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Clint Eastwood's disastrous screen test nearly ended his career before it started
The actor described himself as a ''clod''
Screen tests used to be a crucial part of any actor's career. Before we all had cameras in our pockets, a screen test was a critical chance to put your stuff on film. Producers look for a proven pedigree, a résumé and experience. Short of that, though, only a screen test had the chance to grab some much-sought-after Hollywood attention. A screen test was the calling card for anyone seeking to get a foot in the door.
In 1954, Clint Eastwood was about a decade away from his breakout role in A Fistful of Dollars. While that movie and its sequels would make him an international superstar, Eastwood had a few more stops before the top of the world. One of those was as a contracted Universal Studios actor. But, to get there, Eastwood first had to prove himself to a casting director.
This meant that he'd need to shoot his first screen test.
Luckily, Eastwood had established some key contacts while at Los Angeles City College. While Eastwood enrolled to study business administration, he found himself spending most of his time in the school's drama department. That's where he met cinematographer Irving Glassberg and director Arthur Lubin. These two new friends helped guide the would-be actor through filming his first screen test.
The results, unfortunately, did not live up to Eastwood's standards. In Bernard Bénoliel's 2010 biography Clint Eastwood, the actor himself speaks about the horrifying outcome of this first on-camera mishap.
"I thought I was an absolute clod," said Eastwood.
Lubin and Glassberg, though, apparently held up their ends of the bargain, as the screen test was shot convincingly enough.
"It looked pretty good," Eastwood recalled. "It was photographed well, but I thought, 'If that's acting, I'm in trouble.'"
While it didn't live up to his expectations, the screen test was enough to get Eastwood a contract with Universal Studios where he worked for the next period of his career.
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