Gene Hackman Reveals Why He's Cary Grant's Complete Opposite

Hollywood actors fall into pretty clear-cut groups. Some chase blockbuster paychecks while others stick to indie films. The smart ones bounce between both worlds.

But Oscar winner Gene Hackman sees a different divide. He splits performers into two camps: those who keep you guessing about their real selves, and those who feel like your next-door neighbor.

The Mystery Factor

Hackman puts himself firmly in the relatable category. Meanwhile, he considers Cary Grant the perfect example of Hollywood mystique.

"There's several kinds of movie actors who are popular," Hackman told Film Comment. "There's the kind who have the mystique. Cary Grant is a good example. I would not begin to try to tell you who he is, what he's about personally. But I know from watching him that he's a great actor and does what he does better than anybody has ever done."

Grant never snagged a competitive Oscar despite starring in classics like North by Northwest and The Philadelphia Story. Yet his smooth, elusive charm kept audiences hooked for decades.

The Everyman Appeal

Hackman sees himself at the opposite end of this spectrum. He thinks viewers connect with his working-class vibe.

"So there's that kind of mystique," he continued. "Then there's the other end of the pole, which is guys like myself. And then there are guys who probably fall in between, who have a little bit of what I have, maybe, and also have developed a kind of mystique, through whatever it is they do in their private lives."

The French Connection star believes his blue-collar persona lets audiences live vicariously through his characters. "I guess the audiences respond to the proletarian man they see in me: the working guy who's doing vicariously what they would like to do. I think that's why essentially The French Connection worked. I don't have any illusions about my being the only actor who could have played that. A lot of guys could have."

Recognition vs. Mystery

When viewers recognize themselves in an actor, they get pulled deeper into the story. But this familiarity comes with trade-offs.

"They're able to say that, in some funny kind of way, you know, 'Yeah, I know who that guy is.' And that works both positively and negatively, I think, because what it does is give you a kind of familiarity, without the mystique, which is what people are really attracted to, I think," he concluded.

According to Hackman, you don't need mystery to succeed in Hollywood. But that enigmatic quality can elevate certain stars to legendary status. Grant proved that sometimes keeping audiences guessing works just as well as letting them see themselves on screen.