The actor who made Gene Hackman fall in love with cinema: “That’s when it dawned on me”
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(Credits: Far Out / Press)
Most actors have that one performance that marked a turning point in their life, inspiring them to pursue acting as a full-time career, and Gene Hackman had this epiphany when he was young, watching a certain star command the stage with such an infectious sensibility that his energy floated right off the screen to be absorbed by the budding star.
Let’s set the scene: It was the late 1930s, and a young Hackman went to the cinema to watch a film, he can’t exactly remember what, but it starred a certain actor who would become the catalyst for his decision to become a star himself, Errol Flynn.
He couldn’t shake the influence; it was like he was possessed by the person shining down in front of him, and talking to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the actor revealed, “It was an Errol Flynn picture that did it. Anyway, I’m watching this Errol Flynn picture, and all of a sudden I’m Errol Flynn. Then the movie’s over, I’m leaving the auditorium, still being Errol Flynn, and I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror in the theatre lobby.”
It was at this moment that a young Hackman realised how powerful acting can really be, noting, “And I stop cold. I’m looking at myself in the mirror, and I’m this little kid, I’m no more Errol Flynn than the man in the moon, and then I ignore the mirror image, and I’m still Errol Flynn, at least, that’s how I feel.”
Equipped with this newfound discovery, he made his decision to be just like Flynn, able to shapeshift into different characters and experience the lives of others in a way that’s only possible through acting. He realised the illusory power of movies to the fullest, and was determined to jump onto the bandwagon for nothing else could ever move him quite like the magic of embodying parts in a bigger story.
He explained, “That’s where and when it dawned on me: If the movies can engender this powerful illusion of realism, then regardless of what I look like, I can be anybody I want to be. I became fascinated with acting, got a job working in a theatre when I was old enough, about age 14, and never really wanted any other career.”
Paired with an admiration for James Cagney, Hackman worked towards being an actor as soon as he got the chance. It wasn’t until 1959 that he landed his first role on screen, appearing in various episodes of the television series The United States Steel Hour, but within a few years, he’d finally appear on the silver screen as he’d always dreamed, breaking through into Hollywood with a supporting role in Bonnie and Clyde.
His performance earned him his first Oscar nomination, but within just four years, he’d successfully taken his first golden statuette home for William Friedkin’s The French Connection, fulfilling his goal of becoming a Hollywood icon like Flynn, his career spanning decades until his passing in early 2025.
In total, the actor won himself two Oscars, the second coming for Unforgiven by Clint Eastwood, where Flynn didn’t even earn a single nomination during his career, so you could argue that Hackman ended up being even more successful than his idol.
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