Clint Eastwood is one of the few faces in Hollywood, who has managed to stay relevant decades into his career. Despite Eastwood’s success as a director in the later stages of his career, he is first and foremost known for his impactful performances in Western movies like the Dollars trilogy and the neo-noir franchise Dirty Harry.
Although both Eastwood-led franchises received praise from critics and were mostly successful at the box office, they do not amount to much compared to the financial success of one of his worst movies. In an interview, Eastwood admitted that he was advised against doing one of his highest-grossing films as an actor, which is considered to be his worst outing by critics. Here is what the veteran had to say about it.
Clint Eastwood’s Agent Advised Him Not to Do Every Which Way but Loose
Clint Eastwood gained fame with his role as the Man With No Name in the Dollars trilogy of Western movies. Eastwood has starred in some of the most critically acclaimed movies. However, Eastwood’s 1978 action-comedy Every Which Way but Loose emerged as one of his biggest commercial successes.
During an interview with Esquire, Eastwood opened up about his work in the movie and recalled his agent and lawyer advising him against starring in Every Which Way but Loose. Eastwood said:
My agent begged me not to do Every Which Way but Loose. And my lawyer begged me not to do it.
Eastwood explained that his lawyer and agent felt the movie was completely different and too over-the-top compared to the actor’s previous work. As a result, they felt the movie was doomed to fail.
However, Eastwood added that he liked his character in the movie and wanted to make a film that would connect with kids. As a result, Eastwood agreed to star in Every Which Way but Loose despite its over-the-top antics based on his instinct.
Every Which Way but Loose Is One of Clint Eastwood’s Worst Movies
Despite those around him being skeptical, Eastwood’s instincts proved right when Every Which Way but Loose emerged as one of his biggest movies. Directed by James Fargo, the film was released in 1978 and grossed $104.3 million.
While the film was a financial success, the critics bashed it for its sloppy execution and called it poorly written. Many over-the-top action sequences from the movie also received criticism. As a result, the film frequently ranks among Eastwood’s worst movies, holding a score of 41% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite the critics bashing the movie, Eastwood stuck to his instincts and signed on to star in the sequel Any Which Way You Can. Like its predecessor, the film received negative reviews and holds a critic score of 20% on Rotten Tomatoes. Nonetheless, it too emerged as a commercial success, grossing $70.7 million at the box office.
Every Which Way but Loose can be rented on Amazon Prime Video.
