A British film director has revealed what acting legends Clint Eastwood, Richard Burton, and Harrison Ford all share when it comes to their craft.
Chatting to the Times ahead of the 40th anniversary of Richard Burton’s passing on August 5th, 1984, Tony Palmer shared his thoughts on the common thread linking the Welsh icon with his American peers.
He spilt the beans: “Burton’s greatness as an actor on screen was a feeling of stillness. Clint Eastwood had exactly that same, utter stillness.
“You think he’s not doing anything but, in fact, he’s doing everything, dragging you into the part. Harrison Ford does exactly the same thing.”
With the 40th anniversary of Richard Burton’s death looming, there’s a buzz around the legacy of the actor, reports the Express.
Tony Palmer couldn’t sing enough praises for Burton, particularly for his stellar act in the 1983 TV biopic ‘Wagner’, gushing: “Every time we see Richard, he’s just there. Doing nothing. A presence. But oh boy, he’s giving a performance to die for.”
And Tony isn’t alone in his admiration; Ian McShane reminisced to the Guardian about his time with Burton during ‘Sitting Target’, saying: “I knew him before that and we had a good time together. The trouble was he became inclined to be a bit of a bully when he drank, but he was charming most of the time. Richard was terrific.”
Ian shared that Burton had confided in him, expressing his satisfaction with playing the role of “bisexual driver fixer, Wolfie,” as it reminded him of Elizabeth Taylor.
Despite Richard Burton passing away four decades ago, Hollywood veterans Clint Eastwood, 94, and Harrison Ford, 82, are still active in the industry. Earlier this year, it was revealed that not only do they share similar acting styles with Burton, but they also missed out on starring in the John Wick action film series.
(Image: (Image: Getty))
Entertainment Weekly reported that Basil Iwanyk, the producer of the franchise, said: “The lead was a 75 year old man, twenty-five years after being retired. It was the fun of watching Clint Eastwood kick ass.”
He continued: “I thought, ‘Okay, there’s probably one or two names you could do this with: Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford.’ Other than that, I’m not sure how I put this movie together. But the tone of the script for John Wick was subversive and really fun. It has a very clear emotional through line and a great premise for an action movie.”
However, Basil disclosed that a twist of fate led to Keanu Reeves being selected for the role instead. He explained: “My other best friend in the world, this guy Jimmy Darmody, is an agent at CAA, who at the time represented Keanu.”
“And he said, ‘Do you have any action movies for Keanu Reeves? ‘ I remember thinking to myself, ‘Keanu is one of the great action stars of the last 25 years – what happened to him? What’s he been doing? ‘”.
Later on, Keanu agreed to take on the role of John Wick, and it was decided that the character didn’t need to be 75 years old.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
