Two of Hollywood’s greatest actors have shared their tributes toGene Hackmanfollowing the announcement of his death, along with that of his wife and one of their dogs, earlier today. Adding tothe likes of Francis Ford Coppola and Josh Brolin, industry veteransMorgan FreemanandClint Eastwoodmourned the loss of the “incredibly gifted” actor.
Clint Eastwood starred with Hackman in 1992’sUnforgivenand again in 1997’sAbsolute Power. Hackman won an Oscar for his role in Eastwood’s incredible Western, for his supporting role of Little Bill Daggett, and it is not surprising that the director has some high praise for Hackman in the wake of his passing. In a statement toVariety, Eastwood said:
“There was no finer actor than Gene. Intense and instinctive. Never a false note. He was also a dear friend whom I will miss very much.”
Following Eastwood’s statement,Unforgivencostar Saul Rubinek shared a lengthy anecdote about working with Hackman, which really expanded on the theme that the actor was, and will be remembered as, a true legend of Hollywood. Rubinek said:
“I was lucky enough to spend a few days acting with Gene in “Unforgiven.” I remember this: the huge ‘Duck of Death’ jail scene with him and me and Richard Harris was an interior weather cover scene, I mean, scheduled at the last minute because of rain. And Gene’s Sheriff Little Bill had the lion’s share of the lines. And Clint liked to shoot the rehearsals. Man, when you were acting with Gene in a situation like that..and on the other side of me is the dangerous presence of the outrageous Richard Harris..? I had to BE THERE. I had to SHOW UP. Cause Gene set the bar SO high, without me noticing he was doing that at all. He made it … easy. The scene you see in the movie was that filmed rehearsal- first time we did it. I’ll never forget the gift of breathing that shared air. We lost a great artist but we can visit him forever.”
Morgan Freeman Pays Tribute to “Gifted” Gene Hackman
AnotherUnforgivenstar, the inimitable Morgan Freeman, also added his own thoughts to the multitude of messages being shared online by Hackman’s peers and fans. As well as starring in the Western together, Freeman and Hackman also shared screen-time eight years later in the psychological thrillerUnder Suspicion. In his own tribute via X, Freeman called working with Hackman one of the “highlights” of his career. He said:
“One of the personal highlights of my career was bringing the French Film Gardé a Vue (Under Suspicion) to life with the incredibly gifted Gene Hackman. And of course… Unforgiven. Rest in peace, my friend.”
Whileinformation about the death of Hackman and his wife is still emerging, it was recently confirmed that there are no signs of foul play, and the coroner’s office is awaiting the results of tests, including those that could confirm or rule out possible carbon monoxide poisoning.
Source:Variety/X
Unforgiven
