Hoosiers Director David Anspaugh On Gene Hackman’s Legacy
Source: SCOTT FLYNN / Getty
Basketball fans and cinephiles in the state of Indiana will be mourning the loss of a legend this weekend.
Actor Gene Hackman was found dead in his home on Thursday, along with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and one of their dogs. The 95-year-old actor became beloved around the state of Indiana for his portrayal of Coach Norman Dale in the 1986 film Hoosiers, which was inspired by the Milan High School team that won the 1954 state championship. The film is considered a classic, and in 2001 it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
During the Friday edition of The Ride With JMV, Hoosiers director David Anspaugh joined the show to reflect upon Hackman’s performance in the film.
“I almost defy anyone to give me examples of him faking it in any movie. Any movie he ever did that I have seen, he never lied. He was always truthful as an actor, and he nailed Norman Dale right to the wall, man. He was extraordinary in that a lot of actors will look to add words to their dialogue, Gene would go through dialogue with Angelo [Pizzo] and me, and said ‘Let’s take out these two lines, I can act that’…His work was perfect. Working with him was not-so-perfect.”
Listen to JMV’s full conversation with Hoosiers director David Anspaugh down below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!
