“The FBI had a problem with that”: Clint Eastwood Had A Meeting With FBI’s Director To Avoid A Nightmare Mistake In Leonardo DiCaprio’s Movie
Creating Oscar-worthy films is something that only a select few can achieve with their artistic expression and talent in filmmaking, a formula that has now been perfected by Hollywood’s living legend Clint Eastwood. For more than half a century, the star has given some of the most exceptional performances and created equally exceptional motion pictures as a director.
It almost feels like making these films has become somewhat of a second nature to the star as five of his directed films have either been nominated for the Academy Awards or won them. This experience and foresight are what led to him taking the cautious route and taking advice from the FBI’s chief when he was creating J. Edgar, a film related to the department.
Clint Eastwood Sought The Help Of FBI Director To Avoid Complications For J. Edgar
When it comes to making films that are being made to leave an impact on the world of cinema, every ounce of effort and time that you put into the project may seem like it might not be enough. This is exactly what Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood had going in his mind when he was directing his then-upcoming film J. Edgar with Leonardo DiCaprio. To go into the utmost details about the life of the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the filmmaker went the extra mile to meet with the FBI chief in person.
In a past interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Oscar-winning scriptwriter of the aforementioned film Dustin Lance Black revealed that to get to the bottom of J. Edgar Hoover’s life, the Letters from Iwo Jima director had conversations with then-FBI Director Leon Panetta about all the details they could get from him. He also recalled that there were some details that the Director of the FBI found should not be added in the film, which saved them from being reprimanded by the department later. He said:
“The FBI had a problem with that in the script. Clint wanted to know about it. But it was not uncommon at the time to have a little amphetamine-vitamin boost.”
This was the detail related to the injections that the first Director of the FBI started to receive when he was older.
What Was J. Edgar About?
With this film, Eastwood wanted to highlight the life that the longest-serving Director of the BOI and the subsequent FBI J. Edgar Hoover lived. J. Edgar outlines his early life, along with what the man went through in his professional career after the dissolution of the BOI and being handed the newly created FBI.
The film also tells the tale of what went on with his life when he wasn’t sitting in his office as his personal life is also explored in great detail. The film talks about his relationship with his two closest confidants, who were his protege Clyde Tolson and his loyal secretary Helen Gandy.
