(Credits: Far Out / Press)
Fri 31 October 2025 20:45, UK
Some actors are perpetually obsessed with fame and the glory of being a star, adored by screaming fans as they descend red carpets, smiling and waving into the white flashing strobes of paparazzi cameras, and it’s much more common than you think.
Still, there are plenty of stars who are purely in it for the art, remaining elusive and rather secretive about their private lives, practically repulsed by the idea of celebrity. Some even refuse to do interviews very often, citing their dislike for discussing their work and presenting themselves to the world. They want to play roles separate from themselves onscreen, keeping their real selves a total secret, and why should it matter what they’re like in real life?
Gene Hackman wasn’t staunchly for or against the press, promoting his movies when needed and was interviewed enough times in his life, but he wasn’t bothered about always having his name at the top of the bill. The actor was at the pinnacle of his game in the 1970s, getting his fill of leading roles in everything from The French Connection (for which he won an Oscar) to The Conversation.
By the time he’d added a villainous role to his roster with Superman and yet another Oscar-winning performance with Unforgiven, Hackman knew he occupied one of the highest levels of stardom, respected for his incredible versatility and technique while balancing movies both commercially successful and critically lauded. He really knew how to keep his presence in Hollywood afloat, and by the 2000s, he was so established that he was happy to go uncredited if necessary.
Hackman didn’t care about people flocking to see his performances anymore; he was just happy to be a part of projects that he was interested in, and this was the case for the crime romance movie The Mexican, which had Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt take top billing as a criminal and his frustrated girlfriend. The actor played Arnold Margolese, a mob boss who plays a pivotal role in the film, with Pitt’s character Jerry having to pay back a debt via illicit means.
Yet, he doesn’t appear onscreen all that much, and the actor didn’t think his role warranted a credit, even though some people could only dream of having their name billed on a movie. When you’ve been in as many as Hackman, I guess it starts to lose its excitement; in fact, the thrill of appearing onscreen seemed to totally wear off, and he didn’t even rush to watch the movie.
In an interview with The Post, he found himself asking, “Is it any good?” before adding, “I’ll probably see it eventually”. So unbothered, he continued to explain that he just took the part as a “favour to DreamWorks with the understanding that I wouldn’t be billed in it, because it’s such a tiny role”.
He was happy to go uncredited because he’d rather not “get in the habit of doing a lot of ‘with Gene Hackman’ and ‘also starring Gene Hackman’, that kind of thing, so I just thought it would be better not to take any billing”, and you’ve got to respect that.
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