The archetype of the male lead in Hollywood’s action genre has consistently changed across different eras. These days, the action genre is ruled by characters inspired by Marvel and DC Comics, who are defined by their extravagant costumes and extraterrestrial powers. In the 80s and the 90s, the industry couldn’t get enough of physically dominating stars like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
But the protagonist who helped Hollywood’s action genre achieve international recognition before anyone else neither boasts alien powers nor a muscular physique. Instead, Clint Eastwood’s The Man With No Name depended on the sharpness of his mind and slender but quick physique to get the better of his adversaries. Like his character, his opinion on macho males is complex and interesting at the same time.
What Hollywood Icon Clint Eastwood Said About Macho Males
Clint Eastwood made his name as the icon of Western cinema after portraying The Man With No Name, the main protagonist of the Dollars Trilogy in the 60s. His character, a wandering gunfighter, kick-starts the saga by pushing two rival families against each other in A Fistful of Dollars.
Almost half a century after impressing fans with his physical prowess and skills to use a gun, Eastwood returned in another Western movie, but this time he focused on exploring the emotional depth of his character. In Cry Macho (2021), he played Mike Milo, a one-time rodeo star and washed-up horse breeder who goes on a mission to bring a man’s young son home. During their journey, he teaches the boy what it means to be a good man.
Eastwood hasn’t just used Cry Macho to convey his thoughts on masculinity. He once took time to explain how he sees macho males, stating:
“I don’t like the wimp syndrome. No matter how ardent a feminist may be, if she is a hetero sexual female, she wants the strength of a male companion as well as the sensitivity. The most gentle people in the world are macho males, people who are confident in their masculinity and have a feeling of well-being in themselves.”
The Million Dollar Baby director further added that in order to show his masculinity, an individual doesn’t have to kick in doors, mistreat women, or make fun of homosexuals. All we can say about these thoughts is that when the icon of the action genre says something, it’s best to just shut up and listen!
Who Sergio Leone Wanted in His First Dollars Trilogy Movie Ahead of Clint Eastwood
As much as the Dollars Trilogy defined the action genre of Hollywood in the 60s, it also defined Eastwood’s career, making him the face of Western dramas in the industry. The actor, now 93, made 15 Western movies across his very long and successful career.
Interestingly, Sergio Leone, who directed A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly with Eastwood as his lead preferred James Coburn. However, Leone couldn’t afford him. He told the BBC:
“I really wanted James Coburn, but he was too expensive. The Italian cinema is very poor. We got Clint for $15,000, Coburn wanted $25,000.”
The first movie of the Dollars Trilogy took shape on a total budget of $200,000 and went on to become a gigantic success at the box office, bringing in $19.9 million. The rest as they say is history.
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