European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 6, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Gene Hackman left costars with actor Willem a foe in the movie Mississippi the Gene machine 4cfor Hackman is Hollywood s everyman Appleby by Nina j. Easton los Angeles times picture three Young broke actors struggling to make it off Broadway in the late 1950s and still managing to have a Good time of it. Classic leading men they were not Dustin Hoffman an Odd looking Little Guy but a real Cut up on stage Robert Duvall his intense and serious minded Roommate and Gene Hackman the married Friend whose life seemed As steady and stable As his Demeanour. Slowly each of the three close friends begins to achieve Success on stage and screen. Then in 1967, Boom the graduate hits the screen and Hoffman was rocketed to stardom. Hackman also got a part in the hit film but he never made it to the screen he was fired by director Mike Nichols. In the past Hackman has expressed Hurt and regret Over losing that role. He does t have the mysterious chemistry with film audiences that can command inordinate superstar prices from studios but he scarcely works for pauper s wages. Hackman is believed to have received something less than $2 million for his latest film Mississippi burning compared to the estimated $5 million Hoffman received for pain Man what Hackman does command is respect even Awe from his Peers. With one Oscar on his shelf for the French connection and two additional nominations to his credit for Bonnie and Clyde and / never Sang for my father he is a favorite for another next Spring for his portrayal of a Southern sheriff turned Fri agent in Mississippi burning. Unquestionably he will get an Oscar nomination insists critic Gene Siskel. That does not always indicate Quality but in this Case it and he May Well be up against his pal Hoffman for Plain Man. Hackman May not always be the Choice among studio executives concerned with Box office draw. But he is a Clear favorite among critics directors and fellow actors. Even when he makes bad movies and critics like Siskel say he has made plenty of those Hackman receives Praise for his performance. He is known As an actor s with a receding hairline and the exaggerated features of a character actor 58-year-old Hackman is Best known for his roles As the everyman an Ordinary Guy grappling with a moral or physical dilemma. But he brings to those roles a sense of inner turmoil and intensity. I always manage to find a Way in films to be a bit introspective Hackman explains. It helps me As an actor makes me feel As if i m doing something with More than 40 films to his credit Hackman is also one of the More prolific actors around. In october the Trade paper variety listed him As the second busiest actor in Hollywood Over the past few years behind Steve Guttenberg. This Winter alone Hackman appears in four other films besides Mississippi burning. He stars in full Moon in Blue water bat21 and split decisions. He also appears in Woody Allen s another woman. Recently he began filming an Orion film the package a political thriller. And next summer he will make his directorial debut with the silence of the lambs in which he also stars. Off the screen Hackman can be shy even awkward and eminently likable. During a recent american film Institute tribute to him he sat with his 6-foot-2 Frame slumped in a chair and fidgeted nervously with his hands clearly uncomfortable As the Center of attention. It must be Nice for them out there to listen to us Pat ourselves on our Back he said to director Arthur Penn Midway through the Afi retrospective of his work held at the Cine Tex conference in Las vegas nev., last fall. In front of the camera he is intense and focused monday february 6, 1989 producer Frederick Zollo dubbed him the Gene machine during the filming of Mississippi burning. Invariably i will Cross off All the stage instructions in a script Hackman says so when i come on stage i Don t have a preconceived notion of what it is i m going to do. Ideally i Don t even like to learn the lines until i get there though sometimes that puts too much pressure on the other people during those interminable periods of boredom on movie sets Hackman might be found Pencil in hand in front of a drawing pad. He sketches the prop handler the electrician anyone who will sit still for 20 minutes and gives most of his drawings away to his subjects. Hanging in his Adobe Home in Santa be n.m., Are some of Hackman s paintings done in a style he describes As Manet style impressionism. I feel a Little embarrassed about it though he confesses. Most of it is in the guest quarters and we Haven t had guests it is not unusual for people As shy As Hackman to pursue an acting career. If you have some kind of disturbed childhood he says you go into acting to exorcise that to Point out who you Are. When i m Given a role that has a lot of darkness in it it appeals to me. I soak right into the darkness of which Hackman Speaks is a reference to his Stormy relationship with his father a Pressman for a Danville iii., newspaper. My dad was not a Strong Guy Hackman says. He was weak and he would overcome that by being too Strong physically by beating me. I resented it because the punishment did t fit the crime just because i did t carry the ashes out of the basement i would be beaten and restricted to my Yard for a couple his father left Hackman his Mother and his month old brother when Hackman was 13. Many years later when his career As an actor was taking off Hackman made an attempt at reconciliation. But we never really could get to it Hackman says. His father died shortly after. As a result of that relationship Hackman says i be always had problems with during a stint in the Marine corps As a teen Ager Hackman was constantly reprimanded for insubordination. But he rarely raised his voice Hackman was a surly angry Young Man who never released steam from the Volcano burning inside. Even in the marines he found an outlet for his show business aspirations when he became a disc jockey for his unit s radio station. During his Early 20s, he worked at several radio stations before striking out for California to train As an actor at the Pasadena playhouse where he first met Hoffman. He landed in new York at age 25 after the playhouse asked him to leave not enough potential he was told. He met Duvall in summer Stock and the three of them ended up As fast buddies. Throughout his career Hackman by his own accounting has made plenty of bad choices. Still his reputation has remained intact. During the 1970s, Hackman turned Down major roles in Ordinary people and apocalypse now because the compensation was t High enough. But he accepted roles in such forgettable films As Lucky lady for which he received More than $1.35 million and March or die. Even the current crop of films bearing his with the exception of Mississippi burning Are disappearing without much of a response from critics or audiences. Associates say Hackman is prolific because he loves the work they also cite financial reasons and predict that hell slow Down after this current rash of films. In the mid 70s, when Chicago Tribune critic Siskel asked Hackman about his film choices the actor responded i was trained to be an actor. I was not trained to be a Star. I took lessons in acting not lessons in How to Deal with agents and lawyers and investment advisers or frankly with you the at the time he made that comment Hackman was deeply depressed about the poor Box office reception for two of his proudest achievements the conversation and scarecrow consistent favourites among film buffs. After the Box office failure of those two films Hackman decided to go for big Money. Under his then agent sue mengers Hackman s fee began to Rise hitting the million Dollar Mark in the late 70s. In addition to less memorable films Hackman appeared in hits like the Poseidon adventure Superman and Superman ii. Then in 1977, Hackman dropped out. I was burned out Hackman says now. I was really at the end of my line really since 1980, though when he returned with All night Long Hackman has worked steadily. The stars and stripes Page 17
