Every actor strives for that breakthrough role that puts them on the map and leads them onto bigger and better things, but it doesn’t come easy. Just ask Clint Eastwood, who paid his dues as a jobbing bit-part player long before he made his way to the summit of Hollywood.
The four-time Academy Award winner was on the cusp of turning 30 before he landed the part of Rowdy Yates on Rawhide, which was exactly the leg-up he needed. By the time his final episodes of the show aired six years later, he was already well on his way to becoming an icon of the western genre following the release of Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars in 1964, his first major leading role in a movie.
There were hard times before that, with Eastwood notching one-episode guest spots on several TV shows while he went uncredited in seven of his first nine feature appearances. The overwhelming majority of actors start at the very bottom, regardless of what they go on to achieve. It can be an unforgiving place when everybody is unknown, and they’re all chasing the exact same thing.
As he shared in Paul Nelson’s book Conversations with Clint, his biggest concern was wondering where the next paycheque was going to come from. “They were very tough because you’d do a few bits, and then you wouldn’t get any parts for months,” Eastwood said. “A lot of times, guys will do either theatre or television. In the old days, they’d bounce around live television shows, and then finally, somebody’d give them a break. From that, they’d springboard into something.”
The pre-Rawhide Eastwood found himself left bemused by who the decision-makers were, explaining that “a lot of the people who are making the decision on whether you are going to work or not are people who really have no knowledge of the business anyway”. During that time, he regularly found himself herded into casting calls alongside everybody else who was eying the same role.
“You’d go on interviews where they’d have ten guys your size and age bracket in the office. You’d feel like an asshole sitting there,” he continued. “Cattle calls they used to call them for the theatre. What are the odds?” Eastwood shared that he’d “get pretty depressed” when things weren’t going his way, and not even optimistic phone calls to his agent could make him feel any more optimistic.
Needless to say, he got there eventually, but Eastwood was far from being a fresh-faced rookie when he finally caught a break on Rawhide. Once he got it, there was never any doubt in his mind that he was going to make the most of the opportunity.
News
‘Prison Break’ Continues Streaming Dominance As ‘Fire Country’ Heats Up On Nielsen Charts
Prison Break; Fire Country Prison Break held a steady audience for the second consecutive week, raking in another 1.6B minutes viewed from August 12 to 18. That put it in first place on Nielsen‘s streaming charts, fueled by its return to Netflix in July. According to…
Kelly Clarkson Addresses Being Vulnerable After Heartbreak
Kelly Clarkson is giving a peek behind those hazel eyes. The American Idol alum recently opened up about why she’s able to connect with her guests and audiences as the host of her Emmy-winning talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show, which premieres its sixth…
Kelly Clarkson reacts to Carrie Underwood becoming ‘American Idol’ judge
Kelly Clarkson knows Carrie Underwood has been waiting for a moment like this. “The Kelly Clarkson Show” host — whose sixth season kicks off on NBC Sept. 23 — shared that she’s so excited for her fellow “American Idol” alum to join the competition…
‘American Idol’ Tries To Sign Up ‘Hawk Tuah Girl’ As She Brands Move ‘Dirty’
aliey Welch, otherwise known as ‘Hawk Tuah Girl’, has said that American Idol producers approached her to join the show, calling the move “dirty.” Welch became an online hit after she was asked a question in the street about her sex life…
Hailey Bieber pictured out for first time since giving birth as she has dinner date with pal Kylie Jenner while husband Justin stays home
New mom Hailey Bieber was seen out in Los Angeles this week for the first time since she gave birth to son Jack Blues Bieber two weeks ago. The 27-year-old model bared her long legs in a dark pair of shorts or a skirt, which was…
Amanda Rollins’ Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Role Is A Big Insult To Kelli Giddish
Amanda Rollins’ new role in Law & Order: SVU is an insult to the actress Kelli Giddish after the way she was written out. Rollins is one of the most popular characters in the long-running police procedural. After Giddish’s season 24 exit from Law…
End of content
No more pages to load