Clint Eastwood Learned to Do a Dangerous Stunt Himself for $14M Thriller as He Did Not Want to Risk a Stuntsman’s Life
One of the most well-known actor-director in the business, Clint Eastwood, has not only acted in hit films but has also directed a few of them. He has made a lasting impression on the industry with his abilities.
Based on Trevanian’s 1972 novel of the same name, Eastwood’s The Eiger Sanction was about Jonathan Hemlock, a professor of art history, mountain climber, and former assassin. Blackmailed by the secret government, Hemlock, a formerly secret government appointee, accepts joining one last mission to avenge the death of a longtime friend. In addition to starring, Eastwood also directed the film, which got mixed reviews.
Clint Eastwood nearly dodged death while filming The Eiger Sanction
According to reports, actor Clint Eastwood who plays Jonathan Hemlock in the movie was a mountain climber who was blackmailed by the secret government to join them for one last mission and he does.
Mountain climber David Knowles was hired to be one of the climbing doubles and a photographer who had rappelled down to the ledge to get some footage for the movie, whereas Eastwood went back to get some pickup shots from the climber’s point of view.
The reports have stated that a boulder broke free and smashed Knowles and Mike Hoover, another climber in the film. The accident bruised Hoover but unfortunately took Knowles’ life and left the actor-director grief-stricken.
Another climber, Chic Scott, had later shared, “We flew up to that same location and there was the scene that we had been faking for two days. Dave Knowles hanging dead on the end of the rope. It was unbelievable. Fantastic and reality come head-on. The Eiger is a real mountain and Hollywood is fantasy.”
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Clint Eastwood learned mountain climbing for The Eiger Sanction
Reports have suggested that the exceptional actor especially learned how to climb mountains so that he could do justice to his character on-screen in The Eiger Sanction, who was a mountain climber.
During an interview with Roger Ebert, Eastwood explained, “I didn’t want to use a stunt man, because I wanted to use a telephoto lens and zoom in slowly all the way to my face — so you could see it was really me. I put on a little disguise and slipped into a sneak preview of the film to see how people liked it. When I was hanging up there in the air, the woman in front of me said to her friend, ‘Gee, I wonder how they did that?’ and her friend said, ‘Special effects.'”
The movie, which received mixed reactions from the audience, was appreciated for the action sequences and Eastwood was applauded for his dedication towards a character. Some reports have noted that the actor did not want to risk a stuntman’s life because of the stunt, which is why he decided to learn how to do it himself.
Clint Eastwood working on his final movie #Juror2
According to reports, the ace actor-director is currently filming his final movie #Juror2 and was spotted on set in Savannah, Georgia. The movie stars Nicholas Hoult, Tonu Collette, Zoey Deutch, Kiefer Sutherland, and Leslie Bibb, and the story centers around a family man who serves as a juror in a high-profile murder trial but finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma.
The family man is thinking about if he wants to sway the jury’s verdict and potentially convict or free the wrong killer. The movie is written by Jonathan Abrams, but currently, the movie’s production has come to a halt due to the SAG-AFTRA strike in 2023. Sources stated that the actor-director wanted to find one last project before he rode off into the sunset to enjoy his retirement.
Source: Looper
