Gene Hackman’s tragic death at 95 on February 26, 2025 has shocked the world, while also reminding many movie aficionados that he was one of the best actors in his generation. In fact, an argument could be made that Hackman was the best actor ever, and his two Academy Award wins for “The French Connection” (1971) and “Unforgiven” (1991) – among with his three other nominations for “Bonnie and Clyde” (1968), “I Never Sang For My Father” (1970), and “Mississippi Burning” (1988) — certainly back up that kind of talk. But what did Hackman himself think of his work, and what did he consider his favorite role? The answer might not be what you think.
In a 1988 interview with Film Comment, Hackman was asked what his favorite movie from his own work is. Based on the strength of his own performance, the actor’s choice was curious: Jerry Schatzberg’s “Scarecrow” (1973), a road movie where Hackman and Al Pacino play Max and Lion, a peculiar pair of troubled buddies who decide to travel from California to Detroit together. The reason behind Hackman’s choice was related to the process of making this particular movie:
“Yes, ‘Scarecrow’. It’s the only film I’ve ever made in absolute continuity, and that allowed me to take all kinds of chances and really build my character.”
Gene Hackman views his favorite performances differently than film fans
While Hackman was happy to name “Scarecrow” as a personal favorite, he’s also well aware of his more famous roles and their more widely respected role in his filmography. In a 1989 interview with The New York Times, he considered his overall best role to be the insecure wiretapping expert Harry Caul in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation” (1974), which is arguably the best Gene Hackman movie ever. He appreciates the character due to the minimalist approach his role required:
”That was the pinnacle of my acting career in terms of character development. Caul was somewhat constipated. The character didn’t burst out. There was no satisfying cathartic moment in the film.”
Though this admission confirms that Hackman clearly kept his successful and nuanced large profile roles close to the heart, there’s a reason why he held some truly surprising roles and scenes in higher regard than the average moviegoer would ever suspect. In the Film Comment interview, the actor listed some of his favorite Gene Hackman movie moments — which differ significantly from the average Hackman fan’s list, simply because he knows what it took to craft them and how they came out from his point of view:
“Actors have moments in films less commercially successful which they love. I had a scene with Candice Bergen in ‘Bite the Bullet’ which is one of my favorites. I was telling her about my ex-wife, while standing around a waterhole in the middle of the desert. I played it on horseback. I think some of my best work was in ‘The French Connection, Part II’ — the withdrawal scene. I saw a lot of films on drug addiction and withdrawal, and I chose a specific pain for myself.”