The narrator the classic movie The Big Lebowski was described in the script to be like this: “the voice-over sounds not unlike Sam Elliott”. And the on-screen role was described in the script this way: “like a drugstore cowboy, looking not unlike Sam Elliott”. This may seem odd, but you will never find bigger movie fans than writer-director pair the Coen brothers. So it may come as no surprise that the role in that ended up going to Sam was described in such a precise way.
If there’s one thing that Sam has proven over and over in his career, it’s that he can make even a minor supporting role memorable. That was certainly the case with his unforgettable performance in the Coen brothers’ memorable movie.
Sam’s Secret To Longevity
If you want to live a long time, you need to be picky about what you eat. And if you want longevity in an acting career, especially in Hollywood, you need to be picky about the roles you take. That has certainly been Sam Elliott’s strategy to remain popular and relevant decade after decade. He has often warned other actors and actresses that if they are willing to take any role that’s offered them they risk personal burnout and audience disinterest.
Sam has been quoted as saying, “I wanted to be an actor since I was nine years old and I figured that was only one way to ever have any longevity, and that’s to be careful about what kind of work you do”.
Almost Didn’t Play Wade Garrett
Road House is a movie that gets no respect, but it’s either a secret pleasure or a guilty pleasure for millions of people if home video sales are any indication. Face it: it’s a fun movie. And it helped introduce Sam Elliott to a whole new generation. His role of Wade Garrett is a sort of guru or mentor for the lead Patrick Swayze character.
Sam was originally slated to play the head bad guy Brad Wesley, but he really didn’t connect to that role. When he was offered the Garrett role, he snapped it up, and the rest is B-movie history.
On To Another Big Role
The Big Lebowski was not only a significant role for Sam Elliott in its own right, but also directly led to yet another career high point. Writer/Director Rod Lurie had just completed the script for The Contender and had cast Jeff Bridges as the American president. Lurie had enjoyed the on-screen relationship between Bridges and Elliott in The Big Lebowski and wanted to recreate it in his movie by casting Sam as the president’s Chief of Staff.
The casting decision was a little controversial because of Sam’s association with westerns, whereas The Contender was a modern-day political drama. But that was exactly the reason Sam was eager to accept the role. It was a welcome chance to stretch his acting muscles. And after the fact, nobody had anything but praise for his performance.
Serious Family Drama
A sad but inescapable part of reality is that all the professional success in the world will not shield you from family troubles. And Sam Elliott has had his share. In 2011 his wife Katharine was stabbed with a pair of scissors by Cleo, their 26 year old daughter, who had also threatened to kill her mother at that time. Katharine was forced to file a restraining order against her daughter, and the court agreed to order Cleo to remain a minimum of 100 yards from her mother.
Lots of families go through crises like this, and most pass through them unscathed in the long term. It’s one of the disadvantages fame that such events have to take place in the public eye.