Clint Eastwood Reveals the John Wayne Role He Truly Admired

Few would dispute that two names stand above all others in the history of the Western: Clint Eastwood and John Wayne. While their personal views of each other were far from warm, their influence on the genre is undeniable. Westerns, more than most film styles, have always depended on the strength of their leading men. Success in one role often led to a string of similar parts, and both Wayne and Eastwood found themselves at the heart of countless productions. Yet, the two men approached their craft from quite different angles.

Eastwood, ever the restless performer, refused to be confined by the boundaries of the Western. He sought out new challenges, both in front of and behind the camera. Wayne, on the other hand, seemed content to remain within his comfort zone, rarely straying from the roles that made him famous. Their differences extended beyond the professional; their outlooks on the world and the direction of cinema were often at odds. As the industry evolved, Wayne grew increasingly frustrated, particularly as Eastwood began to reshape the Western for a new era with his Dollars trilogy and revisionist tales like High Plains Drifter and The Outlaw Josey Wales. Wayne’s opinion of his younger counterpart was, to put it mildly, less than glowing.

Clashing Visions of the Western

Wayne’s disapproval was never a secret. He once sent Eastwood a particularly stern letter, criticising High Plains Drifter for straying from what he saw as the true spirit of the West. According to Wayne, the film “wasn’t really about the people who pioneered the west,” a sentiment that left Eastwood resigned to the fact that “he wouldn’t understand what I was doing.” Wayne was never shy about voicing his opinions, whether directly or through more subtle means. Eastwood, for his part, never responded in kind. Instead, he often spoke with genuine respect for Wayne’s place in American film history, even drawing comparisons between his own work and Wayne’s most celebrated performances.

Reflecting on his approach to storytelling, Eastwood once told Film Comment that he prefers to “provoke certain emotions and let the imagination take over” rather than spelling everything out for the audience.

“If sometimes something is left unsaid, it’s much more picturesque in the person’s mind that’s drawn out for you, which could be disappointing because you wish it were something else,”

he explained, using The Searchers as a prime example.

The Searchers: A Masterclass in Subtlety

In Wayne and Ford’s classic, there is a moment when Ethan Edwards returns home after discovering his niece Lucy’s fate. The film never shows the body, but Wayne’s character insists, “never ask me what I saw.” For Eastwood, this scene perfectly illustrates the power of restraint and the complexity of the character.

“That’s one of his brilliant performances, and brave, because he wasn’t afraid to play the flat-out racism,”

Eastwood observed.

“And when you look at his eyes at that moment, you know it wasn’t something good that he saw, and you’d almost resent it if he started explaining it.”

Had the film chosen to dwell on the violence, it would have lost much of its impact. Instead, Wayne’s expression conveys more than any explicit image or lengthy explanation ever could. The nuances of his performance add depth to both the character and the story, relying solely on a troubled look to communicate the horror and grief of the moment.

Legacy and Lasting Influence

Eastwood’s admiration for Wayne’s work in The Searchers is clear. He recognises the courage it took to portray such a flawed, conflicted figure, and the skill required to do so with such subtlety. For Eastwood, it stands as Wayne’s finest achievement—a performance that continues to resonate, not just for its technical brilliance, but for its willingness to confront uncomfortable truths head-on.