Although Richard Harris might have thought he was the target of a prank, Clint Eastwood was certain he wanted the legendary actor for one of his finest films.
Richard Harris passed away in 2002 after leading an extremely successful career as an actor. It has been over two decades since his passing but his legacy is still alive, especially in the hearts of Harry Potter fans. He played Professor Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films, the latter of which was released after his death.
Despite being best known as our favorite Hogwarts professor, Richard Harris had many other iconic roles in his portfolio including Gulliver in Gulliver’s Travels, King Arthur in Camelot, and so on. Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven is one such film that might be considered as the best work of his career.
However, when the director called the late actor up to offer the role, he thought someone was playing games with him.
Richard Harris and a Phone Call That Was Apparently Too Good to be True
Unforgiven (1992) was a defining moment in Clint Eastwood’s career and the film has established itself as a classic. The film follows the story of a retired killer (Clint Eastwood’s William Munny) who picks up his weapon, one last time.
The nine Academy Awards nominations to its name, four of which it won, are enough proof that Unforgiven is one of the best films to have come out of the Western genre, or perhaps just in general, too.
Richard Harris played the role of English Bob, a dangerous gunslinger who boasted about his infamous past as a notorious outlaw. He portrays himself as some sort of a legendary figure and calls himself ‘The Duke of Death.’ Of course, his reality comes out when he falls into the hands of Gene Hackman’s Sheriff Daggett.
English Bob might have been a smaller role but it was heavy and resulted in one of the best and most important scenes in the film. Therefore, Eastwood knew that he must get an actor who could pull such an intricate character off and his mind immediately went to Harris.
During an episode of Inside the Actors Studio, Eastwood recalled how he called up Harris one fine day only to have his authenticity questioned by the actor.
I was doing ‘Unforgiven,’ and I wanted Richard Harris to play the character of English Bob in the movie. So, I called him, and I called his house, and the lady answered, and she said, ‘Just a second,’ I said, ‘Tell him Clint Eastwood’s calling.’ And all of a sudden, she comes back and says, ‘Who is this?’ And I said, ‘It’s Clint Eastwood calling, tell him Clint Eastwood’s calling.’
And all of a sudden, he comes on, and he goes, ‘Is this Bob? Joe?’ Because the irony is he was downstairs in the TV room watching ‘High Plains Drifter’ on the television. So he tells me this story, and of course, he was flipped out that I wanted him because he loved doing westerns.
Well, there you have it. This is the story of how Harris got to play a part in one of the greatest films to have come out of Hollywood. We are glad he didn’t hang up the phone on Eastwood!
Richard Harris Had Nothing but Praise for Clint Eastwood
Working with directors might not always be a pleasant experience, especially when they are a bit too controlling and rude on set. However, things couldn’t have been farther from this for Harris who had nothing but praise for Eastwood’s behavior on set as well as his filmmaking style.
In an interview with Jimmy Carter, the Harry Potter actor stated that Eastwood’s Unforgiven was the most organized film that he had been a part of. He added that while it’s easy to find people who will dislike either the producer or the director of the film, it was unbelievable just how much Eastwood was loved by his team.
I’ve never been in a movie that was so well-organized. His preparation is astonishing… You always find a group in a picture who either hates the producer or director. Never have I seen such universal love for the guy. He’s worked with them so long, if he’s gonna make a movie, he calls all the boys in.
He credited Eastwood for giving his actors a sense of security all while being in control and laid back at the same time.
[Eastwood] created an area of security around the actor – nothing interfered with the concentration and the joy of what you were doing… [Eastwood’s] laid back, but in control because he has done the preparation.
In the end, Harris’ unexpected phone call from Eastwood turned out to be one of the best surprises of his storied career which led to such a great on-set experience.
Rent/buy Unforgiven on Prime Video.
