Katie Reul editor Sam Elliott, the mustachioed actor best known for roles in “1883,” “A Star Is Born” and “The Big Lebowski,” sat on Variety‘s Talks, presented by Paramount+, for a meditation on endings and beginnings throughout his long career.
Born and raised in Sacramento, Elliott explained his love for filmmaking developed as a result of frequent visits to The Sequoia, his local theater.
At the age of 9, he saw “Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954), which he credits as a major source of inspiration in committing to acting: “I wanted to make an audience feel what that magic was doing up there,” Elliott said.
A deep dive through the Variety archives yielded insight on the first time Elliott’s name ever appeared in print. Elliott shared a laugh with Cynthia Littleton, Variety Co-Editor in Chief, when she surprised him with a copy of his first-ever reference in Variety, a two-line item from the April 16, 1968, edition noting that he signed to be a contract player for 20th Century Fox, in the waning days of Old Hollywood.
Read more on variety.com