Movie star John Wayne and legendary filmmaker John Ford made one of the most iconic actor-director duos ever. However, the director was infamously harsh on the actor, frequently coming down hard on him in front of entire movie sets. Ford didn’t open up about his positive feelings toward Wayne’s performances until after he won an Oscar.
John Wayne and John Ford first collaborated on ‘Stagecoach’
Before Wayne and Ford officially teamed up, the actor earned his first leading role from Raoul Walsh in 1930’s The Big Trail. It failed to catch on at the box office, which delayed the movie star’s climb to fame. Nevertheless, Wayne shined in the Ford-directed ensemble called Stagecoach, which hit theaters in 1939.
The duo worked on another 13 movies over the course of their careers, creating some of the best films ever made. They continued to influence cinema on a grand scale with features, such as The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and The Quiet Man.
John Ford didn’t compliment John Wayne to make sure that it didn’t go to his head
Wayne won his first and only Oscar for his performance in 1969’s True Grit, which is when Ford seemingly took notice of the actor’s ability for the first time. The director constantly demeaned the actor on sets, which led him to believe that he wasn’t very good from his perspective. However, he couldn’t have been further from the truth.
According to The Denver Post, Wayne once explained why Ford never paid him the compliments that he always wanted.
“I don’t think John Ford had any kind of respect for me as an actor until I made Red River for Howard Hawks,” Wayne said. “I was never quite sure what he did think of me as an actor. I know now, though. Because when I finally won an Oscar for my role as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit, Ford shook my hand and said the award was long overdue me as far as he was concerned.”
Wayne continued: “Right then, I knew he’d respected me as an actor since Stagecoach, even though he hadn’t let me know it. He later told me his praise earlier, might have gone to my head and made me conceited, and that was why he’d never said anything to me, until the right time.”
He earned 2 Oscar nominations before
Ford knew that Wayne earned two Oscar nominations prior to his True Grit win. However, he lost both times. He first earned attention from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with his stunning performance in 1949’s Sands of Iwo Jima, although Broderick Crawford beat him out for All the King’s Men.
Next, Wayne earned a Best Picture nomination for 1960’s The Alamo, which he directed and starred in. Unfortunately, the Oscar campaign was an utter disaster, which left him empty-handed. Rather, Billy Wilder’s The Apartment took home the top prize of the night.
Finally, Wayne earned his golden statue for True Grit, although many of his fans believed that he also deserved a nomination for his performance in 1976’s The Shootist, which was the final performance of his career before he died in 1979.
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