project is a potential trap, but Eastwood’s success rate is remarkably high.

Of course, not everything can be a failure. One film would almost make him quit the business before he even started. After its appearance in 1958 Ambush at Cimarron Passthe star was a hair’s breadth away from throwing in the towel. “It was so bad that I kept sinking lower and lower in my seat,” Eastwood once recalled. Crawdaddy Magazine. “I told my wife, ‘I’m going to stop, I’m really going to stop.’

Fortunately, he ignored his own nervousness and went on to have an impressive career. With so many films under his belt, it’s hard to think of what could be considered his most definitive on-screen role. While some of those above will linger in the mind longer than most, for Eastwood himself this is a slightly more unusual choice.

Speaking to Barbra Walters in 1992, Eastwood spoke about her decision to cast characters who appeared to be in pain. He suggested that much of this was due to his “painfully shy” childhood and that, despite working in what “seemed to be an outgoing profession”, he was still a “loner”. This is also why he chose his “definitive” Clint Eastwood film as Bronco Billy.

“I would say, either Unforgiven“, Eastwood began with his response, paying homage to one of his most beloved photos, “or maybe even Bronco Billy.” The reason he chose the film, released in 1980 and holding the unusual genre classification of comedy western, may not necessarily have been because of the film’s impact on his career or its audience, but because of his connection with Eastwood, the man. .

As Walters raises his eyebrows at this suggestion, Eastwood continues: “Because Bronco Billy is about a dreamer who made his dreams come true. There are few film descriptions more perfectly aligned with the ideals of Hollywood itself. Walters asks, “Is that you?” To which Eastwood bluntly responds: “That might be the case. »

There are certainly better Clint Eastwood films. Images that not only capture the essence of who we know Eastwood to be as an actor, but also a filmmaker and film lover. However, according to the actor himself, Bronco Billy, a particularly silly western about making dreams come true, might be the closest thing to defining Clint Eastwood as the man.

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