Clint Eastwood's First Acting Role Was In A Forgotten '50s Sci-Fi Horror Movie
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You have probably heard of Clint Eastwood. You know, the actor who played Dirty Harry, won some Academy Awards, and starred in a few of the most must-see Westerns of all time. Eastwood is pretty legendary, but there was a time where he was an unknown starring in B-grade horror and sci-fi movies. This brings us to "Revenge of the Creature," which gave the acclaimed actor and director his first on-screen role.
A sequel to "Creature from the Black Lagoon," Jack Arnold's movie sees the Gill-Man (Tom Hennesy) escape captivity and start causing havoc in Florida. Along the way, the creature develops a crush on Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson) and kidnaps her, prompting a rescue mission led by Professor Clete Ferguson (John Agar). Eastwood doesn't factor into the main plot, but he has a quick cameo as a lab technician who finds a rat in his pocket.
Arnold, screenwriter Martin Berkeley, and producer William Alland went on to make "Tarantula" afterward, and Eastwood has an unrecognizable role in the '50s monster classic. He must have made a good impression on the filmmakers while working on "Revenge of the Creature" — even though his part was almost cut.
Jack Arnold didn't want to work with Clint Eastwood on Revenge of the Creature
Clint Eastwood wouldn't have been in "Revenge of the Creature" if director Jack Arnold had his way. In an interview for the book "Conversations with Clint: Paul Nelson's Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, 1979-1983," Eastwood revealed that the first time producer William Alland took him to meet Arnold led to a heated moment on the set.
"I walked on the set and the director said [to Alland], 'What the hell is this? I told you I don't want to do that [expletive] scene! Who's this guy?'"
Eastwood recalled thinking that Arnold hated him. However, Alland — who demanded the scene be included — assured the young actor it was nothing personal. "The director just didn't want the scene in the movie, so he didn't see any reason for shooting it and thought they should cut it out."
"Revenge of the Creature" isn't regarded as one of the best sci-fi movies of all time. Still, it's arguably better for having Eastwood's scene, as it's fun to revisit the film and see the legend as a fresh-faced rookie. Besides that, the scene is fun, lighthearted, and features some cute animals — and what's not to love about that?