Do you know what John Wayne and Clint Eastwood have in common? I mean, beyond being icons and movie heroes. Has it ever occurred to you that they're the same in every part they play?
As compelling as the characters they have played may be, they're really the same guy each time. Harry Callahan and Walt Kowalski are the same person, if only in different circumstances.
The same with Wayne. They don't act: they are what they are. And we like what they are. That's why we like their films. They're compelling people by themselves. It shows in their work.
It's also why Wayne was a terrible Ghengis Khan. Yes, in one of the classic miscastings in Hollywood history, the Duke played the Mongol warrior on film. It did not go well. It just wasn't Wayne.
Some actors are able to put on a persona - Dustin Hoffman comes to mind - and do well with it. Others are just what they are but in front of a camera. I think that's what I like about the Wayne's and Eastwood's of the world.
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