The Classic John Wayne Western That Clint Eastwood Passed On (& How It Led To Wayne Cussing Out Eastwood)

Clint Eastwood passed on a Western movie role that went on to feature one of John Wayne’s best performances. While Westerns were once one of the most dominant genres in Hollywood, they waned greatly in popularity during the 1960s. Eastwood was one of the last movie stars to make his name off the genre, thanks to the success of Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy or Hang ‘Em High. Clint Eastwood’s Western movies were a good deal darker and more cynical than those produced during the “Golden Age” of studio movies – which might be one reason John Wayne wasn’t a fan.