When you think of Hollywood, you think of Clint Eastwood. A genuine icon, Clint Eastwood has made many of the best thriller movies and best Westerns ever. So much so, it is almost impossible to think of an industry without the actor.
But in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Eastwood revealed that he was very close to packing in acting for good after co-starring in what he calls “the worst movie ever made.” The film in question was the 1958 Western, Ambush at Cimarron Pass. Produced by Fox, the film centres around a Calvary Sergeant (Scott Brady) who teams up with two former Confederate soldiers in order to take a prisoner through Native American territory in 1867. Eastwood played the role of Keith Williams, one of the Confederate soldiers.
“It was probably the worst film ever made,” Eastwood said. “But I had the second lead in it, and an actor named Scott Brady was the lead. And the film was made in eight days. So it was really el speedo grande.”
He continued, “And I saw [the movie]. I went to see it. It was playing a second feature in North Hollywood. I went to see it, and I saw that film, and I said I’m through. I’ve got to go back to school. I’ve got to do something else. I’ve got to get a job of other sorts.”
Fortunately, fate intervened, as Eastwood revealed that he got his big break shortly after “accidentally [running] into somebody out at CBS on Beverly Boulevard.” This interaction led to him being cast as the lead in the thriller series Rawhide, and the rest is history.
Check out our list of the best Clint Eastwood movies for some of his finer work.