John Wayne once told Clint Eastwood, “We ought to do a movie, kid,” so why did he turn down the chance to work with “The Duke” on True Grit? Clint Eastwood’s Westerns completely redefined the genre during the 1960s, with the star often playing morally gray figures in a lawless vision of the Old West. Eastwood’s “Oaters” were violent and bleak, with the star often playing anti-heroes willing to lie, steal and shoot people in the back. One person who wasn’t a fan of these films was John Wayne, who disliked the bloodshed and darkness featured in Clint’s Westerns.

In contrast, John Wayne’s Westerns (almost) never featured strong violence or swearing, with Wayne playing upstanding and righteous heroes. Being two of the genre’s biggest icons, audiences longed to see Wayne and Eastwood work together; Wayne’s distaste for Clint’s brand of Western meant that never happened. Wayne was once open to it, however, as Eastwood stated in Conversations with Clint: Paul Nelson’s Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, 1979-1983. Says Eastwood: “The first time I ever met [Wayne], he said, ‘We ought to do a movie, kid.’ I said, ‘Yeah, it would be great.’ We never did come up with one.”

Clint Eastwood Pᴀssed On Working With John Wayne In True Grit

Clint Eastwood was approached about playing True Grit’s La Boeuf

One of Wayne’s late career triumphs was True Grit, where he played the drunken, haggard U.S. Marshal “Rooster” Cogburn. Not only was it a major hit in 1969, True Grit also resulted in Wayne receiving his only Academy Award for Best Actor; Wayne later reprised the role for 1975’s sequel Rooster Cogburn. The original proved Wayne’s more old-fashioned style of Western could still connect with audiences, but it could have turned out quite different had Clint Eastwood accepted the role of Ranger La Boeuf.

Taken again from Conversations with Clint, the star claimed True Grit’s producer approached him about the part. Eastwood swiftly declined though; not because he didn’t want to work with Wayne, but because it “wasn’t much of a role” and he was “occupied” when he was offered the film. Indeed, it appears Clint was booked for Paint Your Wagon when True Grit began filming. Reading between the lines, Eastwood may have also been concerned about playing more of a supporting role to Wayne, instead of being a true co-lead.

It’s fascinating to imagine what True Grit would have looked like had both Wayne and Eastwood appeared together, but it all worked out for the best. Had Eastwood co-starred, he would have overshadowed the film’s central dynamic, which is between Wayne’s Cogburn and Kim Darby’s Mattie. Ultimately, country singer Glen Campbell took the La Boeuf role and did an excellent job with it.

John Wayne Later Pᴀssed On The Chance To Work With Clint Eastwood

Wayne’s dislike of a certain Clint Western killed any chance of a collaboration

It’s unknown if Wayne felt slighted about Eastwood pᴀssing on True Grit, or if he was even aware the star had been approached. What is known is that Wayne cooled on Eastwood’s work in the genre significantly in the years that followed True Grit, as Clint found out when he sent the screen icon a Western screenplay they could both star in. Written by B-movie legend Larry Cohen, The Hostiles followed a young gambler who wins the estate of an older rancher. Naturally, this makes them foes, but when bandits enter the picture, the two are forced to work together to save the day.

Eastwood loved the script and saw it as a chance for him and Wayne to star in a meaningful project together. The only issue is that Wayne hated The Hostiles after reading it and rejected the project. Wayne is reported to have tossed the script over the side of a boat when his son Michael tried to get him to read it a second time, exclaiming, “This piece of s*** again?!” Wayne fully pᴀssed on the film by penning Eastwood a letter where he also slammed his 1973 Western High Plains Drifter. (via The Clint Eastwood Archive).

According to Eastwood, Wayne hated the way High Plains Drifter portrayed the people who pioneered the Old West. For his part, Eastwood felt Wayne had misunderstood the film’s intentions and that it was meant as a fable, not a realistic look at the people who built the country. The Hostiles proved the final time Clint Eastwood and John Wayne considered working together.

Source: Conversations with Clint: Paul Nelson’s Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, 1979-1983, The Clint Eastwood Archive