“His family was more important than his work”: Clint Eastwood Had to Convince Gene Hackman for His Violent $159M Movie That He Turned Down to Make His Daughters Happy

Clint Eastwood is one of the most respected, foundational members of Hollywood. Having been part of or the mind behind some of the most incredibly successful projects, with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Mule, Dirty Harry, and A Fistful of Dollars being some examples, his films are true works of art, having some of the most immersive and haunting storylines that leave their audiences with thoughts of the film hours after watching it. For this skill, the filmmaker has been awarded time and time again, including being nominated for a number of Oscars and winning the same four times throughout his career.

Eastwood’s 1992 film, Unforgiven is an excellent example of his dedication as and filmmaker. The film stars an impressive, cast, with actors like Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris, and Frances Fisher featuring in it and went on to be critically acclaimed, winning many Oscars, including Hackman winning in the category of Best Supporting Actor for this film. What many might not know about this film, however, is that Hackman initially turned down this movie for the sake of his daughters.

Gene Hackman Turned Down Unforgiven For His Daughters

Gene Hackman‘s character in Unforgiven, Little Bill was a truly horrible person, using the power he held for terrible things and abusing it every chance he got. His performance in the movie, however, was one of the most memorable of his entire career, winning him his second Academy Award. So the question that arises is, why did the actor turn the role down initially? The reason for this is quite surprising.

“Things could have been different. Gene’s daughters didn’t like all the violent movies he was doing … He was at a stage in his career where his family was more important than his work … “ Peoples stated.

The writer of the movie, David Webb Peoples, revealed during an interview that Hackman’s family, was the main reason that the actor ended up rejecting the film as at the time, his family was much bigger of a priority to him than his work and career. The actor’s daughters were not all too fond of violent films and did not like how frequently their father was starring in movies like those so for their sake, the Hackman turned this role down.

Gene Hackman Was Convinced By Clint Eastwood To Join The Project

If this was the case, how did Gene Hackman finally get convinced to be part of Unforgiven? The main reason for this was the film’s director, Clint Eastwood. David Webb Peoples went on to state that it wasn’t until The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly actor talked to Hackman that he was finally convinced to be part of the project.

“And God bless Gene; he listened to Clint and together they produced something awesome.” he went on to say

Peoples went on to say that he is so glad the Hackman listened to Eastwood as together, they made a masterpiece of a film that would not have been the same without him. The film went on to win Eastwood two Acadamy Awards, one in the category of Best Director and the other in Best Picture, and as established earlier, the film also won Hackman his second Oscar, for his role as Little Bill.