Clint Eastwood Praised By Judi Dench – ‘Most Laidback Man I Have Ever Met’

Clint Eastwood was praised by the Oscar-winning Hollywood star Judi Dench in a recent interview, with the actress saying he’s the “most laidback man I have ever met.” 

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Dench Praises Eastwood

The Independent reported that Dench, 87, admitted that “there are so many films that I’ve done that I’ve never seen” because she finds many of her movies to be “irritating.” One of her fondest memories from her decades-long career, however, is from working with Eastwood on the 2011 biopic J Edgar, which he directed.

“Clint Eastwood is the most laidback man I have ever met,” she recalled. “You start at nine, you finish at four.”

Dench, who is British, then used an American accent to give an imitation of Eastwood, 92.

“‘In your own time,’ that’s what he’d say,” she continued. “Then at the end of the scene, he says, ‘Stop.’ Not ‘cut’. And he didn’t shout it, either. Just that, ‘In your own time.’”

Dench then recounted a conversation that she had with Eastwood on set:

“‘Mr Eastwood, could we possibly do that again?’ ‘Why?’ ‘Sorry?’ ‘Why?’ ‘Well, because we’ve just done it once. Could we have another go?’ ‘No.’”

The interviewer could not help but crack at this, and he asked Dench if she was “not curious” to see J. Edgar since she had so much fun making it with Eastwood. 

“I’ll see it at some point,” she responded. 

When asked if she thought she was good in the movie, Dench replied, “I have no idea.”

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Related: Brad Pitt Slams Clint Eastwood-Style Masculinity – Labels It As ‘Exhausting’

Tom Hanks Found Eastwood To Be ‘Intimidating’

The Hollywood star Tom Hanks has also talked about working with Eastwood on the 2016 movie Sully, and his experience was a bit different than Dench’s was.

“Well, here’s the deal in other movies they make a big deal about ‘Action!’” Hanks once said, according to The Express. “Y’know, ‘Alright, start it up, get ready everybody we’re rolling, we’re rolling, we’re rolling…and everybody, stand by! AND… ACTION!’ That’s what most movies are like.”

In contrast, Eastwood is silent on his film sets, instead just raising his finger in a circular motion to signal that the camera is rolling. 

“And then he’s standing right next to you and he says, ‘Okay, go ahead,'” recalled Hanks. “And then you do it and maybe he’ll say, ‘Just take that again. Just do it one more time.’ And then you do it and he says, ‘Alright that’s enough of that.'”

In another interview, Hanks described Eastwood’s directing style as being “intimidating.”

“When you’re in a Clint Eastwood movie, you don’t know the camera’s rolling, and you hear over your shoulder, ‘Alright, go ahead,'” he stated. “You just keep doing it until you hear him say, ‘That’s enough of that.’ And then you move on to the next setup. It’s intimidating as hell.”

Related: Clint Eastwood Punched His Son In The Face For This – ‘It Was Old School’

Eastwood Has No Plans To Retire 

While promoting his latest movie Cry Macho last year, Eastwood said that he has no plans to retire.

“I’m constantly figuring out what I’m going to do next,” Eastwood told Parade. “I still love taking somebody’s idea, whether it’s a book or a play, and developing it.”

“Maybe other people want to do a few movies and quit, and that’s great,” he added. “Maybe they’ve got something else they could do and keep busy. I don’t. I love movies and enjoy making them.”

Eastwood is a true Hollywood legend, so it’s fun to hear what working with him is really like behind the scenes. We hope he continues making movies we can all enjoy for many years to come!