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The Guardian
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Heck, why don't we just come up with a book?': how Gene Hackman became an author
The Oscar winner Gene Hackman and his marine archaeologist friend Daniel Lenihan were chatting in a cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico, when they came up with the idea for their first book. The swashbuckling sea yarn, Wake of the Perdido Star, would be the first of five novels written by the celebrated actor, who was found dead on Wednesday. Hackman was introduced to Lenihan in preparation for filming 1993 legal thriller The Firm alongside Tom Cruise, as he needed to learn how to scuba dive. The pair would talk about writers they both enjoyed – Robert Louis Stevenson, Conrad, Melville, Hemingway – until one day, they thought, 'Heck, why don't we just come up with a book like we like to read?', Lenihan told the Guardian in 2000. It took the pair three years to put together Wake of the Perdido Star, which is set in the early 19th century and follows a young man, Jack O'Reilly, who becomes a pirate, 'Black Jack', after his parents are murdered. Two further collaborations followed: the 2004 courtroom drama, Justice for None, and Escape from Andersonville, published in 2008. One intriguing writing project that never came to fruition was a screenplay of The Silence of the Lambs. According to screenwriter Ted Tally, the rights to Thomas Harris' novel were originally snapped up by Orion Pictures with a view to giving Hackman his first outing as a writer and director (even possibly playing the lead role, Hannibal Lecter). But as he relates in the book Screenwriters' Masterclass, the studio quickly handed over writing duties to Tally, telling him that Hackman 'was up to page 30 of the screenplay and only on page 30 of the book, so that's not going to work out.' Jonathan Demme went on to direct with Anthony Hopkins giving an Oscar-winning performance as Lecter. Hackman formally retired from acting in 2004. Asked why he got into writing that same year, he said he could do it 'without 90 people standing around' waiting for him to perform. 'I feel it's creative. And I like the loneliness of it.' His first solo writing effort came in 2011 with Payback at Morning Peak, a dime store western which sees the teenage Jubal pursuing outlaws on horseback through New Mexico's gold mining towns. Jubal 'looked to the darkening skies of the west', Hackman writes in chapter 18. 'A flash of light in pewter-coloured clouds. Jubal raised his pistol. As the thunder clapped, he fired'. Hackman said that he drew on his time in the marines, which he joined aged 16, for the book. 'A lot of what I experienced as a young man I kind of exaggerated into what this young Jubal may have found himself doing.' For Hackman's final novel – Pursuit, published in 2013 – he pivoted from 19th-century western to police thriller. Writing is 'very relaxing for me,' he said in 2009. 'I don't picture myself as a great writer, but I really enjoy the process'. While critics weren't always kind, fans enjoyed Hackman's novels. 'I was totally awestruck by the writing talents of Gene Hackman', wrote one Goodreads reviewer of Payback at Morning Peak. 'He has always been one of my favourite actors, and now he is one of my favourite authors.'
USA Today
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Gene Hackman was more than an actor: A look back at the 5 books he wrote
Gene Hackman was more than an actor: A look back at the 5 books he wrote Show Caption Hide Caption Oscar winner Gene Hackman dies at 95 Gene Hackman, the intense character actor who won two Oscars in a more than 60-year career, has died. Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman was known for his decades-long film career through "The French Connection," "Bonnie and Clyde," "Superman: The Movie" and more, but he had an impressive stint as an author, too. Hackman died Wednesday alongside his wife, the pianist Betsy Arakawa, and their dog at their home, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office told Reuters on Thursday. He was 95. While we look back on his most famous roles and collaborators, here's a glimpse at the lesser-known side of Hackman's career – his books. Gene Hackman dies: Oscar-winning actor, wife Betsy Arakawa found dead in their home Gene Hackman books include historical fiction, westerns Hackman authored and co-authored a total of five books, ranging from historical fiction novels to Old West epics. A Kirkus review of his first co-written novel, "Wake of the Perdido Star," said the story "delivers satisfying action and rousing derring-do." He co-authored three historical fiction novels with park ranger and archaeologist Daniel Lenihan, published between 1999 and 2008. Gene Hackman cause of death: Authorities don't suspect 'foul play' in actor, wife's death The first, "Wake of the Perdido Star," is a coming-of-age story of a young boy growing up on the high seas, borrowing from Lenihan's expertise as one of the nation's leading authorities on shipwrecks and diving. "Justice for None" centers on racial injustice and the treatment of Black men and military veterans in America. And in the Civil War-era "Escape from Andersonville," a Union captain is captured alongside his men, eventually breaking out but vowing to return to save his soldiers. Hackman also penned two solo novels, published in 2011 and 2013 by Simon & Schuster. The first, "Payback at Morning Peak," is a 19th-century Western novel about a teenager's search for justice and revenge after he finds his family murdered and their farm burned down. And "Pursuit," Hackman's final novel, is a police thriller following a by-the-book cop who discovers a disturbing personal connection in a cold case. Celebrity reactions: Francis Ford Coppola, George Takei, Josh Brolin and more pay tribute to Gene Hackman Gene Hackman books in order 'Wake of the Perdido Star' with Daniel Lenihan (1999) 'Justice for None' with Daniel Lenihan (2004) 'Escape from Andersonville' with Daniel Lenihan (2008) 'Payback at Morning Peak' (2011) 'Pursuit' (2013) Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@
