Hollywood has its definitive set of iconic action heroes, featuring vintage names like John Wayne, Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson, and more recent figures like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Vin Diesel. This collection of Alpha males has provided fans with no end of explosive action over the years, with those who have carved out a distinctive space for themselves amidst the tes tosterone deemed the finest of the pack. Undoubtedly, the greatest to do so is Clint Eastwood.
Famously, Eastwood first found success in the cowboy TV series Rawhide, which set the scene for him to rise as a cultural icon in Sergio Leone’s influential ‘Dollars Trilogy’ of spaghetti westerns in the mid-1960s. Playing the unflinching antihero ‘The Man with No Name’, recognisable by his gruff demeanour, poncho, and love of cigarillos, this role established Eastwood as one of the ultimate onscreen heroes of his era and, in turn, cast him as an enduring representation of American masculinity.
This status was cemented when Eastwood starred as the antihero cop, ‘Dirty’ Harry Callahan, in the five Dirty Harry movies released throughout the 1970s and ’80s. The American actor’s onscreen persona as the titanium public servant made such an impact on viewers that in 1986, he was elected mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, a post in which he served for two years.
Elsewhere, some of Eastwood’s most notable roles have come in the likes of Every Which Way but Loose, Hang ‘Em High, Pale Rider, Where Eagles Dare, In the Line of Fire, and The Bridges of Madison County, to name just a few. In addition to his undoubted acting talent, Eastwood has also risen as a stellar filmmaker, directing and starring in hits such as The Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby and Gran Torino, as well as remaining behind the camera for other successes such as Mystic River, Changeling and Richard Jewell.
A Hollywood mainstay for well over 50 years, Eastwood has covered almost every base in his lengthy career, with his tough-guy persona remaining throughout it all. In addition to his natural mettle and accumulated industry knowledge, he is well-known to have a propensity for laughter, as Entertainment Weekly found out in 2008.
During the interview, Eastwood surprised everyone when he shared his love for the ensemble comedy Tropic Thunder, revealing that it was the last movie he had seen. Notably, the movie stars Ben Stiller – who also directs – alongside Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black, Jay Baruchel, Tom Cruise and Steve Coogan and follows a group of prima donna Hollywood actors making a Vietnam War film. However, it goes awry.
Eastwood loved the film so much that he called it “a great send-up of Hollywood” before reiterating his macho personality by mentioning a violently comedic scene as one of note. He said: “The last picture I saw was Tropic Thunder. It’s a great send-up of Hollywood. It looked like they had a good time making it, and Robert Downey Jr was great. When they blow that guy’s head off…you couldn’t help laughing.”
Watch the trailer for Tropic Thunder below.