25/06/2025
When director William Friedkin was preparing to cast the role of Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in "The French Connection (1971)," Gene Hackman was far from his first choice. In fact, Hackman nearly lost the role multiple times during early development. The producers had initially wanted a name with more box office power, someone like Jackie Gleason or even Steve McQueen. Friedkin had considered Paul Newman and James Caan. All turned it down. Producer Philip D'Antoni, who had worked with Hackman on "The Split (1968)," suggested him, but Friedkin remained unconvinced, until Hackman read the script aloud with raw, unfiltered energy in a last-minute audition that changed everything.
Gene Hackman had concerns of his own. He didn’t feel like a natural fit for the role. He found Jimmy Doyle’s aggressive, bigoted persona hard to relate to. Friedkin didn’t help either. During rehearsals, the director pushed Hackman hard, often berating his performance and challenging him to dig deeper. Friedkin admitted years later that he intentionally provoked Hackman to tap into Doyle’s volatility. At one point, Hackman was so infuriated he nearly walked off the project, telling Friedkin, “I hate this guy. I don’t want to be him.” Friedkin replied, “That’s exactly why you’re right for it.”
To prepare, Hackman and co-star Roy Scheider shadowed real-life NYPD narcotics officers Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso, whose 1961 he**in bust inspired the film. Hackman spent weeks riding in the back of squad cars, witnessing drug raids, arrests, and late-night stakeouts. Egan, who was the real “Popeye” Doyle, was tough, confrontational, and crass, and Hackman found the experience exhausting. Egan often mocked Hackman for being too soft, telling him, “You don’t know the streets. You’ve never lived this.” The intensity of the real-world ride-alongs left Hackman mentally and emotionally drained, but they also helped him shape a gritty, authentic performance.
Filming took place in winter across New York City, often in unpredictable conditions. Hackman had to perform in uncontrolled environments filled with real crowds, real traffic, and minimal retakes. The famous chase scene, where Doyle races an elevated subway train by car, was shot without proper permits. Hackman had to drive at full speed through live traffic in Brooklyn while Friedkin filmed from the back seat with a handheld camera. At one point, Hackman nearly hit a pedestrian. He later called it one of the most dangerous things he had ever done as an actor.
Off-screen, the tension between Friedkin and Hackman remained high throughout the shoot. Friedkin once slapped Hackman across the face before a take, hoping to ignite the right level of anger. Hackman didn’t speak to him for the rest of the day. But the friction produced results. His portrayal of Doyle felt raw and unpredictable because, in many ways, Hackman was channeling his real frustration, fear, and discomfort with the character.
Hackman’s transformation into Doyle was so complete that by the end of filming, even Eddie Egan was impressed. He told the actor, “You might not have my walk or talk down perfect, but you got my attitude. That’s what counts.” Friedkin later admitted that the casting gamble paid off beyond expectations, calling Hackman’s performance “a miracle of tension and control.”
Hackman’s own feelings about the role remained conflicted for years. He found no joy in portraying Doyle, but recognized the significance of the part. When asked about the preparation and its toll, Hackman once said, “It made me angry, made me tired, made me question why I do this. But maybe that’s why it worked.”
What began as an uneasy match between actor and character became one of the most iconic performances in American cinema, born not from comfort, but from confrontation and immersion.
