„It Was Probably The Worst Film Ever Made”. Clint Eastwood Doubted His Career Because of This Western and Wanted to Quit
Clint Eastwood confessed that one western almost brought his career to an end. He called it „probably the worst film ever made”.
There comes a point in the careers of some actors when they regret taking on certain roles. This particularly struck Clint Eastwood, who, after seeing one of his films, wanted to give up his acting career and follow a completely different path, as it seemed to him that this was the end of him.
This stemmed from the fact that he took part in a production that he himself called "probably the worst film ever made" and watched it on the big screen in shame. He recounted his experiences during that screening in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, where he admitted that at that point he began to consider looking for a path other than acting for himself.
I did a little film out at Fox called Ambush at Cimarron Pass. It was probably the worst film ever made and… But I had the second lead in it and an actor named Scott Brady was the lead. And the film was made in eight days. So it was really el speedo grande. And I saw it. I went to see it, it was playing a second feature in North Hollywood. I went to see it and I saw that film and I said I’m through. I’ve got to go back to school. I’ve got to do something else, I’ve got to get a job of other sorts.
Ambush at Cimarron Pass, in which a troop of cavalry meets a group of cowboys on their way and together they try to cross Apache territory to reach the nearest fort and deliver a large number of weapons there, indeed doesn’t have too good a reputation. The film disappointed not only one of its stars, but also the audience. And Eastwood later confirmed his old feelings during another interview, talking about how he began telling his wife repeatedly that he would give up acting.
It was sooo bad I just kept sinking lower and lower in my seat. I said to my wife “I'm going to quit, I'm really going to quit”.
Disappointed with the quality of production with his participation, Eastwood fortunately didn’t give up on his career and managed to get another role – in the TV series Rawhide, where he played one of the leading roles. Thanks to it, the actor didn’t qquit the industry, so he was able to continue to develop and make history.
