The sad and shocking news Thursday about the death of Gene Hackman, Hollywood’s brilliant, “consummate everyman star,” has led to an outpouring of tributes for the 95-year-old actor from his former colleagues in the movie business.
Fans also are unearthing interviews given by co-stars, who’ve shared tales over the years about working with his “intense and instinctive” talent, describing how “The French Connection” Oscar winner could be a generous scene partner, but also no-nonsense and exacting when he didn’t think others were meeting his standards.
One of those co-stars is Kevin Costner, who shared some wonderful insights about working with Hackman in “No Way Out,” a 1987, Washington, D.C.-based espionage thriller that helped springboard Costner’s own rise to stardom. During a 2017 interview on “The Rich Eisen Show,”
“The line’s long for the great actors I’ve been able to work with,” Costner said. “It really is. But I would say that Gene is the best actor I’ve ever worked with.”
But true to Costner — who’s not known for having a low opinion of himself — his Hackman story didn’t just offer praise for his older, veteran co-star but also managed to make himself sound pretty amazing, too. Costner’s story allowed him to present himself as a film artist of Hackman’s caliber, who also stands up for what he believes in and who can be exacting when he doesn’t think others are meeting his standards.
In the interview, the “Horizon” actor and director talked about filming a particularly tense, confrontational scene with Hackman, then 56. In “No Way Out,” the then-31-year-old Costner portrays a Naval intelligence officer who is handpicked by America’s secretary of defense, played by Hackman, to help him keep tabs on some nefarious activities within the CIA.
There’s also murder and intrigue involving the secretary’s beautiful mistress, played by Sean Young. “No Way Out” may be best remembered for Costner and Young’s smoldering sex scene in the back of a limousine, but it’s also regarded as a taut, “labyrinthine” thriller, as Roger Ebert said, enhanced by its lauded performances, including by the ever professional Hackman.
Costner’s memory of Hackman has do with the star of ’70s and ’80s classic films lending him support when he “butted heads” with the director Roger Donaldson. Of course, Hackman was known to butt heads with directors himself in his own pursuit of excellence. Bill Murray, his co-star in “Royal Royal Tenenbaums,” said Hackman, like other tough older actors, could be “really rough” on young directors.
Future-director Costner said he had a problem with Donaldson wanting to stage a big confrontation scene with Hackman around a desk. Costner said he didn’t agree with Donaldson’s approach to the scene and insisted that it should be done his way.
Someone then piped up to ask, “Well, what’s Gene going to do?” With the question apparently referring to how Hackman would perform his part in the scene, Costner said he responded, “Gene will figure it out. Because he’s really good.”
At the end of the day, Costner said Hackman approached him in the parking lot at the MGM studio. “Hey, I want to talk to you,” Hackman said to him.
Costner said he expected the “Unforgiven” star to chew him out for being difficult on the set and for “disrespecting” their director. Instead, Costner said Hackman explained that he had lost some of his enthusiasm for acting — since his days of making movies with directors like William Friedkin or Francis Ford Coppola. Hackman admitted that he had been “making some questionable movies” lately.
“He looked at me and said, ‘When I saw you fighting for what you wanted today, it reminded me about how I used to feel about acting,” Costner said. With this, Costner essentially shared that Hackman thought he was pretty great.
“It was good what you did,” Hackman concluded, according to Costner. With that, Costner said: “He just got in his car and drove off.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Hackman and his 63-year-old musician wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from causes that are not yet clear. One of their dogs also was found dead in a closet.
Sheriff’s deputies don’t suspect foul play but said that the circumstances surrounding the deaths are “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation,” according to an affidavit to search their home. The bodies of Hackman and Arakawa, lying on the floor in separate rooms, showed signs of decompensation and “mummification,” their front door was found ajar and pills and an open prescription bottle were found strewn around the bathroom where Arakawa was found. The affidavit also said that there were “no obvious signs of a gas leak.”
