MovieChat Forums > Absolute Power (1997) Discussion > How Clint Eastwood Changed The Source No...

How Clint Eastwood Changed The Source Novel To "Change the Lead Character"

posted 7 months ago by roger1 (4046)
3 replies | jump to latest

The late screenwriter William Goldman(Oscar winner for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President's Men) wrote about how Clint Eastwood bought a political thriller novel called "Absolute Power" and asked Goldman to adapt it for the screen. There were three main male roles in the novel : a young male lawyer(the hero and main role), a police detective, and an aging master burgler/art thief who gets killed halfway through the book.

Goldman said to Eastwood: "so you want the cop to be the lead and you play him? You're too old to play the young lawyer and the old art thief gets killed halfway through."

Eastwood replied: "No , I've played too many cops. I want to play the old art thief." Eastwood added: "Just don't kill him halfway through -- and get rid of the young lawyer character, other people can carry his lines."

The star gets what the star wants...

[–] Tam87 (1598) 7 months ago

Great movie. Clint movies always deliver memorable characters & stories. He always knows exactly what will be interesting and entertaining for the audience to watch, and what won't be. An absolute legend. I don't know what we'll do without him.

[–] roger1 (4046) 7 months ago

An absolute legend. I don't know what we'll do without him.

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The way he has hung in there as a working person and a "force" well into his 90s is icing on the cake. He got "over the title" billing after age 90 for Cry Macho, which is a historic acheivement even if the movie is "small." (But not much smaller than "Honky Tonk Man" or "Bronco Billy.")

And his active superstar period is legend, too: the Sergio Leone Westerns in the 60s, Dirty Harry in the 70s and 80s, Best Picture Unforgiven in the 90s, Best Picture Million Dollar Baby in 2004, The Number One Box Office Movie of the Year in 2014 (American Sniper.)

Meanwhile, back at Absolute Power: I just thought that screenwriter William Goldman's story was "cool." Clint evidently read the novel and made his story change decisions to FIT himself -- he wanted to play the Old Art Thief and had the book rearranged to make it so.

Thinking outside the box...

[–] Tam87 (1598) 7 months ago

he wanted to play the Old Art Thief and had the book rearranged to make it so.

Yeah. I don't think the film would work without Clint as the art thief. I think he knew that as well.