Clint Eastwood’s approach to acting was a perfect match for the style Sergio Leone had in mind for his new Western. A phlegmatic presence, Eastwood relied on an economy of movement that also extended to his dialogue: the actor reportedly frequently petitioned Leone for fewer lines in the films. The actor was also responsible for creating his character’s iconic costume from scratch, combining his own wardrobe with props liberated from the set of Rawhide and the famous poncho, which was discovered in a Spanish shop. Then there was that face: craggy and weary even at 34, it was the ideal subject for Leone’s regular extreme close-ups. What it lacked in expressiveness (Leone later said Eastwood had only two expressions: with the hat and without) it made up for in gravitas and quiet menace. (x)
