Throughout his illustrious career, actor Gene Hackman starred in multiple classics, playing roles that became iconic. Who can forget Lex Luthor from Superman (1978) or Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde (1967)? In a 2021 interview with the New York Post, however, the actor revealed that there was one film he refused to re-watch. (Also Read: Celebrating Gene Hackman’s legacy with 8 of his best films)
Gene Hackman didn’t re-watch The French Connection
One of Gene’s most memorable roles, which also won him his first Oscar in the Best Actor category, is in the 1971 crime drama The French Connection, directed by William Friedkin. The film is based on Robin Moore’s 1969 nonfiction book, which saw him play Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle. Despite being one of his most famous films, the actor revealed in the interview that he never cared to revisit it.
Gene watched the film just once, shortly after it was completed, and that was enough, he told the publication via email. He said, “I haven’t seen the film since the first screening in a dark, tiny viewing room in a post-production company’s facility 50 years ago. If the film has a legacy, I am not sure what that would be. At the time, it seemed to me to be a reverent story of a cop who was simply able to solve and put a stop to a major crime family’s attempt to infiltrate the New York drug scene.”
He acknowledged that The French Connection was “a moment in a checkered career of hits and misses,” adding that he’s “grateful” for the film’s help in his career. In 1975, Gene reprised his role in John Frankenheimer’s French Connection II.
Gene Hackman’s death and legacy
Gene was found dead in his Santa Fe home with his wife, classical musician Betsy Akaway and their dog on Thursday. He was 95. He was a frequent presence on the screen from the 1960s till his retirement with the 2004 political satire. Welcome To Mooseport.
Francis Ford Coppola, who directed him in The Conversation wrote on his Instagram, “The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity. I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution.”
In 2008, Gene told Reuters he missed the “the actual acting part of it.” He added, “But the business for me is very stressful. The compromises that you have to make in films are just part of the beast, and it had gotten to a point where I just didn’t feel like I wanted to do it anymore.”
