Mystic River is 20 years old: five anecdotes about the Clint Eastwood film

This adaptation of the eponymous novel by Dennis Lehane brings together Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon.

A before Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood signed in 2003 Mystic River, a dark drama set in Boston over 25 years, around three childhood friends, one of whom is kidnapped and sexually abused for four days. Traumatic episode which will continue the trio into adulthood. This particularly harsh subject won over critics and the public when it was released, particularly in France where it attracted more than a million spectators to theaters.

This is the first adaptation of a novel by Dennis Lehane

Dennis Lehane is one of Hollywood’s favorite writers. These novels gave rise to several major films (Shutter Island, Gone Baby Gone, When night comes…), but the first to have brought one of his works to the screen was Clint Eastwood with Mystic Riverpublished two years earlier, even offering a small cameo to the author.

“First real job in Hollywood and it was phenomenal luck… It’s great working with Clint“, Lehane confided to Première. “No procrastination. No hesitation. He goes to do a job and he does it. I remember talking with Sean Penn a month before filming. He told me : ‘this kind of film, on the ground, with this budget and these stars? In 42 days? It will never happen. Never’. Clint turned Mystic River in 39 days. Malpaso style (laughs).“

He scored a rare double at the Oscars

At the 2004 Oscars ceremony, Sean Penn was crowned best actor, his partner Tim Robbins best supporting actor. An extremely rare double in Hollywood. Only one film had done it before: Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston and Hugh Griffith). And only one has done so since: Dallas Buyers Club (Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto).

Tuco finds Blondin

37 years later The good, the bad and the uglyClint Eastwood reunited with Eli Wallach in Mystic River. Under the direction of Blondin, good old Tuco plays a grocer, Mr. Loonie, in an uncredited cameo. A short but memorable scene, where he recounts the robbery of his store to two police officers played by Kevin Bacon and Laurence Fishburne.

Kevin Bacon replaced Michael Keaton at the last minute

It was initially Michael Keaton who was to play the role of Sean Devine. He had participated in readings of the script with the other actors, done research with local police, and even lived in Boston for several weeks to immerse himself. A little too much for the taste of Clint Eastwood, who did not at all appreciate his proposals for changing the scenario. The two men argued, and Keaton left the film a month before filming began, quickly replaced by Kevin Bacon.

He left Cannes empty-handed

Cannes 2003 will remain one of the most controversial editions of the Cannes Film Festival, accused of anti-Americanism and even described as “worst festival ever” by certain Anglo-Saxon media. The jury chaired by Patrice Chéreau judges the selection mediocre and rewards only four films through seven prizes (including the Palme d’Or for Elephant). As a result, many works remain on the ground, including Mystic River. A fine player, Clint will return to competition in 2008 for The Exchangethen received a Palme d’Honneur in 2009.