Clint Eastwood is one of Hollywood’s most skilled directors, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t acted in several iconic films as well. This included his legendary role as Blondie in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. That said, there is one factor in Sergio Leone’s films that was almost as important to the story as Eastwood.
Clint Eastwood has also been part of other iconic films such as Dirty Harry,  A Fistful of Dollars, and many more iconic projects. That said, there is no doubt just how dedicated he has been to all of his films so far in his career.

Clint Eastwood

The One Factor That Was Crucial To Sergio Leone Movies Almost As Much As Clint Eastwood
Sergio Leone’s distinctive style allowed for more time and space for music in his films, enabling a deeper collaboration with composers like Ennio Morricone. Naturally, one can’t imagine Leone without Clint Eastwood either.

Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood

While speaking in an interview with Jon Burlingame & Gary Crowdus, Ennio Morricone emphasized the importance of the director’s choice in allocating time for music. He stated that even ten seconds of audible music when well-placed, can be a more effective collaboration than ten minutes drowned out by dialogue or action.
“Sergio Leone allowed a lot more time and space for music; that was his stylistic choice. And since there was more music, people heard more music. And if they heard more music, they noticed it more. And if they noticed it more, they were able to assimilate it more. This is a sign that is very important to a composer, because now he finds himself collaborating on a more intense level and his music becomes an integral part of the film itself. I will make a very simple, paradoxical statement. If a director gives a composer ten seconds of time, he cannot be heard and therefore cannot collaborate with the director.
However, if a director gives ten minutes of time, the composer can express himself properly. If the ten minutes that you have been given can be heard, and it is not drowned out by either the dialog between the characters or the special effects and action – which distract the public from the music – then the music will be appreciated. However, if in those ten minutes you cannot even begin to hear any musical expression, because of the dialog or action taking place at the same time, the music is completely destroyed. Therefore, ten seconds of music, if it can be heard, is a far better collaboration between director and composer than ten minutes of music which has been stifled by other factors within the film. The final decision of whether to hear the music or not remains in the hands of the director. If the director believes that the music serves a function as a dramatic and expressive form, then the music will be heard; if not, then it will not be heard. This is not a fault; we must always keep in mind Sergio Leone as the central character in this question.”
He made it clear that the director’s decision on whether the music serves a dramatic purpose ultimately determines its impact, with Morricone highlighting Sergio Leone as a pivotal figure in this dynamic relationship.
Clint Eastwood Didn’t Want To Do The Good, The Bad and The Ugly At First
By the mid-1960s, Clint Eastwood had already established himself in the Western genre as a bonafide star and was looking for new challenges in his career. When originally asked to appear in the film, he declined for several reasons.

Clint Eastwood

One factor was Eastwood’s disappointment in sharing the screen with two established actors, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef. He wasn’t really happy about Wallach’s character being given the best dialogues. In addition to that, Eastwood was offered lesser pay, as his status as a major star in the United States wasn’t really established then.
Thankfully, the producers were eager to have Eastwood on board for the film. Therefore, they offered him a $250,000 salary, 10% of the profits and a new Ferrari 275 GTB. In the end, Eastwood accepted and the rest is history.

Ever since Hollywood was making a name for itself in the world with some of the best Western films in history, the name Clint Eastwood started to become synonymous with Western cinema. For more than half a decade at this point, whether it be in front of the camera or behind it, orchestrating a shot for a film, the star has never disappointed.

Clint Eastwood
Even today, his name is taken with the utmost reverence when it comes to acting and filmmaking alike, truly giving him a legendary status. But despite all of his accolades in the film industry, actor Don Rickles still went ahead and decided to take verbal jabs at the star during the 1996 AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony.
Don Rickles Had No Regrets Roasting Clint Eastwood In Front Of The Entire Hollywood
Clint Eastwood and Don Rickles on the sets of Kelly’s Heroes
May it be classic old-time Western films or action movies and everything in between, there’s nothing that legendary actor Clint Eastwood hasn’t done and not left his mark on it. Therefore, the star has gained a lot of respect from people both within Hollywood and beyond it, not to mention his Award-winning filmmaking that he is so widely known for.
And yet, during his reception of the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award in 1996, his fellow star and another legendary actor Don Rickles decided to engage in friendly fire of words with him. The star was previously seen with the A Fistful of Dollars star in their 1970 War Comedy film  Kelly’s Heroes.
Here, as soon as the host for the night Jim Carrey called upon Rickles to address the Academy Award winner on his achievement, the star went straight for his fellow star, roasting his for the next two minutes without a break, saying:
“Clint, I say with due respect, 28 years ago we did Kelly’s Heroes and I heard from you since. Clint, I say it, nobody else has said it, and I say it from my heart, you’re a lousy actor. Spielberg and all these actors at the table are like ‘We know Clint’. I know you. Clint’s idea of a good time is sitting on a pickup truck watching his dog bark.”
It was so funny and sudden that even Carrey couldn’t hold back his laughter during Rickles’ entire roasting bit. In the end, the star blessed Eastwood for his achievement.
What Was Kelly’s Heroes About?
A still from Kelly’s Heroes
One of Eastwood’s earliest attempts at comedy comes from this World War II film where the star brings a little bit of satire into a grave topic.
Kelly’s Heroes tells us the tale of Pvt. Kelly, who has recently come upon the information that there is gold worth millions of dollars stashed on the enemy’s turf somewhere. Thus, entranced with the news that he got from a drunk German soldier, Kelly rallies several fellow soldiers in an attempt to take the treasure for themselves at any cost.
Kelly’s Heroes is available on Apple TV.
Source:  American Film Institute

 

SUMMARY

Clint Eastwood is a veteran actor and director with a plethora of movies to his name.
The legendary actor once directed almost an entire movie alongside starring in it, without taking credit for his work.
While this happened due to Richard Tuggle proving to be a ‘slow writer,’ Eastwood was once at the receiving end of some hard words from Italian director Segio Leone.

Clint Eastwood has had quite an iconic career over the years, having starred in a range of notable roles. Alongside his acting career, Eastwood has also created quite a career as a movie director. Having so many credits to his name, Eastwood once directed the movie without even taking credit for his work!
Back in 1984, the director starred in the role of Wes Block in Tightrope. As per the reports, the actor had to step up his directing game and sit in the director’s chair for a while. The harrowing thing is that Clint Eastwood didn’t even take credit for the job.

Clint Eastwood in Cry Macho’
Clint Eastwood Didn’t Even Take Credit For Directing A Movie!
Back in 1984, Richard Tuggle wrote and directed Tightrope. Starring Clint Eastwood in the lead role of Wes Block, the movie was received with average ratings and an average box office collection. The movie was quite an R-rated adventure and Eastwood even went as far as to get naked on-screen.
Clint Eastwood in Tightrope (1984)
As per The New Yorker Magazine, Eastwood was forced to take charge as a director because he found that the writer/director Richard Tuggle was a very slow writer. The veteran actor shot and directed most of the movie but, he didn’t take credit for directing the film.
On the other hand, veteran director Sergio Leone had several complaints and insults for Clint Eastwood. With Eastwood becoming famous for starring in The Dollars Trilogy, director Sergio Leone worked with Eastwood in bringing Western spaghetti to Hollywood. After working with the veteran actor in three films, Leone had some harsh words to say about the veteran actor despite finding fame.
Sergio Leone Had Some Harsh Words For Clint Eastwood
Portraying the role of Man With No Name in The Dollars Trilogy, Sergio Leone and Eastwood had quite the time of their lives while shooting the trilogy. After parting ways, Leone told American Film in an interview that Eastwood acted like he was made out of marble.
“Robert De Niro throws him­self into this or that role, putting on a personality the way someone else might put on his coat, naturally and with ele­gance, while Clint Eastwood throws himself into a suit of armor and lowers the visor with a rusty clang.”
He further continued,
“East­wood moves like a sleepwalker between explosions and hails of bullets, and he is always the same — a block of marble. Bobby, first of all, is an actor. Clint, first of all, is a star. Bobby suffers, Clint yawns.”
In the end, Eastwood proved himself to be a remarkable actor and director with a plethora of movies to his name. The actor was last seen in Cry Macho and has no upcoming projects announced at the moment.