John Wayne Said ‘Red River’ Was the First Time He ‘Felt Like a Real Actor’
After starring in Red River, actor John Wayne had a major turning point in his career. However, it also proved to have a significant impact on his overall perspective in life. It was all made possible because of director Howard Hawks, who made a comment that had the actor thinking. Wayne once said that Red River was the first time that he “felt like a real actor.”
John Wayne had to convince ‘Red River’ audiences of Montgomery Clift’s strength
Pilar Wayne and Alex Thorleifson’s book, John Wayne: My Life With the Duke, explored the life and career of the Red River actor. He frequently repeated his mentor, John Ford’s, words to the press when it came to questioning his acting abilities: “I don’t act, I react.”
However, Wayne knew that he would be putting in a different type of performance in Red River. He played a stubborn man much older than his real-life age, who he had to make likable. The story follows his character, Thomas Dunson, driving a cattle drive to its destination in Missouri. However, his tyrannical behavior on the journey leads to his adopted son’s mutiny.
Montgomery Clift would ultimately co-star alongside Wayne in Red River. However, Clift was half of his co-star’s size, and his performances “conveyed fragility” rather than strength, according to Pilar and Thorleifson. As a result, Wayne felt that his performance had to sell Clift’s ability to overpower him.
John Wayne said ‘Red River’ was the first time he ‘felt like a real actor’
Pilar and Thorleifson wrote that Hawks raved about the performance that Wayne delivered in Red River after they wrapped the production. “I couldn’t have made Red River without John Wayne,” he said.
“That set me thinking,” Wayne told Pilar. “It was the first time I felt like a real actor, someone who could make a unique contribution to motion pictures.”
Red River made Wayne reflect on himself, and he didn’t like what he saw. He wasn’t proud of his actions, especially with how his first two marriages ended in nasty divorces. However, Wayne was determined to change his behavior in the future and leave a legacy he would be proud of. He decided to take part in motion pictures that carried positive values for younger generations.
“I’d kind of put all the things my father taught me out of my mind,” Wayne said. “But, when I started looking for a creed to live by, I knew I couldn’t do better than to believe in the things my father believed in.”
The actor changed his perspective on life
John Wayne: My Life With the Duke stated that the actor was going through a mid-life crisis before Red River. However, he emerged from it a better man in his performances and to those in his life. The film earned Oscar nominations for Best Writing and Best Film Editing. As a result, Wayne started to get multiple offers.
Wayne would go on to star in Ford’s Fort Apache, The Three Godfathers, Wake of the Red Witch, and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. He would ultimately branch his career out with motion pictures that he was proud of. Wayne certainly succeeded in leaving a powerful legacy with his body of work.
