Clint Eastwood's Directing Style Had An Oscar-Winning Actress Confused

In Clint Eastwood's 2011 Oscar-bait movie "J. Edgar," Judi Dench plays Annie, the mother of notorious FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. She didn't play a large part in the movie, but having Dench appear in your movie does lend the whole production an air of prestige. Dench's acting career goes all the way back to the late 1950s, when she started performing with the Old Vic Company in England. Her first professional gig was playing Ophelia in "Hamlet." Since then, she has racked up hundreds of credits and honed her craft to a fine point. 

"J. Edgar" was something of a clunker. It received poor reviews and was only a modest hit. The high-profile cast included Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Dermot Mulroney, and Josh Lucas, and the film was written by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black, the author of Gus Van Sant's "Milk." It was also a biopic of a deeply controversial figure, and was released near the end of the year, indicating that "J. Edgar" was supposed to be a major awards contender. It ended up receiving no Oscar nominations. Dench might be the best part of the movie. 

Dench, meanwhile, found that she was startled on the set of "J. Edgar." Although she had hundreds of film credits, she was unused to the casual directing style of Clint Eastwood. Eastwood, as many actors have said, is a very hands-off director, happy to let his actors do all the research and prep that they need to on their own time. He won't over-instruct, and likes to set up the camera, shoot, and move on. He famously sped through "The Bridges of Madison County," and gave scant instructions to Kevin Bacon on "Mystic River." Production on "J. Edgar" was no different, with Eastwood keeping things laid back and moving quickly. 

In a 2023 appearance at the Queen's Reading Room Festival, covered by Good Housekeeping, Dench admitted confusion with Eastwood's style. She claimed that he didn't even call "action." He would say, "In your own time ..."

In addition to saying "In your own time" instead of "action," Dench said, Eastwood would say "Stop" instead of "cut." It's a small thing, but it's noticeable for a working actor. She also noted that Eastwood's "shoot and move on" approach was also a little shocking. He would film a scene, and Dench would prepare for a second take. "And then you'd say, right, and get ready to do it again," she said. "No, no, no, you didn't do it again, you only got one go at it." There's a reason why Eastwood is known for bringing his films in on time and under budget. "[He] doesn't mess about," she said. "You start at nine, and you finish at 4:30. It's heaven!"

She even recalled shooting a pickup scene with Leonardo DiCaprio, and was startled to learn that Eastwood had shot the footage he needed while she wasn't even paying attention. In her words: 

"DiCaprio and I did a scene where I was in bed with some papers and things in front of me, no dialogue or anything ... So he's sat here, and we were talking and everything, talking about everyday things. Then I said, 'Are we going to do this scene?' and Leo said, 'He's done it!' That was it, he'd done it, while we were sitting there.'"

After hearing so many stories about how certain directors are perfectionists or prima donnas who require everything to be exact to the point of torture, it can be refreshing to hear stories of a director who does everything quickly, safely, quietly, and casually. Dench clearly liked his approach, happy to clock out after a seven-and-a-half-hour shift. 

"J. Edgar" isn't a standout film in Eastwood's filmography, but he didn't stop to lament. Indeed, just a few years later, in 2014, he made both the musical "Jersey Boys" and his unexpected ultra-hit "American Sniper. So clearly, just like when he makes a movie, Eastwood simply shot the thing and moved on.