After the decades of success that Sam Elliott has enjoyed in the challenging and competitive Hollywood world, you might think that he would have a pretty high opinion of his skills and prowess. But it has by no means always been that way. He is often critical of his own performances, and sometimes even regrets not being able to go back and do it over again better. This is particularly true of his earlier roles.
Sam has expressed regret over not having had more formal acting training in his youth, saying that if he had, he “might have been a more interesting actor”. Hard to imagine him being any more interesting, but it’s a credit to his integrity that he would even say such a thing in public.
Sam’s Secret Trick
Sam Elliott’s career began during the time when the Hollywood monopoly-like studio system was still very much in control of every aspect of production, including the acting talent. He and fellow western legend Tom Selleck started out in the business together and have been friends ever since. They worked the secretaries and the folks at the Fox Studios law office in order to get first glance at any promising new scripts.
If anything caught his imagination, Sam would then contact casting agents directly to try to get the part. Nothing to be ashamed of, you gotta do what you can to get ahead in a very tough business.
Notable Voice Role
It’s no secret that one of the keys to Sam Elliott’s success and longevity in Hollywood has been his deep powerful baritone voice. His voice has earned him one of his lower profile roles, but he has been performing it regularly for over a decade: the voice of Smokey Bear. Yes, the public service announcements telling you “Only you can prevent wildfires” are voiced by none other than Sam Elliott.
Having grown up with his father who worked for the Fish & Wildlife Service made it a natural choice for him, not to mention how perfect his voice is for the job. It’s also a useful public service that helps to keep the country’s natural spaces safe and beautiful.
Creative Control
As we learned earlier, Sam Elliott is very picky about which roles he will accept, crediting his pickiness with his longevity in Hollywood. But his creative control actually goes deeper than that. He has on occasion assisted in rewriting screenplays when necessary, and has not backed down when he felt the need to disagree with a director.
In describing his willingness to clash with the powers that be, Sam has said, “I’d rather be a pain in the ass and make better art”. Hard to argue with that logic.
Sam’s Love For Westerns
It’s been said before that Sam Elliot’s decades-long association with the genre of western movies has been due to many factors. Among them are his height, his commanding physical presence, and his deep powerful baritone voice. Yes, his mustache hasn’t exactly hurt either. And of course there is his outdoor upbringing and a father who worked for the US Fish & Wildlife Service. But there’s also something else that has drawn Sam to this near-mythical world.
“I think it has something to do with integrity and a man’s word and honor and all that kind of stuff,” Elliot said. “Values, morality, all that kind of stuff that everybody looks kind of down their nose at”. Amen, Sam. Nobody could have said it better.