Robert Duvall was a true original on and off screen, and although he had many quirks and interests as a human being, he was by no means the consummate professional and “a great actor.” Director Walter Hill, who directed Duvall in the 2006 miniseries “Broken Trail” and the 1993 western “Geronimo: An American Legend,” remembered the beloved actor, who died Sunday at the age of 95.
As Hill recalled, when the cameras were rolling on a complex shoot, there was no better “good soldier” on set than Duvall to urge the company to get the job done.
“I was lucky to direct him twice,” Hill told Variety. “He was a great actor and a different type of person. It was tough at times, but his efforts over the years made us all better. I always looked up to him as a great actor, and we eventually became friends.”
Duvall had an impact in any room, even though he didn’t look or sound like a traditional leading man.
“He had a certain authority and realness to what he brought to the scene,” Hill said. “I always believed he brought out the best in everyone. He was so professional and he demanded the same of others, which was great. Like all great actors, what the magic there is is kind of a mystery and it’s pretty hard to define.”
As an actor, Hill acknowledged that his process can anger directors. (“In some ways, he was as good as a coach.”) Once Duvall decided how he wanted to play his role, it was difficult to adapt. However, in return, Duvall gave his best in every scene.
“He didn’t really like to rehearse. He knew what he was going to do. He didn’t really pay attention to the director in terms of character or line reading or that kind of work,” Hill said. “But he was a very easy actor to work with in terms of directing. He never held back, at least not with me, in terms of directing. But as far as his approach to the role, he had already decided in his mind before he got there, and he wasn’t going to change it.”
Hill first met Duvall when he was working as a second assistant director on Steve McQueen’s 1968 blockbuster film Bullitt. Duvall appeared in the film in a small role, and the filming dates kept changing. That meant Duvall spent a lot of his downtime in San Francisco, much of it playing tennis.
It was then that Hill realized that Duvall was truly one of Hollywood’s eccentric characters. His interests ranged from horseback riding to Italian cooking to dancing tango like a pro. While filming “Broken Trail” in Calgary, Duvall brought his own chef and paid for it himself.
“He loved Italian and Spanish food, and of course he loved tango. There were a lot of unlikely things about him,” Hill recalls.
Duvall was proud of his accomplishments on and off screen. Hill recalled having a candid conversation with Duvall about who was the best jockey in Hollywood at the time while filming Broken Trail.
“He took great pride in his horsemanship and was an excellent horseman. He once asked me who was the best horseman I’ve ever worked with, because I’ve done a lot of Westerns, and I said, ‘Well, Sam Elliott is known in the Screen Actors Guild as the best horseman, and a lot of people think the Carradine brothers (David and Keith) are on par with Sam,'” Hill recalled. “And he looked at me and said, ‘I’m better than them,’ and walked out of the room. Bob wasn’t without an ego.”
“Broken Trail” premiered in June 2006 on the AMC network in two parts and was a huge hit. At the time, cable channels were only known for showing classic movies. The following year saw AMC’s profile skyrocket as original series “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad” took hold. But “Broken Trail” was an event program that proved to AMC that the right program could attract a large audience.
Duvall developed “Broken Trail” as a feature film through his production company before developing it as a two-part event miniseries at AMC. Hill, known for stylish 1980s hits like “48 Hours,” “Streets of Fire” and “Brewster’s Millions,” was hired as director because of his experience with auteurs. “Broken Trail” tells the story of a group of cowboys transporting horses in the Northwest who end up protecting a group of young Chinese women from a sex-trafficking ring.
“Broken Trail” won the Emmy Award for Best Miniseries and earned Duvall and co-star Thomas Haden Church an Emmy Award for Best Acting. Duvall “protected the material” during filming, as he felt responsible for bringing his work to life. But when the awards started rolling in, Hill said Duvall wasn’t one to boast publicly.
“He just hung his jaw, thought justice had been served, and moved on,” Hill recalled. “He wasn’t a braggart or a rant or anything like that. He was just always looking for the next job. He was very passionate about his career.”
“
