True Grit was a godsend for John Wayne, who lobbied for the lead function of one-eyed US Marshal Rooster Cogburn after studying Charles Portis’ novel of the identical title. Duke would go on to lastly win the Best Actor Oscar for the half in 1969, however manufacturing was removed from straightforward for him. Despite being an enormous star, he was not accountable for casting.
Famously Elvis Presley couldn’t be secured for the supporting function of the Texan La Boeuf, because the singer’s supervisor Colonel Tom Parker demanded high billing above Wayne himself. Meanwhile, there can be one other actor who ended up leaving the Western legend fuming as soon as the shoot had begun.
The actor in query was Robert Duvall, who performed Lucky Ned Pepper in True Grit. The late star was 38 on the time and was but to turn into the main man he would in his later Hollywood profession.
He was identified for having a fiery mood similar to his outdated roommate Gene Hackman, who he lived in New York with alongside Dustin Hoffman after they have been poor younger thespians. All three loved sensible jokes, however Duvall and Hackman have been identified for having quick fuses which led to explosive bar fights.
Hoffman has beforehand shared how Duvall ended up incorporating his real-life anger into his performances. The True Grit actor would pick an viewers member he pretended to hate after which shouting ‘f*** you!’ when he left the stage following a curtain name.
As a technique actor, he turned pissed off when Wayne and True Grit director Henry Hathaway’s plans for his character didn’t match up together with his. As a outcome, confrontations on set turned commonplace.
He mentioned in 2015: “The director and I didn’t get along — I don’t get along with a lot of directors.” And on one other event, added: “Henry Hathaway… we won’t talk about him.”
Duvall became irritated by Hathaway’s dictatorial and aggressive directing style, with the actor remembering: “He’d say, ‘When I say, ‘Action! Tense up, Goddam you.’ It’s hard to work under that as a young actor.”
As a result, the pair would have fierce arguments which eventually were interjected by Wayne himself. True Grit was Duke’s passion project after all and the Western legend ended up fighting with Duvall himself to the point where he threatened to punch him if he didn’t stop arguing with Hathaway.
The Lucky Ned Pepper star may never have gotten over his feuding with Hathaway, but would speak highly of Wayne despite this altercation.
Despite winning Best Actor for True Grit, Wayne wasn’t happy with his performance as Rooster Cogburn and later called the award “beginner’s luck”.
Yet Duvall admitted: “Wayne wasn’t as bad as some supposedly serious actors I’ve seen who trained at the Actors Studio and all that… Wayne was interesting to be around. He was pleasant and outgoing.”
https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/2171714/John-Wayne-Robert-Duvall-True-Grit