Starting his career as an actor to becoming an Academy Award filmmaker, Clint Eastwood has left an indelible mark on the history of Hollywood cinema. The actor has been part of the movie industry for seven decades, acting in over 80 films, and directing a versatile series of nearly 40 films. The Mule actor has worked in various genres of films in his career as an actor, but he was closely associated with the Western genre.
Clint Eastwood has worked in numerous Western movies in his career, and many fans know him for his performances in the Dollars Trilogy. Eastwood’s name became synonymous with the Western genre, hence, he got the fans excited when it was announced that he would act in Cry Macho for the first time since 1992. However, the 93-year-old actor made the crew nervous when he insisted on doing his stunts.
Clint Eastwood Performed Horseback Stunt In Cry Macho At The Age of 91
Clint Eastwood is an icon when it comes to working in Western action films, his charisma, rugged look, and looks make him a typical protagonist of this genre of movies, but he has also played anti-hero roles that made the fans love his movies even more. His outstanding performance in Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy redefined the genre making it more than about gunfights and saloon showdowns.
Cry Macho was not only directed by Eastwood but also he was the lead role in the film. Naturally, the film featured horses, which caused some distress on the set of the film. While talking to the Los Angeles Times, he stated how he insisted on performing the stunts himself, though there weren’t many. In the movie, there was a scene, where the actor punches someone in the face by himself. Recalling that scene he said, “It might not be as good as I’ve thrown in the past but it was fun to do it.”
Clint Eastwood continued that everyone in the crew was worried about him, mainly because of two reasons. Firstly, his horse riding skills were a little rusty, as he never rode a horse since Unforgiven, roughly three decades. Secondly because of his age, 91 then.
“The wrangler was worried. She was saying, ‘Be careful, be careful now.’ She was scared I’d end up on my rear end. But if you treat the horse like a buddy, he’ll take care of you.”
Gladly, the veteran actor did not get hurt while doing his stunts in the 2021 film. The film was entertaining and a great watch but this project was close to the Pale Rider actor as it took decades to become a reality.
Clint Eastwood’s Cry Macho Was More Than Just A Project
Cry Macho was based on a 1975 novel of the same name by N. Richard Nash, which took several decades to complete. The Unforgiven actor was aided by Al Ruddy, the producer approached him to develop the script into a film. In the same interview, the actor stated how he was too young to play the role in the project, and he pitched the idea of directing the film with Robert Mitchum.
“I’m too young for this. Let me direct and we’ll get Robert Mitchum, an older dude.”
However, that idea never became a reality. Over the years, the idea was pitched to several filmmakers but it did not pan out. Even the Austrian Oak, Arnold Schwarzenegger was interested in playing the role before and after serving as The Governor of California. But none of the ideas became a reality until Clint Eastwood was old enough to play the role.
“I always thought I’d go back and look at that. It was something I had to grow into. One day, I just felt it was time to revisit it. It’s fun when something’s your age, when you don’t have to work at being older.”
Gladly, the decades of hard work became a hit, the film was loved by the audience and critics. The film earned $ 14.7 million at the worldwide box office with $ 3 million in additional DVD sales.