Francis Ford Coppola honors ‘magnificent’ Gene Hackman, the paranoid surveillant in his underrated film ‘The Conversation’

Francis Ford Coppola was one of the first Hollywood legends to pay tribute to Gene Hackman following the actor’s passing on Wednesday. Coppola directed Hackman in 1974’s The Conversation, one of his best and most underrated films.

In an Instagram post, the revered director, 85, described his collaborator and friend as “a great actor” and artist whose “inspiring and magnificent” work and “complexity” are cause “for both mourning and celebration.” The director went on to state that, as such, he “[mourns] his loss, and [celebrates] his existence and contribution.”

He paired the message with a photo of the two working together on the set of The Conversation. In the eerily prophetic thriller, Hackman played Harry R. Caul, a neurotic surveillance expert who suspects the information he’s been collecting for a client only known as The Director (Robert Duvall) could get someone killed. The narrative then blurs reality and delusion as Caul gets caught up in a conspiracy, becoming increasingly paranoid and remorseful about his job. The Conversation is a cautionary tale about the surveillance state made during a time when it had barely even reared its head, much less the become the nightmare creature we dread today.

Hackman collected numerous fantastic performances over his career, starring in over 80 films and winning two Academy Awards from five nominations, but The Conversation is easily one of his best — but, much like the film, can often be overlooked. This is probably because it came out right in between Coppola’s historic run, sandwiched between the first Godfather film and Godfather II and Apocalypse Now. Yet, though smaller in scope, The Conversation could easily rival the others in sheer cinematic quality. From the masterful script to the groundbreaking soundscape, it’s a riveting watch.

But Hackman didn’t particularly enjoy the experience of playing such an uptight, rigid man, nor was he the first choice for it — Coppola wanted Marlon Brando. “[Caul] was really a constipated character,” the late actor told The New York Times in 2001, adding, “But the misery was partially Coppola’s fault because he had let it be known that he wanted Brando for that role and Brando didn’t want to do it. I loved the idea of the role, but I also knew that I was second choice.” Though the role did not earn him an Academy Award nomination, it did get him named Best Actor by the National Board of Review, as well as BAFTA and Golden Globe nods.

When he made The Conversation, Hackman had just won an Oscar for The French Connection. Together, the two films cemented his place as one of Hollywood’s most fascinating leading men. As Coppola described him in a 1973 issue of Sight & Sound, “He’s ideal because he’s so ordinary, so unexceptional in appearance.” Yet, behind his unassuming appearance, Hackman harbored a charisma that kept you glued to the screen and engrossed in any of his characters.

The veteran thespian was found dead in his home alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, and their dog, on the afternoon of Wednesday, Feb. 26. Though the cause of death has not been disclosed at the time of writing, authorities say there was no foul play involved. Hackman was 95 and he will be sorely missed.